If you love high-altitude hiking and jaw-dropping landscape views, this 2-day mini-expedition is for you. Journey along Cusco’s scenic southern route for an adventure complete with a scenic overnight camp overlooking glacier peaks. Discover the vibrant hues of Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) and the awe-inspiring ice walls of the Quelccaya Glacier. Surrounded by dramatic cliffs, pristine lakes, and majestic Andes mountains, this tour delivers an unforgettable taste of Peru's wild natural beauty.
If you love high-altitude hiking and jaw-dropping landscape views, this 2-day mini-expedition is for you. Journey along Cusco’s scenic southern route for an adventure complete with a scenic overnight camp overlooking glacier peaks. Discover the vibrant hues of Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) and the awe-inspiring ice walls of the Quelccaya Glacier. Surrounded by dramatic cliffs, pristine lakes, and majestic Andes mountains, this tour delivers an unforgettable taste of Peru's wild natural beauty.
Journey south of Cusco on an extraordinary expedition to Rainbow Mountain and the high-altitude glaciers of the Andes.
Your adventure begins at the colorful Rainbow Mountain, followed by a scenic drive in private transport to Lake Sibinacocha, the second-largest lake in Cusco. Here, in the Ruita sector, you’ll camp beneath the stars with breathtaking views of the majestic Quelccaya Glacier.
The next day, trek to the crystal-clear waters of White Lake before ascending to admire the sheer scale of Quelccaya (5,200 m / 17,060 ft)—the world’s largest tropical glacier. Conclude your journey with a comfortable drive back to Cusco, carrying unforgettable memories of the wild Andean wilderness.
Today is the first day of this fabulous program, we will leave Cusco early in the morning to head to the village of Pitumarca, where we will have a delicious breakfast. After gaining energy, we will travel for another hour and a half until we reach the community of Cayrahuiri, considered the starting point of the trek to reach the Rainbow Mountain. We will ascend little by little until we reach the planned objective, the viewpoint of the majestic Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca (5,100 m / 16,732 ft.).
After enjoying the unique views, we will descend until we reach the transportation that will take us for two hours to the Sibinacocha lake. Here, we will be able to appreciate the diverse fauna typical of the Andean region, alpacas, and vicuñas that walk around the mountains. We will take a short walk around the lake to appreciate the scenery and learn about the trout, the main fish of the area. We will enjoy our lunch while contemplating the great Quelccaya glacier and the mountains of the Vilcanota range on the horizon.
In the afternoon, our private transportation will take us for an hour and a half to Ruita, passing through the village of Phinaya. Before dinner, we can take a short hike and explore the area with its beautiful scenery. In the evening, we will rest in our camp to regain strength after a wonderful day.
We start leaving the city of Cusco towards Pitumarca to have a delicious breakfast. We will continue traveling until we reach Cayrahuiri, the starting point of the hike to the Rainbow Mountain. After enjoying this incredible place, we will descend for private transportation to take us to the lake Sibinacocha. We will appreciate beautiful panoramas and have lunch here with a wonderful view of the great Quelccaya glacier. In the afternoon, transportation will take us to Ruita, where we will set up camp.
After warming up with a coca tea and enjoying a refreshing breakfast, we will begin our adventure for the day. We will walk for about 30 minutes to the lake Blanca, also known as Saqracocha. We will enjoy the place to continue with a steep ascent through some stone cliffs that have the appearance of guardians.
As we ascend, we’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the Quelccaya Glacier, also known as Challpa. This impressive glacier spans an area of 44 km² and is located between the regions of Puno and Cusco. What makes it particularly remarkable is that, unlike most glaciers that surround mountain peaks, Quelccaya's ice mass rests on a vast plateau.
Upon reaching the top of the trail (5,200 m / 17,060 ft), we will feel a deep sense of fulfillment for having achieved our goal. From there, we’ll also be able to admire lagoons formed by the melting glacier—an awe-inspiring natural sight. We will then begin our return to camp and get ready to conclude this unforgettable journey. On the way back, it will be possible to spot parihuanas, also known as Andean flamingos, as well as vizcachas, both representative species of the local wildlife. Finally, we’ll return to Cusco with hearts full of memories and bring our program to a close.
We will start our last day enjoying a nutritious breakfast. We will walk about 30 minutes to the White lake and after contemplating the incredible landscapes of the place, we will ascend through the stone cliffs. On the way, we will have the best views of the Quelccaya glacier, also known as Challpa. Once we reach the imposing glacier (5,200 m / 17,060 ft), we will be able to appreciate indescribable panoramas. Finally, we will arrive in Cusco after this beautiful experience and end our program.
At Ausangate Peru, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may differ for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
Your tour will be led by a trained and highly experienced professional with a very solid guiding background, years of hiking and wilderness experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into unforgettable adventures.
After a challenging trek we know how important a good hot meal can be to prepare your body and warm you up. That’s why on every trek with Salkantay Trekking we employ chefs with years of experience cooking on the trails so that they provide filling.
All of our hiking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola.
Our Horseman and his horses are in charge of all our gear and will always await us within the safe and comfortable camp sites.
So you are planning to trek the famous Ausangate?
his Ausangate Packing List will help you to prepare for your outdoor adventure in one of the most stunning regions of South America.
In it we have provided as much detail on every piece of kit you will need for a safe and successful trekking. The packing list includes personal recommendations on gear that we own and use. We believe these recommended items of gear provide the best value for money and deliver the best performance.
The "Rainbow Mountain and Quelccaya Glacier 2 days" can leave any day of the week, from March through January. We do not run this trek in February because rainy season & maintenance.
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 8%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits so that you will pay the remaining in cash (the briefing day in Cusco) without charges.
lease, after your deposit, send us the transfer number to info@ausangateperu.com; only after that, we'll be able to confirm your deposit and reservation.
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Peru Adventure.
Additional Items
There are additional items you can include in this trip. Below is a quick list of prices.
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Our collection of the most fabulous hiking trails in Peru bring you up close and very personal with the region’s most jaw-dropping highlights: from the snow-peaked Andes to turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers that seem to hang as if by magic, as well as an abundance of wildlife spotting and a breathtaking, unforgettable adventure in nature.
We did the 2-day tour through Ausangate, the rainbow mountain, and the red valley. The tour was private, the guide Jimmy was very friendly and professional, the whole trip has well organized the food was delicious during the excursion.
I thank the travel agency for this beautiful experience, and I recommend it.
-- NICHOLAS A