We want to propose a new travel option. It’s a combination of nature, culture, history and landscapes from glaciers to valleys and the cloud forest. We’ll visit these three most impactful settings of the Cusco region. The first came up a few years ago: Vinicunca, a breathtaking valley of mountains where the Rainbow Mountain is located. The others need no introduction: the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is considered one of the most important destinations in Cusco, and the Inca Trail with its archeological sites, one of which is Machu Picchu. If you love adventure and are fascinated by history, this is the best travel opportunity for you!
We want to propose a new travel option. It’s a combination of nature, culture, history and landscapes from glaciers to valleys and the cloud forest. We’ll visit these three most impactful settings of the Cusco region. The first came up a few years ago: Vinicunca, a breathtaking valley of mountains where the Rainbow Mountain is located. The others need no introduction: the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is considered one of the most important destinations in Cusco, and the Inca Trail with its archeological sites, one of which is Machu Picchu. If you love adventure and are fascinated by history, this is the best travel opportunity for you!
Can you imagine being able to traverse the wonders of Cusco in just one tour? With us, it’s possible! We present to you a magical journey full of history in which you’ll have the opportunity to consider the magical colors of Rainbow Mountain and explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We also invite you to hike with us for 4 days in search of the most priceless sunrise at the door of the World Wonder of Machu Picchu. Grab your camera, get your backpack ready and discover the amazing landscapes that Cusco has to offer.
Today, a day full of adventure awaits us. We’ll start by picking you up from your hotel at 4:00 AM. We’ll then travel three hours from Cusco by car to arrive at the community of Quesiuno (4,376 m / 14,357 f), a place characterized by its herds of South American camelids, like the llama and the alpaca. Here, we’ll have our breakfast.
We’ll start the hike going uphill gradually for about three hours until we arrive at the Puca Pass (4,870 m / 15,977 f) where we can appreciate views of the immense valley with lagoons colored turquoise and the majestic glacier of Ausangate. We’ll then go down an hour and a half to have lunch in Anantapata (4,750 m / 11,614 f). We’ll rest here before going back uphill for two hours to the Warmisaya Pass (4,985 m / 16,355 f). Along the way, we’ll see a colorful landscape among the valleys.
After taking in the magic of the surrounding nature, we’ll hike downhill for 45 minutes to our campsite in Surinecocha. Here, we’ll recharge for our day tomorrow.
We’ll leave early in the morning to go to Quesiuno. We’ll start hiking uphill gradually until we arrive at the Puca Pass, and then we’ll go down to Anantapata for a delicious lunch. After recharging, we’ll continue our journey uphill for two hours to the Warmisaya Pass. Finally, we’ll go downhill 45 minutes to camp next to the Surinecocha Lagoon. Rest well, because the best is yet to come.
Today, the Rainbow Mountain and the never-ending Red Valley await us. We’ll have our breakfast very early before beginning our gradual, uphill hike for two hours to the viewpoint of the Rainbow Mountain (5,100 m / 16,732 f), the highest point on our trek. From this point, you’ll be able to see the sunrise over the peculiar colors of the Rainbow Mountain. Without a doubt, this is the perfect manifestation of Mother Nature, and we’ll enjoy it before other visitors arrive.
After this wonderful visit, we’ll start descending for an hour and a half to Llacto (4,630 m / 15,190 f) where our private transportation will be waiting to take us two hours away for lunch at the Taray Viewpoint (3,150 m / 10,334 f). Continuing the adventure, we’ll go to the archeological center of Urco (2,900 m / 9,514 f).
Finally, in Ollantaytambo (2,792 m / 9,160 f), we’ll explore the town and enjoy a hike to the Inca Qolqas (2,950 m / 9,678 f) in the mountain of Pinkuylluna. From there, you’ll have an amazing view of the archeological complex of Ollantaytambo. We’ll have dinner in a traditional restaurant in town and spend the night at a comfortable hotel.
After having a good breakfast, we will hike two hours uphill from Surinecocha to the long-awaited viewpoint of the Rainbow Mountain. The selfie moment has finally arrived! After taking our pictures, we’ll go down to Llacto and travel, by car, to the viewpoint of Taray to have a nice lunch. We’ll then continue toward Urco and finish off in Ollantaytambo to explore the town, have dinner and rest.
Very early, we’ll go, by private transportation, to the starting point of our hike on the Inca Trail at Piscacucho (2,700 m / 8,858 f), a community located in the Urubamba Valley at kilometer 82 of the train track from Cusco to Machu Picchu.
Our hike will start after we register at the entrance and cross the bridge over the Urubamba River. We’ll follow a flat path until we get to Miskay (2,690 m / 8,825 f), a favorable place to take a break. We’ll continue on to the viewpoint of Willkarakay (2,750 m / 7,922 f) to look out over the impressive view of the archeological center of Llactapata (2,600 m / 8,530 f).
We’ll then gradually ascend through the Kusichaca Valley to the place where we’ll have lunch, Tarayoc. After a relaxing rest, we’ll continue upwards for two more hours to the community of Wayllabamba (3,000 m / 9,840 f) where we’ll set up our first campsite and spend the night. Along the path, we’ll enjoy spectacular views of the Urubamba mountain range.
Today, we’ll get ready early to take our private transportation to Piscacucho. We’ll register at the entrance to the Inca Trail and start our hike on a flat trail toward Miskay and then continue to the viewpoint of Willkarakay. From there, we’ll be able to look out and see, in the distance, the archeological site of Llactapata, and we’ll also take this opportunity to rest. Where we’ll eat lunch isn’t far away; we’ll gradually climb up to Tarayoc and, after eating, follow the path on to Wayllabamba to spend the night.
We’ll get up early to get ready to conquer the highest peak on the trail. After breakfast, we’ll start on a steep uphill path between the mountains toward the Warmi Huañusca Pass, or passage of the dead woman (4,215 m / 13,829 f). On the way, we’ll feel the change of the high Andean plateau, a humid place with quite a lot of vegetation, to a dry area, the perfect place to spot a variety of birds and the Andean bear.
Our inspiration to continue the hike will be to enjoy the impressive views of the valley and the mountains. Immediately after taking in this landscape from the pass, we’ll descend for two hours to the Valley of Pacaymayo (3,600 m / 11,811 f) where we’ll rest after this excellent day.
We’ll start our day with an ascent to the Warmi Huañusca Pass. On the way, we’ll take in beautiful landscapes and see local animals, such as the Andean bear. After conquering this highest point on the trail, we’ll go downhill for two hours to the Valley of Pacaymayo to have dinner and spend the night.
We’ll start early today with a good breakfast. From Pacaymayo, we’ll go up to our second-highest point at the Runcuracay Pass (3,950 m / 12,959 f). On the path, we’ll stop to visit the archeological site of the same name, a small, oval structure that was used to control the quantity of people who used this trail. Later, we’ll go down to Yanacocha, or black lagoon, and then enter in Sayacmarca (3,650 m / 11,975 f), a beautiful complex consisting in various semi-circular constructions, multi-leveled enclosures and liturgical fountains with spiritual purposes.
We’ll continue on the path until Chaquicocha (3,600 m / 11,811 f) to enjoy a delicious lunch. After that, we’ll go through an Inca tunnel, hike up to the Phuyu Patamarca Pass (3,650 m / 11,975 f) and then down to its archeological site. This is one of the most complete and best preserved archeological complexes on the Inca Trail. Curiously enough, Phuyu Patamarca means “town over the clouds.” We’ll follow a steep, downhill path along stone steps that will take us to Wiñay Wayna (2,650 m / 8,694 f), the place where we’ll spend our last night of camping.
We’ll have breakfast early and then depart from Pacaymayo toward the Runcuracay Pass. There, we’ll also be able to visit the archeological complex of the same name. Afterwards, we’ll hike down to Yanacocha, or black lagoon, and enter the complex of Sayacmarca. We’ll continue walking on, passing through Chaquicocha to have lunch. Next, we will continue upwards to the Phuyu Patamarca Pass and visit its impressive archeological complex. Lastly, we’ll go to our last campsite in Wiñay Wayna.
Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! We’ll get up at 4:00 AM to leave Wiñay Wayna and walk calmly on a trail to Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate (2,720 m / 8,923 f). We’ll hike downward for 45 minutes to Machu Picchu (2,430 m / 7,972 f), register at the entrance, leave our backpacks and go back in to start our complete guided tour of the Inca citadel. You’ll have free time to look around a little more in this Historical Sanctuary. You can also climb Huayna Picchu and visit the Moon Temple, among other things.
Our grand journey has come to an end. After recharging our energy in this magnificent place, we’ll take a bus to the town of Aguas Calientes and have lunch. In the afternoon, the train will take us to Ollantaytambo, and our private transportation will be waiting to take us back to Cusco, taking the best memories with us of this incredible trip.
Today, we’ll start off at 4:00 AM to walk toward Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate. We’ll walk 45 minutes downhill from there to Machu Picchu and then arrive at the entrance of the citadel to enjoy a guided tour. After exploring this imposing Historical Sanctuary, we’ll go down, by bus, to Aguas Calientes to have lunch and then return to Ollantaytambo by train and to Cusco by private transportation, finishing off this incredible trip.
At Ausangate Peru, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may differ for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
Your tour will be led by a trained and highly experienced professional with a very solid guiding background, years of hiking and wilderness experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into unforgettable adventures.
After a challenging trek we know how important a good hot meal can be to prepare your body and warm you up. That’s why on every trek with Salkantay Trekking we employ chefs with years of experience cooking on the trails so that they provide filling.
All of our hiking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola.
Our Horseman and his horses are in charge of all our gear and will always await us within the safe and comfortable camp sites.
So you are planning to trek the famous Ausangate?
his Ausangate Packing List will help you to prepare for your outdoor adventure in one of the most stunning regions of South America.
In it we have provided as much detail on every piece of kit you will need for a safe and successful trekking. The packing list includes personal recommendations on gear that we own and use. We believe these recommended items of gear provide the best value for money and deliver the best performance.
The "Rainbow Mountain + Classic Inca Trail" can leave any day of the week, from March through January. We do not run this trek in February because rainy season & maintenance.
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 8%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits so that you will pay the remaining in cash (the briefing day in Cusco) without charges.
lease, after your deposit, send us the transfer number to info@ausangateperu.com; only after that, we'll be able to confirm your deposit and reservation.
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Peru Adventure.
Additional Items
There are additional items you can include in this trip. Below is a quick list of prices.
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Our collection of the most fabulous hiking trails in Peru bring you up close and very personal with the region’s most jaw-dropping highlights: from the snow-peaked Andes to turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers that seem to hang as if by magic, as well as an abundance of wildlife spotting and a breathtaking, unforgettable adventure in nature.
We did the 2-day tour through Ausangate, the rainbow mountain, and the red valley. The tour was private, the guide Jimmy was very friendly and professional, the whole trip has well organized the food was delicious during the excursion.
I thank the travel agency for this beautiful experience, and I recommend it.
-- NICHOLAS A