Embark on an unforgettable adventure to the 7 Lakes of Ausangate, departing from Cusco at 4:30 am. We will start with breakfast in the Pacchanta community, and then begin our 5-hour hike through stunning Andean landscapes to the 7 Lakes of Ausangate, each with its unique color. Along the way, you may spot alpacas, llamas, vizcachas, and, with a bit of luck, the majestic Andean condor. After the hike, enjoy a relaxing bath in the hot springs of Pacchanta, followed by a traditional lunch. The experience concludes with our return to Cusco around 7:30 pm.
Restrictions: This tour is not recommended for people with back or respiratory issues, heart problems, or other serious ailments. It is also not recommended for pregnant women, children under 10 years old, or individuals over 75 years old.
At around 4:30 am, we will pick you up from your hotel. Then, we will drive for about 2 hours to reach Pacchanta, where we will have breakfast to gather the energy needed for our hike through the snow-capped Ausangate and its turquoise lakes. Along the hike, we will witness breathtaking landscapes, encounter local animals such as llamas, alpacas, and vizcachas, and if we are lucky, we will see the majestic Andean condor. As we ascend, we will make stops at the lakes.
The names of the 7 Lakes of Ausangate are:
After visiting all the mentioned lakes, we will take a break to return to Pacchanta, where you can enjoy the hot springs during our free time. Then, we will savor a delicious traditional lunch as a reward for our hiking efforts. Finally, we will return to Cusco and expect to arrive around 7:30 pm
In private tours, breakfast and lunch are provided in higher category restaurants, offering a greater variety of cuisine.
To purchase tickets, you will need to bring Peruvian Soles in cash.
It is crucial to bring cash (in Soles) to purchase tickets and to rent a horse if desired.
According to the Inca mythology of this mountain and the nearby lakes – among which Sibinacocha stands out – gives birth to the masculine energy that fertilizes Mother Earth, Pachamama. After a long course, the waters are lost in the unknown lands of the Amazon, only to return to fill the lakes and glaciers every night, transformed into the River of Stars or Willkamayu, known in the West as the Milky Way. The Chillca community, composed of llama and alpaca herders, is known as the guardian of these pristine landscapes. From here, you can embark on mountain hikes, spending nights in comfortable lodges or tambos, with Machuracay Tambo standing out, in a trek known as the “Path of the Apu Ausangate.”
Every year, on the northern side of Ausangate, the Qoyllur Rit’i festival (Quechua: “star snow”) has been celebrated since time immemorial before the Corpus Christi festival. During this event, thousands of Quechuas make a pilgrimage to the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i in the Sinakara temple (a rock painting). This pilgrimage was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The collection of lagoons comprising this tourist attraction is fed by the melting snow of the immense Ausangate, the highest peak in Cusco (with its summit reaching 6,384 meters above sea level). The local communities decided to harness the natural beauty of the area by creating a circuit of 7 lagoons: Pucacocha Lagoon, Patacocha Lagoon, Alqacocha Lagoon, Qomercocha Lagoon, Otorongo Orco Lagoon, Otorongo Chinese Lagoon, and Cocha Blue Lagoon.
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Adventure Tours
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