Ausangate 7 Lagoons

Cusco – Pacchanta – 7 Lakes – Cusco

04:00 am – 04:30 am | Pickup at your hotel in Cusco
The adventure begins before dawn. The Machupicchu Glory team will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco (3,400 m) to start the journey southeast. We will travel along the Cusco–Puno highway, leaving Urcos behind and crossing Ocongate, the capital of the area, before taking the gravel roads that lead to the community of Pacchanta.

07:30 am | Arrival at Pacchanta and Andean breakfast
After approximately 3 to 3.5 hours of travel, we reach Pacchanta (4,100–4,300 m), a village of alpaca herders settled at the foot of the majestic Ausangate. You will enjoy a comforting Andean breakfast at the home of a local family, along with a coca-leaf tea that helps with acclimatization to the altitude.

08:30 am | Start of the hike to the 7 Lakes
We begin a gradual ascent through bofedales (high-Andean wetlands), among alpacas and llamas, while the Ausangate glacier (6,372 m), the guardian apu and the highest mountain in southern Peru, dominates the horizon. As we move forward, the seven glacial lagoons appear, tinted by the minerals of the meltwater: Pucacocha, with its reddish-chocolate hue; Patacocha, with crystalline waters; Alqacocha, with views of the snow peak; Qomercocha, a turquoise green and the highest point of the route (~4,655 m); Orco Otorongo and China Otorongo, shaped like a male and female jaguar; and Azul Cocha, of a deep blue.

01:30 pm | Return to Pacchanta and lunch
After 5 to 6 hours of hiking through this landscape rooted in the Andean cosmovision, we return to Pacchanta by an alternative route. A traditional hot lunch awaits you, with a vegetarian option. Optionally, you may relax in the Pacchanta hot springs, mineral-medicinal pools with a direct view of the snow peak.

04:30 pm | Return to Cusco
We set off back to Cusco via Ocongate and Urcos, taking with you the memory of one of the most beautiful high-mountain circuits in the region. Arrival in the city is expected between 7:00 and 8:00 pm.