Active Peru: The Ausangate Trek

Once the capital of the ancient Inca Empire and still its tangible heart, Cusco is stuffed with the riches of many different eras. Spanish churches jostle for position with solid Inca walls that seem barely in need of preservation – such was the skill of their makers that they look certain to withstand many centuries more.

Our guided tour leads you through the city’s cobbled streets and into its most impressive colonial buildings, displaying the wealth and zealotry of the Spanish conquistadors.

This Andean trek takes its name from imposing Mount Ausangate, the tallest peak in the region. This is a truly extraordinary landscape for walkers – worth being lured away from the Inca Trail for – and views of enormous glaciers, turquoise lakes and monumental snow-capped mountains await those willing to take on the challenge. It's high altitude (up to 5,150m) and cold, but you won't be camping - you'll be staying in cosy mountain lodges run by local communities – the perfect way to unwind after a hard day's trekking.

Along the way you’ll meet indigenous communities and forge cultural connections in local villages dwarfed by mighty mountain ranges. Such is the scale and beauty of the scenery that it invites comparison with the Himalaya, but there are relatively few tourists to spoil the views in this high-altitude wilderness.

There are a variety of different routes to follow, making this a flexible trek that can be completed in anywhere between 4 to 7 days.

This guided walk explores the historical and architectural legacy of the immediate region around the imperial capital of the Incas. On foot you can better appreciate the context of the ruins around Cusco and how they connect to one another, and it’s also a great way to acclimatise in preparation for longer treks.

You’ll visit key ancient sites including the imposing fort of Sacsayhuamán, the Temple of the Moon and the sanctuary of Q’enqo, resembling an amphitheatre of solid stone. 

The Sacred valley of the Incas, just an hour's drive out of Cusco following the river Urubamba towards the Amazon, is a fertile plain once known as the breadbasket of the Incas. Highly populated at the apogée of the Inca Empire, it is now a bucolic paradise of fields bulging with cereals and vegetables, dotted with colonial towns and villages, as well as the ruins of imposing Inca temples and fortresses  

The pretty village of Pisaq in the heart of the Sacred Valley of the Incas hosts a colourful market 3 times a week, where you can haggle for handcrafted souvenirs and textiles alongside locals bartering for fresh produce. It's also home to an impressive Inca site set high on a hillside spur overlooking the town. Jutting out between two gorges, the large complex consists of temples, observatories and grain stores. Ollantaytambo sits at a strategic point where the river begins its descent to the Amazon jungle. The village has squat colonial houses with Inca foundations and quaint lanes and squares.  Most tours visit both.

Exploring the Sacred Valley on foot, with ample opportunity to stop and breathe in the glorious scenery or meet local people, is an idyllic way to slow the pace and get a deeper insight into a rich and rewarding area.

In this fertile Inca heartland, the drama of the Andean backdrop is softened by a warm palette of yellow, green and ochre amongst a patchwork quilt of fields and grasslands.

You'll begin by gaining an insight into life in a traditional weaving community at Huilloc, 3,400m, where you will be welcomed into small local homes to see weaving techniques and designs passed down for countless generations. In fact, the culture and way of life here would probably not seem all that alien to the ancient Incas who once inhabited the valley.

Afterwards, hike along the Patacancha river and on towards Pumamarca, a well-preserved Inca ruin at 3,963m. From here, you can hike back to Ollantaytambo along the terraced hillside.

This is the moment almost all visitors to Peru have come for: the chance to finally see the legendary Lost City of the Incas for yourself.

Perched on a remote mountain pedestal and shrouded by neighbouring Andean peaks, the secluded citadel of Machu Picchu was never found by the Spanish invaders and escaped plundering, making it the most complete and intact Inca site in existence.