Despite many centuries of western cultural imposition, the peasants, shepherds, simple men and women of the rural areas of Peru have maintained several ancestral elements. One of the areas that has experienced few changes is precisely the Andean communities that are located in the Andes mountain range. . The Ausangate is the most representative mountain of the Cusco Andes. It forms a large massif with several peaks that surround its main peak located at 6,372 meters above sea level. The turquoise lagoons, extensive plateaus and stone forests make the area a lunar paradise totally isolated from modernity.
An indescribable adventure turns out to walk through the Ausangate. It is common to find needles of rock that rise to more than five thousand meters high and also tongues of ice that fall vertiginously and form glacial lagoons.
Traveling the eighty kilometers that includes the return to Ausangate takes six days and can be done on foot or on horseback. The circuit has a series of attractions that make it one of the tourist areas with the greatest potential for trekking and climbing in Peru. The beautiful snow-capped mountains, the turquoise glacial lagoons, the ice caves and the hot springs add to the possibility of interacting with kind and friendly peasants from small hamlets.
It is necessary to have a previous and adequate acclimatization in the city of Cusco. You walk an average of four to five hours a day and both in Upis, the first day’s camp, and in Pacchanta, at the end, it is possible to enjoy comforting hot springs.
Submerged at a temperature of more than 40 degrees, you can enjoy comforting warmth in a very cold outdoor environment that reaches five degrees Celsius at night.
Being isolated from the city, it maintains an atmosphere of greater authenticity about Andean customs. Nowhere in Cusco can you find typical costumes as beautiful and colorful as in this region. The traditional ponchos and chullos, as well as the sophisticated blankets, which are used on a daily basis, become a great attraction. A large part of the population speaks Quechua and only understands Spanish to a limited extent.
Snowy Ausangate
Located in the Andes mountain range, in a section called the Vilcanota mountain range, corresponding to the Cusco region in Peru. Its main peak is 6,372 meters above sea level with large lagoons with a luminous green/blue color.
Belonging to the district of Ocongate located in the southeastern part of the province of Quispicanchi, Department of Cusco, having the following geographical coordinates: South Latitude: 13º 37`24″ and W Longitude: 71º 23`07″. It is part of the Mapacho basin; The capital of the district is located on the right bank of the Mapacho River, at 3,533 meters above sea level.
Location
At 6,350 meters above sea level, the Coyllur Riti sanctuary is 4,700 meters above sea level
Climate
The temperature in the day is from 11 to 13 degrees centigrade and at night it drops from 4 to 10 degrees centigrade in June and July.