In the Vilcanota range you can hike at heights above 5000m and have fabulous panoramic views at crystalline lakes and nearby mountains.You can see the typical Andean animals as lamas, alpacas and vicuñas, meet local people who speak Quechua and know about their religion (their contact with the Apus, the mountain spirit) , customs and life in the Andes.This hike is quite a long and difficult one (you walk 7-8 hours a day), so we recommend to prepare well, doing shorter walks at altitude during 3 days before starting the hike.
Day 1: Cusco Free time.
Day 2: Cusco – Ocongate – Tinqui.
Day 3: Tinki – Upis.
Day 4: Upis – Lagoon Pucacocha.
Day 5: Pucacocha Lagoons – Palomanistep – Chilcapinaya.
Day 6: Chilcapinaya – Jampa Valley – Pachaspata.
Day 7: Lagoon Qomerqocha – Pacchanta – Tinqui – Cusco.
Day 8: Flight back home or your next destination.
Welcome at the Cusco’s airport. Transfer to your selected hotel. Free afternoon.
Pick up from the hotel and trip in bus at 6:00am. to arrive at Tinqui town, throughout the valley of the Huatanay river, beautiful cultivated earth extensions and colorful towns. We will camp in the environs of Tinqui. (Lunch and dinner) starts the hike next day.
After breakfast, we initiated the long walk in the direction of the base of Ausangate majestic snow-covered (6372m), observing high-Andean customs in this zone we will enjoy the presence of great amounts of Flames and Alpacas. Also we will visit the small town of Upis (4140m) and soon we went towards the thermal water sector where we will encamp (on the snowed foot).
After breakfast, very early, we will overcome the Arapapassage (4700m) soon descend towards the Pucacocha lagoons known with the names HatunPucacocha, Viracocha and HuchuyPucacocha, where we will have magnificent landscapes and we will be able to appreciate different species from Andean birds, We encamped to borders of a lagoon. (4575m).
This day we will be able to appreciate the snowed Ausangatedesglaciations. We will ascend to the passage of Alcatani (4650m), we continued the route descending towards the Ausangatecocha lagoon, soon to ascend towards the Palomani step (5050m) where we will have views of particular beauty, soon we descend to Chilcapinaya where we will encamp.
We’ll continuous route throughout the Jampa Valley where we appreciated Andean settlers with typical suits of the region as well as alpacas, ewes, flames, we will ascend to our last passage of (4600m), to observe the beautiful Ticllacocha lagoon , the Pampas of Pachaspata, we´ll encamp to borders of Qomercocha lagoon.
Accompanied by magnificent high Andean landscapes we descend towards the town of Pacchanta. After a brief route in the middle of the typical Andean landscape we arrived to Tinqui where we embarked for our return to Cusco by bus.
Transfer to the Cusco`s airport for your flight to Lima and then take your connecting flight to home or your next destination.
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1.- I am just one person, can I join some group tour?
Yes, you can, we have departure every day, feel free to decide when to go.
2.- We don’t like to go in a big group, can we arrange a private tour?
Yes you can, our group tours go with 15 or 19 people, but if you want, you can also arrange a private tour, we have different rates for it depending on how many people you are.
3.- I will travel with my family, we have two 65 YO people, do you think, can they make it?
We had people on this tour from 70 and 75 YO, the tour is not hard, but you have some small hikes into the Inca Sites where there are many steps to go up and down if you think they are not to fit to do it, we recommend to take a Private tour, that will be a perfect plan to do the tour quite easily and smoothly.
4.- We want to take the tour included Wayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountain, do we have enough time to do it in the same day tour of Machu Picchu?
Yes, On this tour you will sleep in Aguas Calientes (Town of Machu Picchu) so you can take some of the first busses, the park opens at 6:00 am. suppose that you will get in at 7:00 am. First, you can climb the Mountain (2 or 3 and 1/2 hours hike) until 10:30 am. Then, you can go out to use the toilet or eat something and rest, then you can start the guided tour around the citadel (Around 2 hours) until 14:00 hrs. Then you will have free time to continue exploring on your own, the park is open until 5 pm. You will have like 10 hours to be there, the train departure to return is at 19:00 hrs.
5.- How about my luggage, can I take all my staff?, or where can I store it?
As this tour is only for 2 days we recommend to take only small backpacks because there are restrictions to take on the train, and also all the streets in Aguas Calientes have only pedestrian access. The rest of your stuff you can be stored at your accommodation in Cusco, All the Hotels have storage if you book the night for your way back, you can leave your stuff there, another option is that you can leave your stuff in our office, in the two options you don’t need to pay anything extra.
6.- How about the altitude, Are going to pass by other places higher than Cusco?
Cusco city is located in 3350 masl. (10990 Ft.) the only place higher than Cusco is Chinchero area 3750 masl. then you will descend to Aguas Calientes 2050 masl. Machu Picchu is located in 2450 masl (8038 Ft.); we always recommend to have at least one day in Cusco to acclimatize; altitude sickness is very different for everyone, sometimes you don’t have any problem.
