Day 1, almost a view of Ausangate as we walked away from Upis Village

The Ausangate Circuit looked amazing, and I began to think it would be a real shame to go to Peru and not do this hike, especially as it was apparently much less busy than many other areas. My partner Bec, who is sometimes a reluctant hiker, was also pretty excited about the Rainbow Mountain. Over time the Ausangate hike got locked into our plans and the Huayhuash started to get bumped off. I definitely would have been pushing my luck with Bec to do both, a six day hike (Ausangate) and a ten(ish) day hike (Huayhuash), both independently (carrying everything), so in the end we decided on the Ausangate and a shortened version of the Alpamayo Circuit, which a friend had recommended.

Hopefully I’ll get around to doing the Alpamayo report soon. For now, here’s Ausangate.

Day 1, Cusco to Upis Hot SpringsFrom Cusco we caught a morning bus to Tinki (3800 metres), a medium-sized town which is, traditionally, the trailhead for this hike. In recent years as roads have been built and improved, it’s become possible to get closer to the mountains by car and shorten the walk. I guess that the sections that you can now drive have consequently become less pleasant to walk. Previously they might have been walks on footpaths through rural villages and farmland but now they’re dusty

road slogs. We decided to get a taxi (50 soles, A$20) to save ourselves a few hours of reportedly boring uphill slog to Upis Village (about 4200 metres I think).

We’d thought the taxi would leave us only two hours walk from Abra Arapa Pass (the first pass of the hike) and that we might get over the pass and down to a campsite on day one. However, having not arrived in Tinki until 1:30pm (and then eaten a quick lunch), we didn’t arrive at Upis until 2:30pm. The taxi driver had told us that he’d taken us as far as the road went, but it soon became apparent that there was another two kilometres or so of road. We realised we’d only have enough daylight to get to the Upis Hot Springs campsite. This took us about 2.5 hours, including a 15 minute detour where we followed the wrong track. The weather

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was mostly fairly gloomy and we only caught a few glimpses of the peaks looming ahead, including the 6384 metre Nevado Ausangate. There were some bursts of late afternoon sun, making the alpaca covered grassy plains look golden and warm. We had one run-in with an overly defensive and quite scary dog, but thankfully our comical trekking pole waving retreat was enough to deter it from biting!

The campsite wasn’t all that nice but the view would be if you got to see it! We saw only glimpses. The campsite cost five soles (A$2), including use of the toilet. There was one other small group with a trekking company. It was a very mild night at about 4400 metres.

Day 2, Upis Hot Springs to Laguna Ausangatocha (aka Ausangate Lake)After brekky and packing up we backtracked slightly to have a bath in the hot springs. Well worthwhile! We then began the fairly easy climb to Abra Arapa Pass (4850 metres). Unfortunately Ausangate remained hidden behind clouds, with just some views of its glaciers. However, the views at the pass were spectacular. This was quite a bizarre landscape, similar to some that I’ve seen in Iceland. After the pass (which didn’t seem that “passy” - no steep descent on

the other side) we crossed a fairly boggy and slippery area before descending into a beautiful valley, dotted with lakes and lots of alpacas. Unfortunately the weather started to deteriorate and as well as missing some spectacular views we had to contend with freezing rain, thankfully not too heavy. We passed the other group, a little jealous of their dining tent, and had lunch under a rock overhang, staying mostly dry.

After lunch we started climbing, fairly gently, until we reached Apacheta Pass aka Ausangate Pass at about 4850 metres. Despite not being able to see the peaks around us (or much of the glaciers) there were some stunning views looking back along the valley and of the colours in the

Day 2, Abra Arapa Pass

Day 2, lots more Alpacas! Just before the rain started

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Day 2, looking back along the valley we'd walked through

Day 3, morning at camp after snowfall

hills. The climb to the pass was pretty easy, not having lost too much altitude since the first pass. From Apacheta Pass we descended steeply to the campsite by Laguna Ausangatocha at about 4650 metres. We got the tent up quickly and retreated inside as the showers continued.

There was a toilet building at this campsite but some genius had decided to install flush toilets instead of pits. Of course they weren’t plumbed, so you had to go down the creek to fill a bucket to flush them. Unfortunately not everyone did… I have no idea where the flushed waste went. There were two more groups at this campsite as well as a solo hiker. It's a pretty cold and exposed place, but with beautiful views.

Day 3, Laguna Ausangatocha to an unnamed campsite before Abra Campa PassIt started snowing at about 5am and continued for an hour or so. Then the sun came out and everything was stunning. With Palomani Pass now snow covered we considered staying put but the skies looked like clearing. Soon we’d have other’s footprints to follow so we decided to continue as planned after a visit to the shore of the lake and take plenty of photos in the morning sun.

The climb up to Palomani Pass (5200 metres) was tough! I’d been this high before but not carrying a full pack with tent, winter gear and plenty of food. There was also my very heavy camera, which I tend not to include in my gear weight because it makes any attempts at shedding weight seem pointless! The altitude had been messing with my appetite. Even in Cusco I hadn’t been eating as much as normal, but on the hike it had been a struggle to make myself eat much, so I was probably low on fuel. Nevertheless, the scenery was gorgeous! There was an amazing view on the way up, a slight detour from the track up the moraine, looking down over the lake and our campsite with incredibly red hills in the background.

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Day 3, slogging it up the climb. It was a tough oneby Rebecca Newman

Day 3, looking down from the other side of the pass

Stunning. Everything was still blanketed in snow and the sun was shining, adding to the majesty of the landscape. From the pass we had more stunning views, although unfortunately the high peaks were still mostly obscured.

After a long descent, passing a few houses and lots of alpacas, we had a leisurely lunch by a river, drying the tent in the sun. Unfortunately the sun didn’t stick around and before long it was very grey again. We got a bit confused about where to go next, lured in the wrong direction by a very clear track, and a bit of a navigational brainfade I must admit! Eventually, with the help of an old lady in a nearby house, we got going in the right direction; inexplicably, there was no track at all for a while. We skirted around a very broad valley before beginning to climb again, following a river into another, narrower valley. At one point we saw a group of walkers quite high above us, so there must have been another route that we could have taken.

We reached the next campsite at about 3:30pm and again were forced straight into the tent; it was raining again and we were both knackered. The campsite had amazing views towards big mountains at the end of the valley, but otherwise wasn’t nice. It was

very boggy, with no sheltered spots that were on dry ground. If the winds came from up the valley we could get some shelter, but not if they came from down the valley. Also, there was another flush toilet here, but with no bucket and with the river 150 metres away, there was no way to flush! As a result they were in a horrendous state and couldn’t be used. This was quite frustrating. One of the reasons we decided to camp at these campsites was to minimise our environmental impact. If there are toilets then it’s best to use them. But when the toilets can’t be used then you get people’s waste concentrated in one area, and rarely properly buried (it's not easy digging in the rocky

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Day 4, climbing out of the valley towards Abra Campo Pass. Some lazy buggers on horses ahead of us

ground). With all the flowing water, the waste is sure to be getting into the rivers. If I were to go again I’d wild camp.

The rain soon turned to hail and then to snow, about an inch or so. I was very glad when it stopped, as I wasn’t confident of my Stratospire’s ability to stand up to a serious dump!

Day 4, campsite before Abra Campa Pass to Pacchanta hot springsWe woke the next morning to an icy tent - it had cleared overnight, probably dropping to around -3ºC to -5ºC. I’d been worried about the potential for very cold weather on this hike. From what I’d read we should expect mild, sunny days and clear, cold nights, with -5ºC to -10ºC being the norm. We weren’t sure if our sleeping bags would be adequate, and eventually decided to also take my down summer quilt to spread over us. We had bought a cheap closed cell foam mat in Cusco, which we cut in half and each used under our inflatable mats. However, this night was as cold as it got on either of our hikes in Peru, and we were toasty without having to use the quilt.

The pre-dawn light was gorgeous, and I wandered around in the freezing morning air,

taking photos. The sun finally climbed over a low bank of clouds and it was suddenly warm. We let the tent dry for a bit before starting walking around 8am, climbing steadily but not too steeply. There were lots of alpacas and everything was looking stunning in the snow and sunshine. The climb to the pass wasn’t very steep but it was long. Having a few rests and taking a lot of photos it took us about three hours. The views of surrounding peaks were spectacular.

After descending we ate lunch at an amazing campsite with incredible views where two old women from a nearby village spread out their souvenirs to sell - socks, bags, beanies

Day 4, view as we approached the pass

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etc. Bec bought a few things and we gave them some food that we wouldn’t need. They told us it was an hour to Pacchanta hot springs if we were fast. We wouldn’t arrive there for 2.5 hours! Those mountain ladies are speedy! Or don’t have a good sense of time… After lunch the weather turned for the worse again, with rain, sleet and icy winds. Thankfully it didn’t last too long. We had stunning views of Ausangate and its glaciers and some beautiful lakes too. It was hard to go past a fantastic potential campsite by a lake, looking towards Ausangate, but the hot springs were calling us. It turned into a bit of a slog, not because the walking was boring (it was beautiful and easy) but because we felt like we’d never arrive. It was well worth pushing on though - we jumped in the hot springs as soon as we arrived at Pacchanta and soaked until after sunset with Ausangate overlooking us. We gave in to temptation and paid a few bucks to sleep in a bed. The only campsites we could see were on sloping ground and the tent was still very wet. It seems like quite a little tourist village has grown up around the springs in a very short period. The road now goes all the way to the springs and it looked like there were tour groups who’d driven there just to stay the night.

Day 5, Pacchanta hot springs to Tinki, to CuscoAfter eating breakfast whilst sitting in the hot springs, we decided to finish the walk properly by walking to Tinki, rather than getting a ride. Some of the road walking was fairly dull, partly because it was such a grey morning and the peaks were mostly to our backs, but as we got lower and started passing through villages it got more interesting. The day we’d started, Tinki had been very busy, with the market in full swing and some sort of car rally happening. Upon finishing the walk it was super quiet, with very few lunch options. We ordered lunch from a street stall in the square and it was one of the most disappointing post-hike

Day 4, looking back to Ausangate

Day 4, well earned. A sunset soak in Pacchanta

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