Can I buy food on the Trail?
No, we were unable to buy anything though we expected offers of trout & cheese as we had on other Peruvian hikes.
The hotsprings hostels at the end of the hike sell beer & softdrinks.
Last minute basics you can pick up in Tinqui at the start of the Circuit. Everything else you should buy in Cuzco.
Are there toilets on Ausangate?
No. And the toilets at the hotsprings hostels at the end of the hike are terrible. We refused to use them.
Showers? Hot Springs?
No showers. But the natural hot springs at Pacchanta & near Calachaca (at the beinning) & at Pacchanta (at the end of the Circuit) more than make up for that!
What animals will I see?
Perhaps we have been unlucky, but we saw only domestic animals on Ausangate. Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, llamas & tens of thousands of alpacas.
The only excitement was seeing wild vicuna grazing high above the domestic animals.
Birds were a highlight too — we saw Andean geese & Andean gulls several times.
Other things to do near Cuzco?
For hikers, the other big treks close are:
For sightseeing, consider:
- visiting traditional villages of the Sacred Valley
- Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, & Ollantaytambo
- Qoyllur Rit'i festival, Cuzco (late May or June)
Additionally, you could head to Huaraz, in northern Peru. The great hikes there include Alpamayo & Huayhuash.
Many hikers organize other adventures in Cuzco or Arequipa, especially rafting & mountain biking.
The Nazca lines are not far. And many backpackers head to Ica for sand dune boarding.
Lake Titicaca is very convenient from Cuzco, as is travel to La Paz, Bolivia.
Nobody is bored in Cuzco!
