A day hike of about 13 km at 4,300 to 4,800 m with hot springs in Pacchanta, or a trek over high passes.
The short answer
The 7 lakes of Ausangate are a long day trip from Cusco: pickup around 4:30 AM, about 3 hours to Pacchanta, a hike of roughly 13 km between 4,300 and 4,800 m, lunch and the hot springs, and back by 6 or 7 PM. Entry and hot springs are paid in cash on site.
For more time in the range, Vidal Expeditions walks around the mountain in five days, and Salkantay Trekking crosses to Rainbow Mountain in three.
Ausangate rises southeast of Cusco above a chain of glacier lakes. The day trips all start from Pacchanta; the treks cross passes above 4,800 m and sleep in tents.
Day trips and treks share one table; the Days column tells them apart.
| Photo | Tour | Days | Pickup and return | Hike or route | Highest point on the listing | Hot springs or nights | Group | Cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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7 lakes of Ausangate with breakfast and lunch Inka Altitude | 1 day | Hotel pickup 4 to 4:30 AM; back 6 to 7 PM | About 13 km, about 4.5 hours | 4,620 m (notes say over 4,800 m) | Pacchanta after lunch; fee with the entry, in cash | Shared or private | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.7 (855) | $30 per person | Book now |
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7 lakes of Ausangate and Pacchanta hot springs Ausangate Treks | 1 day | Hotel pickup at 4:30 AM; back about 6 PM | About 13 km; option on horseback | Above 4,600 m | Pacchanta after lunch; fee with the entry, in cash | Shared or private | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.6 (217) | $35 per person | Book now |
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7 lakes of Ausangate full day Chullos Travel Peru | 1 day | Hotel pickup 4:30 to 5 AM in the historic center | About 5 hours there and back | Not stated | 45 minutes in Pacchanta; entry not included | Shared, up to 15 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.8 (162) | $29 per person | Book now |
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Ausangate trek around the mountain Vidal Expeditions | 5 days | Hotel pickup, time set at the briefing the evening before | From Tinqui via the Arapa, Apacheta and Palomani passes to Pacchanta | 5,200 m (Palomani pass) | Tents, horses carry the gear; sleeping bag and entry not included | Up to 10; age 12 to 66 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 5.0 (89) | $660 per person | Book now |
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7 lakes of Ausangate with meals Viagens Machu Picchu | 1 day | Hotel pickup in central Cusco; back about 6:30 PM | About 3.5 hours | About 4,800 m | Optional, not included | Shared up to 17, or private; age 12 to 60 | Free up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.9 (68) | $69 per person | Book now |
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Ausangate and Rainbow Mountain trek Salkantay Trekking | 3 days | Hotel pickup 4:30 to 5 AM | From Upis via the Arapa, Puca and Warmisaya passes to Rainbow Mountain | 5,100 m (Rainbow Mountain) | Tents, porters and pack mules; entries included | Up to 12 | Non-refundable | ★ 4.9 (46) | $560 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, all 6 tours on this page still have places.
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: Day trip
Days: 5 days or more
Days: 3 days
Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
About 13 km in 4.5 hours, lunch and hot springs in Pacchanta; group or private.
Pickup from hotels in central Cusco between 4:00 and 4:30 am, then about 3 hours by van to Pacchanta, with breakfast on the way. The hike to the lakes below Ausangate covers about 13 km in roughly 4.5 hours, back to Pacchanta for lunch and time at the hot springs. You are back in Cusco between 6 and 7 pm.
The entrance fee and the hot springs are paid in cash on the day, in soles, and are not part of the booking. The listing gives the highest point as 4,620 m but also warns that you trek above 4,800 m. Shared and private options exist; the private one runs by car and lets you set the pace. Horse rental on the trail is possible but handled locally, not by the operator.
Pickup from hotels in the historic center of Cusco. If you stay in a private apartment, you give the address and are sent a nearby meeting point. Collecting the whole group can take 30 to 45 minutes. Drop-off is at San Bernardo 132, near the center.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
All lakes named on the listing, the Ninaparayoc viewpoint and an option on horseback.
Hotel pickup at 4:30 am and about 3 hours by minibus to Pacchanta (4,100 m), where breakfast is served. After a safety briefing the circuit visits seven lakes, including Otorongo, Alqacocha, Pucacocha and Azulcocha, and the Ninaparayoc viewpoint, about 13 km in total. Lunch is back in Pacchanta, then time in the hot springs, and you are in Cusco at about 6 pm.
Besides the shared hike there is a group option on horseback and a private option. The entrance fee and the hot springs are not included and are paid in cash. The route stays above 4,600 m for much of the day, so the operator suggests bringing your own altitude medication. A wooden walking stick is available.
Pickup from your hotel in Cusco; wait in the lobby. The pickup can take 10 to 15 minutes. Drop-off is at Plaza Regocijo.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Hike of about 5 hours and 45 minutes in the hot springs; groups of up to 15.
Pickup from hotels in the historic center between 4:30 and 5:00 am and about 3 hours to Pacchanta, where breakfast is served before the hike. The walk to the lakes and back takes about 5 hours, with alpacas, llamas and vizcachas along the way. After lunch in Pacchanta you get about 45 minutes in the hot springs, and you are back in Cusco at around 7:30 pm.
The entrance fee is not included, and the listing does not say if the hot springs are covered. The names of the lakes differ between the description and the itinerary. Groups are capped at 15.
Pickup from hotels in the historic center of Cusco only, between 4:30 and 5:00 am.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Group or private, ages 12 to 60; hot springs optional and not included.
Pickup from your accommodation and about 3.5 hours by road to Pacchanta (about 4,300 m) for breakfast. The hike of around 3.5 hours visits seven lakes, among them Pucacocha, Alcacocha, Orco Otorongo and Azul Cocha, and reaches close to 4,800 m. Lunch is at a local restaurant in Pacchanta, followed by free time when you can visit the hot springs, and you are back in Cusco at about 6:30 pm.
The listing has a private option and a bilingual group option; the group option describes breakfast and lunch as basic à la carte, while the main text says buffet. The entrance to the lakes, the hot springs and horse rental are paid in cash on the spot. You have to contact the operator after booking to arrange the pickup.
Pickup from accommodation in central Cusco; if yours is outside the route, the operator suggests a nearby meeting point. Be in the lobby 15 minutes before the pickup time.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Five days in tents over the Palomani pass at 5,200 m, horses for the gear; sleeping bag and entry extra.
A five-day loop around Ausangate. Day 1 drives via Tinke to Rondoca and hikes to camp at Upis (4,200 m) with hot springs. Day 2 crosses the Arapa pass (4,850 m) and the Apacheta pass to camp at Ausangate Qocha. Day 3 climbs the Palomani pass at 5,200 m, the highest point, with a ceremony for the mountain. Day 4 is a shorter day past glacial lakes to the hot springs of Pacchanta, and day 5 includes a visit to a local family before the drive back to Cusco.
Nights are in tents and horses carry the equipment, with breakfast, lunch and dinner on the trail. A sleeping bag is not included, nor is the entrance fee. The inclusions list does not name the guide or transport, though the itinerary describes both. The time of the hotel pickup is set at a briefing the evening before. Shared groups are capped at 10.
Hotel pickup in Cusco early on day 1; the time is agreed at the briefing the evening before.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Three days with porters and mules, finishing at Rainbow Mountain; entries included, non-refundable.
Day 1 starts with pickup around 5 am, a drive of about 3 hours to Upis and a hike over the Arapa pass (4,800 m) to camp at Hatun Pucacocha. Day 2 crosses the Puca pass and the Warmisaya pass (4,985 m) to camp at Surinecocha. On day 3 you climb about two hours to Rainbow Mountain at 5,100 m, descend to Llacto for lunch and drive back to Cusco in the afternoon.
All sales are final. Entrance fees, a porter team with pack mules, camping and dining tents, and meals from breakfast on day 1 to lunch on day 3 are included; dinner on day 3 is not. A personal duffel of up to 5 kg goes with the mules. The briefing is at the operator's office in Cusco at 5 pm the day before. The listing says children from 12 may join, but the bookable ages are 15 to 70.
Hotel pickup in central Cusco between 4:30 and 5:00 am on day 1. Briefing at the operator's office in Cusco at 5 pm the evening before.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
The day tours drive about 3 to 3.5 hours southeast to Pacchanta, a village at about 4,100 m at the foot of Ausangate, which the listings give as 6,384 m. Breakfast is in Pacchanta. The loop to the lakes takes 3.5 to 5 hours depending on the operator; Inka Altitude and Ausangate Treks both give about 13 km. The lakes have Quechua names such as Otorongo, Alqacocha, Q'omercocha, Azulcocha and Pucacocha, and the listings describe them as blue, turquoise or green. Ausangate Treks stops at the Ninaparayoc viewpoint, from where you see all the lakes at once. After lunch there is time for the hot springs in Pacchanta, and you are back in Cusco between 6 and 7 PM.
Inka Altitude warns of morning temperatures of 5 to 9 °C at the start. Ausangate Treks has an option to do the loop on horseback with the group.
None of the day trips includes the entry fee. Inka Altitude and Ausangate Treks charge entry and hot springs together, in cash in soles. With Viagens Machu Picchu the hot springs are optional and not included; with Chullos Travel Peru the listing gives 45 minutes in the pools but excludes the entry.
This is a long day at altitude, not a short climb. Viagens Machu Picchu gives 4,300 to 4,800 m for the whole hike. Inka Altitude names 4,620 m as the highest point and, a few lines further down, says you will trek above 4,800 m; the listing does not resolve this. On the multi-day treks the passes are higher: Arapa at 4,800 to 4,850 m depending on the listing, and Palomani at 5,200 m on the five-day route. Plan the day after Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain day trips, not on your first days in Cusco. More: altitude and acclimatization.
The listings rule out travelers with heart, back or breathing problems and with limited mobility, and Inka Altitude sets a limit of 120 kg. Viagens Machu Picchu takes ages 12 to 60. The multi-day treks ask for a high level of fitness: Salkantay Trekking recommends arriving in Cusco three days before the start.
The five-day trek of Vidal Expeditions goes around the mountain, with a cook and a horse driver; horses carry the equipment. After the Palomani pass the route returns to Pacchanta and its hot springs. You bring or rent your own sleeping bag, and the entry fee is extra. In the itinerary, day three and day four have the same heading but describe different stages.
Salkantay Trekking needs three days and ends at Rainbow Mountain from the far side, then descends to Llacto for lunch and the drive back. Entry to the Ausangate trek and to Rainbow Mountain are included, and porters and mules carry a duffel of up to 5 kg. The booking is non-refundable: the listing states that all sales are final. The age rules differ within the listing, with bookings open from 15 and a note that children from 12 may join.
Warm layers, a hat, gloves, rain gear and sunglasses, which Inka Altitude makes mandatory. Swimwear for the hot springs in Pacchanta. Cash in soles for entry, hot springs and any horse. Inka Altitude notes that the dirt road can bring on altitude sickness and suggests your own medication.
The day trips and the treks are sold for all months. In the rainy season, which SENAMHI says can last until April, the trails get wet and muddy. The day trips can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before; the three-day trek cannot. See best time to visit.
If you are looking for a longer route that ends at Machu Picchu, see the treks to Machu Picchu compared.
About 13 km according to Inka Altitude and Ausangate Treks, which takes 3.5 to 5 hours depending on the operator. The whole day from Cusco is about 14 to 15 hours.
It is longer. Rainbow Mountain has a shorter climb to a higher viewpoint; the Ausangate loop stays between about 4,300 and 4,800 m for several hours.
No. On the Inka Altitude and Ausangate Treks tours, entry and hot springs are paid together in cash; on the Viagens Machu Picchu tour the hot springs are optional and extra.
The day trips and the five-day trek of Vidal Expeditions can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before. The three-day trek of Salkantay Trekking is non-refundable.
With Vidal Expeditions, yes: the sleeping bag is not included. The Salkantay Trekking listing includes camping equipment and a pillow but does not mention the sleeping bag.
The colored mountain on the other side of the Vilcanota range.
A shorter walk to a single lake, northwest of Cusco.
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