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Introduction
The Ausangate trek involves a 5-day trek at altitude in the Ausangate region, including a hike to Rainbow Mountain. To sum up the trek, it was really cold and windy, probably the toughest weather I had faced up to this point. Constant snow storms and hail in the afternoon and night really fatigued my body, challenging me physically and mentally. Nonetheless, there were several great highlights along the way and I would certainly recommend this trek…though perhaps at a less cold period of the year.
Day 1 - A Stroll Into the Valley
The first day of the trek was a gentle introduction to the region, as we walked past various communities and little lakes. Along the way, we met a huge group of students from England, who hiked the route for day 1. With largely flat ground for the day, we covered ground pretty fast.
During lunch, I was invited into a local’s little shop where two other locals treated me to a beer. We then proceeded to do a cultural exchange where they explained the beliefs of the community and how they viewed the earth. They had also never heard of Singapore, leaving me to try my best to explain that we were a tiny country with no mountains, and little to no cattle. Given their environment and background, it was difficult for them to imagine a country where people did not raise cattle. I found the cultural exchange to be an amazing experience and it definitely was a standout moment in my student exchange.
Unfortunately, after lunch, we were hit by heavy snowfall and were forced to make camp early. Hence, forcing to make up for more ground the next day.
Day 2 - Red Valley
Our second day on the trek was a tale of two halves. Before lunch, we enjoyed gentle ascents and descends through a beautiful snow valley and several lakes. Generally, it was very enjoyable, especially with good weather after the storm the pervious night.
The challenge for the day unfolded after lunch as we crossed our first high pass of the trek. At the top, we were hit by extremely strong wind that forced me to retreat to behind a giant rock. Nonetheless, we got a beautiful view of the red valley (red color mountains) which had been covered by a thin sheet of snow at the top.
On the way down, we had horrible terrain as a steep slope coupled with ice and heavy mud made life miserable. After nearly slipping several times and soaking my trekking shoes, we found our route blocked by heavy snow. As such, we were forced to make a detour and walked along a narrow side mountain path, filled with muddy water, a dangerous path indeed. Thankfully, we successfully made it to camp without serious incident, though the snow storm found us again for the last hour before camp.
Day 3 - Rainbow Mountain & Hail Storm
Just like days 1 & 2, day 3 was a tale of two halves again. The day started early with a push up a high pass before a rapid descend and ascend to reach Rainbow Mountain. My guide informed me that somehow, we had managed to reach the top of the high pass within half an hour, tourists usually took 2 hours to complete it. However, the way down was extremely tricky as a steep slope with long stretches of ice forced me to use all my concentration and strength to stay upright. The walk to rainbow mountain was stunning, as we were surrounded by numerous snow mountains and beautiful weather.
Rainbow mountain did live up to its hype to a certain extent. Obviously many people up their saturation of their photos of Rainbow Mountain, but with reduced expectations with such knowledge, I found the views enjoyable. However, it is highly commercialised, with many people reaching the view point via single day trip from Cusco. I managed to get several good photos, but in all honesty, it felt like a museum visit. You can’t step on rainbow mountain, and the sheer volume of people does damage the atmosphere of the area.
The second half of the day, required us to cover large distances of flat ground but under very bad weather. Snow and hail peppered us the entire afternoon, also forcing us to setup camp in bad conditions. The ground had completely froze up when we reached camp, and I actually unknowingly pitched my tent on top of a frozen pile of poop.
Day 4 - The Windy Valley
The fourth day was full of strong winds and snow. We were in for a long day and had to do rapid ascents along with walking in knee high snow. Hence, we tried to move as fast as possible to make it to camp before the storm (as predicted) came in the afternoon.
Part of the day included passing through a valley which featured perhaps the strongest winds I had ever encountered. Little stones on the ground were being picked up by the wind, pelting me with velocity. Additionally, whenever the initial gust of wind came, I literally could not move forward, and had to resort to sticking my trekking pole into the ground in other to hold my ground.
Nonetheless, after making it out of the valley, we were rewarded with a beautiful three lake view coupled with nice rays of sunlight. The wind continued to bothered us throughout the day, and I found myself having to hum a couple of songs to distract myself from the wind’s force.
Day 5 - The End
The fifth day begin with what else, other than a snow storm. We were forced to delay our camp teardown in order to take cover in the comforts of the fireplace in the kitchen tent. Luckily, the rest of the day proceeded without a hitch, and we comfortably exited the mountain region and made it to town by 11am.
Conclusion
Ausangate was a great trek that was slightly marred by bad weather. Nonetheless, the small periods of good weather gave me great views and the sections through little mountain communities was a true eye-opener.