Hello! I am planning on doing the Ausangate Circuit independently this summer. No guide or porter, so i was wondering what to expect. Is there a good trail guide out there? I've seen the LP guide which is ok, but I was hoping to find something with better maps a la TrailBlazers Guides.
or is the trail so obvious as to make a detailed map unnecessary?
From the photos I've seen, there looks to be much snow cover.....do any nights entail sleeping at a snow covered campsite? How cold does it get at night?
How about provisioning in Cuzco? Are there many food options?
Lastly, fuel. Can I easily obtain kerosene or white gas? I have read cannister fuel is the standard in Peru, but I'd really prefer to use liquid.
Thanks for any info and observations you have
There is a route description in 'The Andes - A trekking guide' By John and Cathy Biggar' and you really ought to have a decent map just in case things don't work out. You can buy maps at the Military map outlet in Lima - Sheet 28 t Ocangate. Or if you are in UK I can sell you mine for a nominal sum - send me a private message if interested - I could also send photocopy of relevant pages from the book. Camps are mainly around 4500 metres, should not be any permanent snow but it is possible you could have snowfall just before you btrek or during trek which could mean sleeping in snow. A good quality 3-4 season sleping bag should be ok - we have slept at 5000 metres in Peru at this time of year with them. Temperatures a few degrees below freezing at night I guess - I did not measure them.
I always used gas cannisters - which are usually available but not cheap. White gas and kerosene both readily available in Cusco without much difficulty - ask around. Buying food will be no problem in Cusco.
I trekked this circuit alone without any good map, and even without the LP description (I had the Bradt, where the description and map are quite poor).
Only the initial approach from Tinqui to the hot springs is not 100 % obvious, afterwards the route is obvious if you're an experienced trekker.
Snow cover is unlikely and temperatures should not descend below -5°C.
I also use a Camping Gaz stove, which I fully recommend.
I agree that the Bradt Guide to trekking in Peru and Bolivia was crap. It only gives you an idea about what treks are on offer, before you get to Peru/Bolivia. Any detailed maps you need to get, should be bought in Lima for Peru. I couldn't find any maps on Ausangate in Cuzco.
I am pretty experienced trekker and I got a bit dissorientated because there are alot of different trails that take you around the circuit in the same dirrection. The trail is not obvious and a detailed map is neccessary.
I did it with a group of 4 people and hired a donkey guide. It's well worth it I think, unless you really want to be alone. It cost only $60 for all the travel, for the donkey and horse and the donkey owner and the donkey owner provided the food and cooked for us. I thought that was pretty cheap. Better than the Macchu Picchu rip off trek that costs well over $200!!(which I didn't do)
The highest point we trekked at was 5200m, but camp was lower than this. I bought a Llama blanket especially for this trek as I knew it was going to be freezing. I dissagree that 3/4 sleeping bag should be OK. I had a sleeping bag rated to -10C AND the blanket and I was just about OK. The guy I trekked with only had a sleeping bag and he froze. He was in real agony all night. I'm not kidding, I felt so sorry for him. The worst thing you can do is scrimp on a good sleeping bag and have a really bad nights sleep after a tiring day of trekking. I have only just traded my -10C one for a -25C one. It's worth it!!
I used white gas which is very cheap and lasts for ages and it's available EVERYWHERE.
Lastly....Ausangate is a fabulous trek, one of the best I did in Peru. It has everything, glaciers, meadows, wild Llamas everywhere, and a hot spring at the end of it.
bit of a contrian view to some posts, but we used the central andes trekking guide that lp published last summer, and had no problem at all with route finding.
that said, circuits around mountains are not all that hard cause you need to keep sticking to routes that circuit the said mountain ...
as regards the weather (we trekked in early september), we had hail, snow, and sunshine almost everyday. apparently, the weather in the region is quite unpredicatable. we had snow, i think, on 3 nights. but except for one day when it was completely cloudy, other days had sun. we had no rain. as far as the trail goes, it is not the most difficult of treks. if you are well acclimatized the ascents are not very tough, and the walking is quite easy. but i can see problems for pack animals over the passes if there's a lot of snow or it gets very muddy due to rain. the night time temp went down to -10 to -15 c on a couple of nights.
have fun, it is a beautiful trek - glacial lagoons, snow capped peaks, high passes, desert and bog scenary, vicunas/llamas/alpacas, andean villages.
i did this a couple of years ago. fantastic route but at that stage in July they had had massive snowfall. Too much for pack animals to cope with and most of the locals had been forced out as their grazing animals had no access to grass. this was unusual but be prepared. they will know conditions in Cusco. Cayetano's in Tinqui village is great and he could help sort out gear. If you were with a suitable partner the ascent of Campa is straightforward but crevassed.....fab views.
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