At 4,300 to 4,750 meters above sea level, in a high-altitude glacial basin south of Cusco, seven mountain lakes catch the light differently at every hour of the day. The waters of the Ausangate Lagoons range from deep jade green to blood red to metallic blue, their colors determined by the mineral composition of glacial meltwater from the Nevado Ausangate (6,384m) — the highest mountain in the Cusco region and the most venerated apu (mountain deity) in all of southern Peru. Surrounding the lakes: vast puna grasslands, herds of alpacas and vicuñas browsing on ichu grass, Andean condors circling on thermals, and the enormous south face of Ausangate filling the entire horizon.
The full-day 7 Ausangate Lagoons Tour from Cusco covers all seven lakes in a single 14 km circuit at high altitude, returning to the thermal baths of Pacchanta — geothermal springs at 4,200m where the water reaches 35–40°C — before the drive back to Cusco. It is one of the most concentrated doses of high-altitude Andean landscape accessible as a single day trip, with the added dimension of being in the immediate presence of Apu Ausangate: the snow-and-ice giant whose meltwater fills these lakes and whose spiritual significance shapes every community and ceremony in this corner of the Andes.
Price: $135 USD per person. Entrance tickets, transport, guide, and breakfast included.
Why Choose This Tour?
- Pacchanta (4,300m) — base community at the foot of Ausangate
- Otorongo Macho Lagoon (4,450m) — ‘Male Jaguar’
- Otorongo Hembra Lagoon (4,500m) — ‘Female Jaguar’
- Puca Cocha (4,550m) — ‘Red Lake’, glacial runoff
- Alqa Cocha (4,600m) — ‘Speckled Lake’
- Qomer Cocha (4,650m) — ‘Green Lake’
- Azul Cocha (4,700m) — ‘Blue Lake’
- Pata Cocha (4,750m) — ‘Upper Lake’, highest point
- Pacchanta Hot Springs (4,200m) — geothermal baths
