Hiking Guide: Ausangate Trek Day 6+ Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts:

If you have the time to do this hike in Cusco, I highly recommend it. In saying that, if you are shorter in time, seeing Machu Picchu is a must-do and I would prioritise the Salkantay Trek over this. I will write about my Salkantay experience soon!

However, this hike is one of the most beautiful in Peru, so if you’ve got two weeks or more in Cusco, then it’s 100% worth doing. Just note due to the altitude, it is quite challenging - so if you aren’t confident completing it self-guided, find a tour operator in Cusco or try to rally a group of you to split a private guide.

It was the most mentally challenging hike I have done, and for the first couple of days I seriously considered finishing up at Rainbow Mountain on day three. Having that option there definitely helped me get through the first day when I was struggling, and by the time day three rolled around, I thought to myself - well, now I am halfway there, I may as well just finish it! I am so glad I did, as the second half was a lot easier than the first half, and I am so proud of myself for completing it!

Day 6:

The final day of the hike was also the easiest, and it helped a lot that our bags were no longer weighed down with food. Being woken up with llamas surrounding our tent also helped start the day off right!

We had camped on the outskirts of an area that is also popular for day-trippers, called the 7 lakes. By the time we packed up camp and made our way back to the trail, the tour groups had started making their way around the network of trails, connecting the turquoise lakes.

Whilst the lakes were beautiful, the area had been built up for the tourists, with ropes around some of the lakes to protect them. I can understand why, but it would have been so much better had they been left untouched!

It was nowhere near as busy as Rainbow Mountain, and it didn’t feel crowded at all, so I would still recommend this as a day trip from Cusco if you don’t have time to complete the entire Ausangate Trek.

After a couple of hours of exploring the lakes, we continued our walk to our last stop - the hot springs at the small town of Pacchanta. We arrived at about 1pm, hungry and sore! There was a restaurant next to the hot pools where we enjoyed large plates of Lomo Saltado, and then headed to the pools to relax our aching muscles.

We got to the hot pools at the perfect time, as an hour or so later, all the day-trippers had finished the 7 lakes hike and came and joined us in the pools. This actually worked out really well for us, because we managed to find a ride back to Cusco that evening with one of the tour groups who had spare seats - we just paid PEN50 each and made the long journey home. It definitely was not as comfortable as our Uber here, the ride was dusty, and we had a couple of near-misses with our driver taking some miscalculated choices, but we managed to make it back to Cusco in one piece four hours later!

DAY SIX FAST FACTS:

Time it took us: 4.5 hours to explore the trails around the lakes, and walk to Pacchanta.

Distance: 15km

Hot springs cost: PEN5/AUD$2/USD$1.35

Bus cost Pacchanta to Cusco: PEN50/AUD$19.65/USD$13.20

Drive time: 4 hours