Once the administrative capital and epicenter of the Incan empire, the old city is in the shape of the sacred puma with the head represented by the Sacsayhuamán ruins, the belly by the Plaza de Armas, and the tail by the Tullumayo River. Today the city has a population of nearly 530,000 people and lies at an average elevation of 3,399 meters (11,152 feet); so some people need to acclimatize their first few days. I was coming from La Paz so it was actually a decline in elevation for me. Like many South American cities, the Plaza de Armas is in the valley and the city extends up into the hills so walking uphill is unavoidable. Cusco is an amazing city, but very touristy. You can’t go five feet without getting offered a massage or a tour. I spent about two weeks here during my last South American adventures and eleven more days this time. The real highlight of Cusco is its easy access to the Sacred Valley villages, many incredible multi day treks, and the jungle. One could spend months exploring the surrounding area and still not see it all.
Getting In
I met up with the boys: Charlie, Jude, and Costa to commute to the La Paz airport together since we were all evacuating on the same flight to Cusco. We took the purple line teleférico up to El Alto and soaked in the views of La Paz one last time. I also broke my watch when I accidentally hit it against the teleférico. Well my cheap watch from Cochabamba lasted less than two weeks…not surprising. You get what you pay for. Then it was a short taxi ride to the airport. It was mostly smooth sailing to get through security and customs (I accidentally left my pocket knife in my small backpack so that gotten taken at security) and we had plenty of time to kill before the flight. Once again my Capital One Priority Pass lounge access came in handy. I ditched my friends to enjoy my lounge perks. The food spread was very weak, but I ate some snacks and a subpar sandwich. The real highlight was the free beer, comfy seats, and easy access to chargers.
During the flight the guy in front of me goes “Colin?” It turns out it was this British guy Martin who sat at our table at Noma in Copenhagen (the three star Michelin restaurant I went to with Jordan). A month prior he had messaged me on Instagram asking for South America recommendations. I don’t quite recognize who it was but saw that Jordan was our mutual friend and thought it was some Denver club kid, but once I saw his face I remembered him from Noma. What are the odds?! When we landed, the customs line to get into Peru moved painfully slow. My seat was in the middle of the plane and it still over 45 minutes.
Lodging
I spent my first two nights in Cusco and the night before Ausangate in Magicpacker Hostel. It actually turned out to be quite social. The first night after my search for an Ausangate tour I almost went to read in bed, but I decided to have a beer instead. I ended up drinking and chatting for hours with two Scottish guys, an Irish guy, an Australian girl, and a few Brits – a group of native English speakers shooting the shit.
The next night I was partying with two Argentinians, Frederico and Nico, who were volunteering for two weeks at the hostel. We spoke nearly two hours and It was nice to see I could hold down such a long convo in Spanish with them. They were riding their bicycles from Argentina all the way to Colombia continuing through all of Central America then up the west coast of the U.S. (if they can get a visa). Sheesh how crazy! They were camping along the way and volunteering at hostels and already had some great stories. They were telling me how difficult it was to get over some of the mountain passes in Bolivia. Obviously I told them about my experience in Argentina during the World Cup. Then we mostly talked about travel. Afterwards I drank with the English speaking crew.
The two nights at my hostel in Urubamba were not particularly social as I was one of only three people staying at the hostel. That was fine by me, I would just watch AppleTV in my bed. I had booked a six person dorm and they put me in a twelve person dorm. I was annoyed at first but I had the entire room to myself both nights so that was cool. The walk into the center was 20 minutes so it was a bit of a trek to go out for dinner, but the town was quiet and safe so I didn’t mind. The views of the surrounding mountains were nice from the hostel.
My last two nights in Cusco after the Ausangate trek I stayed in a cheap hotel. It wasn’t particularly nice but at least I wasn’t in a hostel dorm. The shower was cold the night I had returned from five days of trekking and four nights of sleeping in a tent so that was a bummer. All I wanted was to relax in a hot shower and instead I quickly washed myself in less than a minute. The lady at the desk was nice and let me switch my room. She said I had to wait at least three minutes for it to warm up. My next shower was better (it wasn’t piping hot but at least it was warm).
Food
I was stoked to eat some good Peruvian food after spending a month in Bolivia. I had some good meals in Bolivia but overall I found the food average. There is a much greater variety of Peruvian food and the dishes are more flavorful. Although after spending three weeks in Peru, I ended up having more stomach problems here than in Bolivia. I need not go into details but there were a few meals that really upset my tummy. All that aside the food was still delicious. In Cusco and Urubamba I had a variety of classic Peruvian dishes from lomo saltado to aji de gallina to chaufa to pollo tipikay and a number of different types of soups. Cusco can be quite expensive so I tried to stick to the menu del dia in Mercado San Blas, Mercado San Camilo, and at random local hole in the wall spots.
The Hunt for an Ausangate Tour
The main reason I came back to Cusco, other than to escape the La Paz bloqueos, was to do one or two multi day treks that I didn’t do last time. I was between choosing the Ausangate circuit and Choquequirao; with the possibility to do both. The Ausangate circuit is a high altitude five day trek that circles around Ausangate mountain, the highest mountain in the Cusco region at 6,384 meters (20,945 feet). The hike to and from Choquequirao is a four day trek to an archaeological park nearly as impressive as Machu Picchu but with a fraction of the visitors due to being less known and the fact that you can only get there by hiking (although sadly there is talks of building a cable car to the site in the near future. It’s still in the preparation stages but appears to be a real possibility soon enough). The photos I saw of Ausangate looked incredible so I decided to make that my top priority. Plus I’m addicted to high altitude hiking and this would satisfy my itch. It was hard to pass up on Choquequirao, especially with the pending cable car construction that would ruin its quiet and remote charm, but alas life is about making decisions and in the end I was incredibly happy with my decision to do Ausangate.
After checking into my hostel, I spent my first evening going to a bunch of different agencies to get a price quote on Ausangate. It’s a much less popular trek than the Inca Trail and Salkantay trek, both of which go to Machu Picchu. Many agencies said I needed to find a group to get a lower price and others cost up to $650 which was more than I could stomach. I ended the night feeling discouraged.
The next day I looked online and found an agency that would do it for $350 (plus $25 for sleeping bag rental). It seemed too good to be true. I sent them a few WhatsApp messages and sure enough that was the price, but I had to wait until Friday (it was only Monday at this point). I went to the agency in person to pay to ensure it was actually the tour I wanted and all was well. It was a bit outside the center in a more local area and they were the ones who did the tour, rather than many of the other agencies who contact out to third parties. Perfect! The plan was in motion. Now I just had to fill my next couple days so I decided that I would spend two nights in a small Sacred Valley village rather than Cusco.
Sacsayhuamán
After resolving the Ausangate trek plans, I met up with my Italian buddy Costa to explore the Sacsayhuamán ruins located at the top of the hill above Cusco (the head of the puma). It was an uphill walk from the center where we passed by some aqueducts next to a beautiful narrow street lined with flower pots outside peoples’ homes.
When we got to the ruins you had an option to buy a one day pass for a few archaeological sites or a ten day pass that included additional sites. Both were quite expensive by Peruvian standards ($20 and $38 respectively) but I remembered this being a thing last time I was in Cusco. I bought the ten day pass since I planned to visit a few of the other sites. Once inside we also decided to pay for a guide and ultimately I was glad that we did (the archaeological sites provide zero informative signs). “I’d rather do one site well and have a quality experience than try to quickly do multiple sites.” – Costa. He made a good point.
Even though the guide spoke English, we decided to do the tour in Spanish since we were both adept enough. The guide was incredibly detailed and I took some notes but there was no way to recount everything. I enjoyed his level of detail in the beginning but the tour ended up being over 1.5 hours and my attention span was really fading the last 30 minutes.
Here are a few takeaways from notes. Sacsayhuamán means “satisfied falcon” in Quechua and the ceremonial fortress was built during the height of the Incan empire in the 15th century. When looking at the archaeological site from above it is shaped after the Milky Way. The Incans were big on astronomy and on numbers representing different things.
When the sun enters in perfect alignment with the three doors located on each level of the terrace then it’s the winter solstice. How they figured this out is quite miraculous. The guide would also point out shapes in the rocks like a llama and a puma paw. He also showed us three “portals” where the number of corners on the stones symbolized different things in Incan mythology. Sometimes it almost felt like he made this shit up to add more intrigue for tourists, but it’s truly hard to say. It’s like any religion; it requires having faith to believe.
But the biggest mystery of all is how they dragged these massive rocks down the mountain and masterfully pieced them all together to create this fortress. It would take years (decades?) to bring down the stones. The guide said they used ramps made of soil and bronze tools as levers. Are we sure the Incans didn’t have help from aliens?
Urubamba
While waiting for the Ausangate trek, I decided to spend a few nights out of the hustle and bustle of Cusco and in the Sacred Valley. I had already visited Pisac and Ollantaytambo on my previous trip so I decided to stay in Urubamba. Nestled in the Sacred Valley surrounded by beautiful mountains, this town has good central access to archaeological sites and day hikes in the area.
Point to Point Hike: Chinchero – Urquillos Trail (7.0 miles; 784 feet elevation gain; 3509 feet elevation loss)
I found a trail that started in Chinchero and cuts across to the other side of the highway to Urquillos where I could then catch a colectivo to Urubamba. I already wanted to check out the Chinchero archaeological site (it was on my ten day ticket) and since I was only bringing my smaller backpack I figured this would be a fun way to get to Urubamba. After breakfast at Magicpacker hostel, I headed to Calle Pavitos, the main area in Cusco to catch a colectivo for Urubamba. I got super lucky as I was the last person on the colectivo so it left immediately. It was heading to Urubamba but I let the driver know to drop me off at Chinchero. 45 minutes and 8 soles later (about $2.20) and I was there.
There were a bunch of shops selling artesenal goods on my walk to the ruins and I asked one of the ladies if she could fix the zipper on my backpack (it had broken during the Pico Austria trek). She pulled out her pliers and a few minutes later it worked again…for now. I decided to buy a hat to thank her since I had accidentally forgotten mine and I also tipped her a few extra soles. I continued along to the Chinchero archaeological site, which were a series of terraced ruins with mountains in the backdrop. It also was the starting point of an old Incan trail leading to Urquillos.
The trail was pretty much all downhill to Urquillos (besides going down to see the waterfall and heading back up). The landscape was incredibly green coming off rainy season. It was a bit cloudy so you couldn’t see the tops of the mountain peaks but still beautiful views. It was very quiet and peaceful along the trail. About a mile in, I ran into the first people I’d seen since the ruins, and began to chat with this nice German couple who were on a one month vacation. We ended up doing the rest of the hike together. They were actual hikers rather than just backpackers so we talked mountain talk – both summer hiking and winter skiing. It was the guy’s first time in South America and he had strong opinions about the inefficiencies in Peru. Sorry bud but you’re not in Germany anymore. Overall I enjoyed their company.
We made a detour to the Poq Poq Waterfall where we had to pay a small entry fee. It was a good size waterfall and worth a visit. This was the only spot where we saw other people all day, and it was just one Peruvian family. Otherwise the whole day on the trail was remote. After the waterfall we continued the downhill walk to Urquillos chatting the entire time. We passed through multiple farms along the countryside as we worked our way to the small village.
Once in Urquillos we went along a road to Huayllabamba to make it back to the highway and catch a colectivo. The Germans were heading back to Cusco so we were going in opposite directions. As we got close to the highway, a colectivo heading in the direction of Urubamba was stopping to drop off some people so I quickly said my good byes and ran to catch it. It was starting to drive away but I knocked on the side of the van just in time for it to stop. Once again I got lucky and didn’t have to wait any time at all. I hopped on and 15 minutes later I was in Urubamba. I paid a few soles (less than $1) for the ride and got out on the main street. It was a highly successful colectivo day. For around $3 plus an amazing hike, I made it to Urubamba from Cusco.
Point to Point Hike: Tarabamba – Maras Salt Mines – Maras – Moray (9.1 miles; 2,894 feet elevation gain; 774 elevation loss)
After having a morning coffee and empanada in the center, I walked toward the Urubamba bus terminal to catch a colectivo. On my way to the terminal I passed by the market and it was popping off (I had read Wednesday is the main market day). I love a good market so naturally I walked through to soak in the site. I bought a carrot juice for 1.50 soles (about $0.40) and the juice lady topped me off with la yapa after. It was a nice start to the morning. Once at the station I told one of the colectivo drivers I wanted to be dropped off at Tarabamba and he led me to his van. For the third straight colectivo ride I got lucky and we left immediately. Once we got close to the trailhead I had to yell at the colectivo driver to drop me off. When I asked the price he didn’t say anything so I just handed him 2 soles ($0.60) and walked out.
The hike to Maras salt mines was about 1.7 miles and 600 feet of gain along a dirt road. It was not too exciting of a hike, but as I got closer to the salt mines it was cool to see them from the other side before getting to the crowds at the main site. This is a major day trip tourist attraction from Cusco so after seeing no one else on the walk up (other than construction workers fixing the dirt road), I was in the midst of countless tour groups. The Mara’s salt mines contain over 3,000 terraced salt ponds fed by a natural underground spring. The site dates back to Pre-Incan times and is entirely operated by local community families. You don’t need a lot of time here but it was worth a visit.
Then I worked my way away from the crowds and continued along an actual trailhead up some steep switchbacks to enter the beautiful countryside between the salt mines and the town of Maras. This was my favorite part of the hike being surrounded by mountains and farmland that displayed the true beauty of the Sacred Valley.
The next 2.7 miles to town were quiet and remote as I gained 1,100 feet of elevation without even really noticing. I was in my happy place walking along the trail soaking in the gorgeous landscapes. It was so much more peaceful than the hectic crowds of the salt mines and exactly the reason why I prefer making my own adventures versus doing guided tours. The Sacred Valley area is magical if you can get away from the day tours and instead navigate the colectivos and trailheads yourself.
Once in the town of Maras, I got ceviche for lunch. It was tasty but turned out to be a slight mistake for my stomach in the middle of a hike. After lunch, I continued walking another 4.5 miles to Moray, which was a mix of narrow trails and dirt roads. It had a slight incline and went through farmland with cows, donkeys, bulls, and pigs. The Andes mountains continued to tower off in the distance. It was a gorgeous day
The Moray archaeological site was another unique and impressive display of Incan engineering. It consists of three sets of concentric circle terraces and is widely believed to have been an ancient agricultural laboratory where the Incas studied how different microclimates affected crop growth. The highest terrace is 490 feet higher than the lowest terrace and the sun hits each terrace at different angles which can lead to a temperature difference of up to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course this all just a theory since the Incans didn’t have a written language. Yet another mystery of their ancient engineering practices that we are still attempting to explain today.
I had read that you could colectivo from Moray back to Maras but the ticket attendant told me you had to take a taxi. It was either that or walk. And at this point I was ready for ease of transportation. Luckily there were two woman from San Francisco right outside the entrance also waiting for a taxi so we joined forces to split the cost. It was 10 soles per person (just under $3) so still not too bad. Once back in the square of Maras, there was a colectivo waiting for us. But it was empty so I had to wait this time. Luckily it didn’t wait to fill up and after about 10 minutes we were already on the road. For 4 soles ($1.20) I was back on the main street of Urubamba. It was another cheap and beautiful day exploring the Sacred Valley without doing a tour.
Ausangate Circuit – 5 Days, 4 Nights Trek (42.31 miles; 9,894 feet elevation gain; 16,737 highest elevation pass)
As previously mentioned, the Ausangate circuit is a high altitude five day trek that circles around Ausangate mountain, the highest mountain in the Cusco region at 6,384 meters (20,945 feet). The entire trek is between 14,100 and 17,060 feet high and you go over four mountain passes (five if you count the fact that we did one of the passes from both sides in order to detour to Rainbow Mountain). This trek blew away and shattered all expectations. It was one of the best treks I’ve ever done with every day full of incredible landscapes and jaw dropping views. It was impossible to narrow down my 100+ photos from the five days.
Plus the hike itself provided just the right amount of high altitude climbs to remain a challenge but not be too overly difficult (although it would have been very hard if doing self guided and carrying all your own food, tent, sleeping bag, etc). The mountaineer in me feels like a bit of a sissy to have the gear carried by horses, but in the midst of a long term backpacking travel trip I didn’t have time to do the detailed research required to do a trek like this without a guide, nor did I have the gear.
I got picked up from my hostel at 3am for the 3.5 hour ride to the trailhead. It was a super windy road so I couldn’t really sleep. The last section of the road got really bumpy and gutted out. It was a group of ten of us for the first three days and then just six of us for all five days. We had a great crew and once again a multi day trek together in the wilderness proved to be a strong bonding experience. The five day crew was me, an American guy Joe, a Taiwanese guy Luhan, a French girl Camille, and a Belgian (Flemish speaking) couple Laure and Lander; and the three dayers were a Belgian couple (French speaking) Noeh and Marion, a French Canadian Melanie, and a British girl Maisy. We had just one guide for all of us, Juanito, as well as a cooking and horse crew. Luckily Juanito would let us go at our own paces for the mountain passes so I was able to go at my quick speed and race ahead during some of the more challenging uphill sections. I will go into some detail about the trek but I’m already falling behind on the blot and the photos speak for themselves so I’ll let them do the talking.
Day 1 (7.88 miles; 1,985 feet elevation gain; 1,354 feet elevation loss; hiking between 14,514 and 15,585 feet)
The first day was mostly Inca flat with some uphill sections, but no mountain passes and nothing too steep. Immediately the beauty and power of the three peaks of the Ausangate Mountain made their presence felt.
We saw a bunch of llamas and this continued to be a daily theme as we would pass through countless llama farms over the five days. Joe and I chatted a good bit and we ultimately became tent mates for the four nights. He was a military man and gun toting American so a bit more on the conservative side, but at least he disliked Trump, so there was no arguing there. While he wasn’t the typical person I would hang out with at home, we got a long pretty well. He was also very smart and well informed about politics and history so he had some very interesting insight.
Besides the overpowering beauty of Ausangate Mountain, there were a number of other beautiful mountains. We also walked by a few different gorgeous high alpine turquoise colored lakes during the morning too. It was a good acclimatizing warm up day (although I was already quite acclimatized after my time in Bolivia).
We made it to camp just after noon and our campsite was in front of Laguna Hatun Pucacocha and had direct views of Ausangate. I could get used to this. After lunch most people napped but Juanito said we could explore the surrounding area so I channeled my inner mountain goat and walked up a few of the nearby hills to get the best 360 views of camp. Noeh and Marion joined me when they awoke from their nap and we had some solid convos.
We had our nightly tea time around 5:30 which consisted of hot tea and popcorn. We went around the table getting to know each other better talking about where we’re from and what we do for a living. Dinner was an hour later. Every meal started with soup and then we would have a couple platters to share usually a meat, rice, potatoes, and veggies; accompanied by some type of beverage. They always provided a generous portion of food so there was no need to be a shy. Most of the meals were quite tasty especially given the circumstances where we were. I was impressed with the service.
That night Juanito told us some “ghost” stories of legends of horror stories or outer worldly experiences that have happened on the trail. While he spoke decent English, he told his nightly stories in Spanish and Joe (who spoke great Spanish) would act as the translator for those who didn’t understand. Juanito also told us about the history of the Ausangate trail and how it has been traversed since pre Inca times for the transport and sale of goods. The Ausangate mountain is considered an apu; which means it’s a sacred mountain in the Incan culture. I can see why. It is now sacred in my life too. A new life goal of mine is to climb it one day. There are a few technical sections but it’s not too overly crazy. We’ll see. I would definitely need more ice climbs under my belt first. It also costs a pretty penny.
The sleeping bags they gave us weren’t amazing but they also gave us a small blanket to put inside the sleeping bag and a plastic “vessel” filled with hot water to keep in the bag for warmth. This was the first of four nights sleeping in extreme cold. It was one of the hardest parts of the trek.
Day 2 (10.15 miles; 3,012 feet elevation gain; 2,470 feet elevation loss; hiking between 15,149 and 16,392 feet: 2 mountain passes)
Juanito woke us up at 6am with coca tea delivery service to the tent. It was fucking cold. I put on every layer that I had in order to get out of bed. Breakfast was served with this surprisingly good hot bean juice.
By 8am we were on trail and started our first mountain pass. We climbed around 1,000 feet in 1.1 miles to reach a 16,128 foot pass with stunning views in both directions. Juanito remained in the back and let everyone go at their own pace so I was the first one to reach the top. I was feeling great after all the high altitude hikes I had done in La Paz so I had no issues. Of course it wasn’t easy but I love this type of challenge when I’m in my hiking mode.
There was a local woman with her kids selling drinks and snacks at the top of the mountain pass so Joe and I decided to have a 8:30am beer. Why not?
Then we went down the other side of the pass saying goodbye to Ausangate for now and enjoying new mountain by views and more llamas. Melanie and I had some nice chats as we enjoyed a leisurely pace heading down from the pass. After about 1.5 miles downhill it was time to start going up again as we approached the next mountain pass. This one started with a subtle incline before becoming steeper and higher than the last pass. Once again the group split up based on “hiking your own hike” and I ran off in front at my own pace. It was a good heart racing climb as we made our way up to 16,392 at the top of this next pass. The views along the way were amazing!
Once at the top we took a rest to soak in the scene. Just wow! It was the type of unreal Andes mountains beauty that made me fall in love with this mountain range years before. Moments like this affirm why hiking is my favorite sport. There was no other place in the world that I would rather be. And the thing I loved so much about the Ausangate trek is the remote solitude. Throughout the entire five days we only saw a handful of other people.
Then it was back downhill to the other side of the pass where camp was to be setup. Those of us in front arrived at camp just after noon and helped the porters setup the tents. Juanito gave us the option to take the afternoon off to chill; or to relax a bit then do Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley for sunset (rather than doing it the next morning for sunrise..which would also allow us five day people to sleep in more the following day). As a group, we all decided that we had energy to keep hiking in the afternoon after lunch. Juanito made it seem like Rainbow Mountain wasn’t that far away, but little did we know doing that and the Red Valley would basically double the mileage for the day. While it wasn’t too steep, it did end up adding another 700-800 feet of elevation gain and the round trip mileage was about five miles.
I really liked the Red Valley but Rainbow Mountain was kind of overrated. The rainbow colored mountain had become visible in the last decade due to glacial melt and it’s become an Instagram sensation ever since. It’s one of the most popular day tours from Cusco, but I thought it was kind of average. I think most people on Instagram add a filter because the colors were not as pronounced as photos I had seen. The fourteen color mountain outside of Jujuy in Argentina was way more impressive. Don’t get me wrong, it was still cool, but mostly because we had earned the experience having hiked over two mountain passes that day to arrive where we were; rather than doing the day tour taking a four hour bus, hiking one hour, snapping photos, then another four hour bus back to Cusco.
The nice thing was that we had Rainbow Mountain to ourselves (there was only three other people) since we were there close to sunset rather than in the morning when all the day tours from Cusco arrive. The best view of Rainbow Mountain is from the top of Vinikunka standing at 16,523 feet so that’s also pretty cool.
On our way back to camp we were treated with an incredibly colorful sky as the sun set off in the distance. It was the icing on the cake to a day full of stunning beauty. Pure magic! Two days in and the Ausangate trek had already stolen my heart.
It was dark for the last half mile back to camp, but worth every second of daylight we had enjoyed. We were all in good spirits talking and laughing during tea time; which was quickly followed by a delicious lomo saltado for dinner and an early bedtime. Everyone was exhausted. We said our goodbyes to the three day people as they were heading to rainbow mountain for sunrise (they did it twice since we had decided to do sunset) where they would then take a bus back to Cusco after.
Day 3 (9.50 miles; 2,598 feet elevation gain; 3,162 feet elevation loss; hiking between 15,125 and 16,737 feet; 2 mountain passes)
We got to sleep in more since we had already done Rainbow Mountain so Juanito woke us up at 7am with our delivery coca tea (I had already woken up around 6:15). Once again it was freezing cold upon wake up. Luckily the temperature would raise drastically when the sun came out and it would usually be pretty warm by 8am. After breakfast, we started the day with a steep uphill section to go back over the other side of the mountain pass we did the day before and get back on the Ausangate circuit (the addition of Rainbow mountain in the past few years has created this need to go up and over the same pass). It was about 700 feet of gain in 0.5 miles so a quick way to wake up the legs.
Then it was about two miles of downhill on the other side of the pass before we entered the valley and walked on mostly flat paths through the farmlands for a couple hours. Me, Joe, and Lander had some good convos but it was an easy day to just zone out and soak in the Andes countryside; quiet, peaceful bliss.
A little over 5.5 miles into the day we stopped for lunch. It was nearly 2 in the afternoon by the time we finished and we had to decide whether to stay in this camp spot or to do the highest mountain pass and camp on the other side. The original itinerary had us chilling at this campsite, but since we had gotten ahead of schedule by doing Rainbow Mountain the day before, it had been a fairly easy day. If we did the pass now then we could have one more big day on the fourth day and have a very easy final fifth day. The biggest factors were that it was getting later in the afternoon and that some members of the group had slight headaches and stomach aches. I felt totally fine so I was indifferent. Whatever the group wanted to do. In the end we decided to plow forward and conquer the pass.
This was the hardest section of the hike so I definitely went ahead at my pace. It’s easier for me to hike at my quick pace than to go slow. I would get way ahead of the group then wait for them to catch up. I prefer that rhythm over trying to walk super slowly. We had to gain a little over 1,500 feet in 1.7 miles reaching around 17,060 feet high at the top of Palomini Pass so it was a doozy. Some parts were quite steep and it really got the heart rate pumping but I was in peak trekking form at this point.
And of course the steepest part was the last quarter mile push. It was a good challenge. While I was huffing and puffing at times, I still felt strong during the ascent. Even when breaking to wait for the others, I made it to the top 10-15 minutes before the rest of the group enjoying yet another set of mountain views that were some of the best so far. This trek!!
Once the whole group was at the top, Juanito gave us each three coca leaves and performed a little ceremony to the Gods. He said a prayer to Inti, the sun God, then we said gracias to each of the surrounding Apus (sacred mountains) and blew on the leaves in the direction of the mountain he named. Then we held our heads down for twenty seconds of silence and perfectly on queue the sun came out for the first time in hours. It was eerily timed with our moment of silence to Inti and made a believer out of me in that moment. The universe works in mysterious ways.
Time for more downhill to camp. It was another two miles and 1,500 feet of descent into the valley to the next camp. Luckily we made good timing ascending the pass and were able to arrive at camp before dark. The colors behind the snowy mountains lit up the sky with shades of pink and oranges. It was another beautiful day on trail. This campsite was Juanito’s favorite and I could see why. Even though darkness was quickly creeping in, the power and proximity of the mountains could be felt. But so could the wind sweeping in the valley. This might have been the coldest night of all. Luckily this campsite was at a farmer’s home so there was an actual building to sit inside for dinner, as well as real toilets. Luxury living.
That night before dinner, Laure and Lander taught us the rules to play a game they brought called Boonanza. We didn’t have any time to play before food was served but at least the rules had been explained and we would be ready the next day. After dinner, Juanito told us a few more “ghost” stories from the Inca Trail and Salkantay that get passed down amongst the guides; and claiming that he had first hand seen some of the mysterious figures in these stories.
Day 4 (10.41 miles; 2,224 feet elevation gain; 2,151 feet elevation loss; hiking between 14,618 and 16,610 feet; 1 mountain pass)
It was back to 6am coca tea wake up to start out another long day on trail. Our ice cold awakenings had become routine at this point as we went through the motions of the morning and started hiking around 8am. The first few hours were Inca flat through llama farms as we walked through the valley surrounded by mountains on both sides and snowy mountain views in the distance. We saw a lot of viscochas (Andes rabbits) in the valley. The first 4.5 miles were mostly flat with some slight uphill. At this point my mind had entered a state of mountain bliss. I was having positive clear thoughts about my life, my hiking career, my friends, my family. I felt very grateful for the life I live and appreciative of the present state of mind I had entered during this trek. Nirvana achieved.
The next 2.5 miles were a continual uphill climb at a moderate incline as the views kept getting better and better. It was day four and new mountains and crystal blue lakes were still making an appearance. Once again the weather was perfect and the beauty of this trek shined in the sun. We could not have been more lucky. It was a long ascent to the final mountain pass standing at 16,610 feet. But we felt small next to the towering mountains on all sides and the valley below. The wow factor never stopped.
After a small flat section we headed downhill for three miles to reach our campsite at Laguna Pucacocha. Normally I don’t listen to music when I hike unless I’m tired but I decided to pop on Billy Strings while enjoying the stunning valley views. The geology of the landscape felt very layered as Billy’s hypnotic guitar looks filled my ears. I was nonstop smiling the whole time down. What a journey these past four days had been!
We got to camp a little after 2:30. Everybody was starving since we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, only small snack breaks. After lunch we lied on a tarp watching the clouds and admiring the mountains one last day. We only had a few hours downhill the next day so it was the point of the trek where you could relax and soak it all in. The hardest parts were all behind us.
Then in the late afternoon we finally played Boonanza and it was incredibly fun! The game was fairly easy to pick up and was a mixture of mostly luck with slight skill and strategy. It was definitely something I could see playing with my family or at Yen’s mountain house with friends. We played a few rounds before the snack hour. The group energy was at an all time high as we shared photos of our families, talked about our hobbies at home, discussed our dream jobs as kids, and generally felt more comfortable with each other than ever after the experience we had shared together these past few days.
Day 5 (4.37 miles; 75 feet elevation gain; 1,191 feet elevation loss; hiking between 15,198 and 14,082 feet)
We woke up at 6am again on the final morning and while I was sad that it was the last day of the trek, I was very excited not to sleep in the cold anymore. Since we had fast tracked the schedule starting day two; it was an easy final day. Camille and I talked most of the way down as we enjoyed the final views of Ausangate and passed by a few more lakes. As we got close to the small village of Pacchanta we started running into the crowds of day tours doing the seven lagunas of Ausangate (a mixture of hikers and horse riders). This was by far the most people we’d seen in days and a sign that we were re-entering civilization. In less than two hours we had made it to Pacchanta. Here we had the opportunity to enjoy some small hot springs. They weren’t piping hot but the warm water felt good on the body after five days of hiking. We had one final group lunch before hitting the road for another 3.5 hour drive back into Cusco. The landscapes and mountains were more beautiful than I even anticipated; and a strong bond had been formed with the group of people I got to experience it with. I was all smiles on the way back.
Life After Ausangate
We got back to Cusco from Ausangate around 3pm and all decided we should meet up later that night for drinks. I picked out a random craft beer bar and got there around 7. In the beginning, it was just me and Camille and we had some good conversations over beers and decided to travel to Arequipa together next. Eventually Joe showed up and finally Laure and Lander got there around 10pm, but we didn’t have much gas left in the tank.
The following afternoon we all met up again and played a few more rounds of Boonanza first over coffee and juice before switching to pisco sour and beers as the night went on. It was fun to continue riding the high of the group energy for one more night.
On the final day in Cusco, Camille and I had to wait all day for our night bus to Arequipa so we ran a few small errands, bounced around from park to park, and went to see the new Mandalorian movie in theaters in Spanish. It was one of those days where you’re just killing time until the bus but it actually went by fairly quickly all things considered and we had a good time together.