Ausangate Glacier

Ausangate is the fifth highest peak in Peru (6,384 m) and the most sacred in the Cusco Andes. It is located in the Vilcanota mountain range, one of the most remote and beautiful areas of the country, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of the city of Cusco.

Apu Ausangate is the most sacred glacier for the people of Cusco. For centuries, Andean farming communities from Puno, Arequipa, Apurímac, and Cusco have made annual pilgrimages to its base, asking the powerful Apu for good harvests, fertile livestock, and safe passage on the roads.

The Most Powerful Apu of the Cusco Andes

In Andean cosmovision, glaciers are living spirits called Apus — beings that inhabit the mountains, control the climate and fertility of the land, and act as intermediaries between human beings and the higher forces of the universe.

Ausangate is considered the chief Apu of the southern Peruvian Andes: the most powerful, the most revered, and the most feared of all mountain spirits in the region. Communities attribute to it the creation of the Vilcanota River (Urubamba), which is born from its glaciers and which the Incas called Willcamayu (Sacred River), as it flows through the Sacred Valley carrying the nourishment of Mother Earth.

According to Andean tradition, Apu Ausangate returns each night transformed into a star to replenish the lakes and glaciers that surround it. It is also believed that if humans fail to respect the animals and nature, Ausangate can grow angry and punish people with bad weather, livestock disease, and poor harvests.

The Qoyllur Riti: The Great Pilgrimage

The most spectacular expression of devotion to Ausangate is the Qoyllur Riti Festival (Star of the Snow in Quechua), a religious pilgrimage that takes place each year in May or June, around the time of Corpus Christi. Thousands of pilgrims from throughout southern Peru and Bolivia climb to the Qoyllur Riti sanctuary, located at the foot of the Coque Punku glacier of Ausangate, at over 4,700 meters above sea level.

This pilgrimage was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2011. The pilgrims, known as “ukuku” or “ukukus” when dressed as teddy bears (a mythological Andean figure), spend the night on the mountain in below-zero temperatures, dancing, praying, and performing rituals that blend Catholicism with pre-Columbian Andean traditions.

The Seven-Color Rainbow: Vinicunca

On the slopes of the Ausangate massif lies one of the most viral tourism destinations in Peru in recent years: Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain (also known as the Rainbow Mountain or Montaña de Colores). This 5,200-meter mountain displays layers of multicolored rock — reds, yellows, greens, whites, and purples — created by deposits of different minerals over millions of years.

Although the mountain has always existed, tourist access became popular only from 2015 onward, when the glaciers that covered it retreated enough to expose the colors. Today it is one of the most visited destinations in the Cusco department.

The Ausangate Trek

The trekking circuit around the Ausangate massif is considered one of the most beautiful in Peru and in the world. This 5 to 7-day route completely encircles the glacier, passing through landscapes of almost surreal beauty: jade and turquoise lagoons, herds of alpacas and vicuñas grazing on the puna, remote herder communities maintaining their ancestral way of life, and constant views of the Ausangate glacier reflected in the water below.

The circuit crosses several mountain passes exceeding 5,000 meters, so prior acclimatization in Cusco of at least 2-3 days is required.

Recommendations

• Acclimatization in Cusco (3,399 m) is essential before venturing to Ausangate, where altitudes exceed 4,500 m.
• Nighttime temperatures on the puna can drop to -15°C; proper mountain equipment is necessary.
• Tour operators in Cusco organize treks of various lengths around the massif.
• The best time to visit is between May and October (dry season).

How to Get There

Cusco – Tinke Community

Bus: approx. 3 hours

Tinke Community – Ausangate Glacier

Hike: 5 hours, 4-night trekking route

Hours

• Depends on the operator
• Approximate schedule

Admission Price

• Peruvians S/5.00 soles
• Foreigners S/10.00 soles
• Approximate prices