La Paz to Cusco: The Mountains
By Checacupe we finally branch off the rail trail linking Cusco and Juliaca. A veritable feast of narrow singletrack, railway sleepers and dirt roads. 200kms of riding, hefting bikes across rails and occasional buskwhacking our way across fields.
Leaving the towns main plaza we branch off toward Pitamarca and the Ausangate valley, home to the mighty Nevado Ausangate (6384m).
Fast dirt roads take us through sleepy settlements gearing up for the regional and provincial elections.
Before we ride through Tolkeinesque middle earth landscapes. Deep red dirt and terracing.
Small settlements nestle in the valley below, with high contrast green fields.
Roads carved deep in to the hillside.
Llamas outnumber local residents in the villages we pass through.
Eventually the dirt road peters out. Taking us to the head of the valley home to a number of small agricultural settlements of Llama and Alpaca herders.
As clouds roll in, so too does hail. Finding a solitary piece of plastic we huddle under it sitting out the worst of the weather.
A series of herders tracks takes us to the tiny hamlet of Ausangate. Low cloud hanging over the Ausangate glacier.
Picking lines across the boggy pampa when the herders tracks eventually run out.
A cluster of small adobe huts scattered across the valley defines the hamlet of Ausangate. A cold stiff wind blows down the valley and with it sleet and snow we camp in the lee of one of the basic huts. Frost coasting bikes and tents by morning.
Our hostess treats us to a handful of boiled potatoes and then straps a sheep to her back and grabs a lamb by the scruff of the neck. Striding off in to the distance to tend to her Llamas.
Goodbye White dog. Having sat by our tents all night guarding us, he receives what seems like his first ever stroke and bit of affection. Pity I couldnt bring him with me.
Following faint trails we head toward the looming Ausangate glacier.
Before a heinous hike a bike has lungs heaving, and calves pumping.
Fast flowy trails.
Hanging glaciers over our shoulders.
Time to take in the views.
Quite possibly one of the most amazing places I have ever ridden a bike.
Abra Apachita way off in the distance, and more hike a bike to look forward to.
After a couple of hours we eventually crest the pass as once again the weather closes in by afternoon.
A Scottish style descent replete with drainage ditches and plenty of rocks has up looking back up to the Abra and the enveloping cloud. Just in time to miss the worst of the weather high up, we are treated to stinging hail in the face.
Traverse of the Ausangate range complete. We ride on to the town of Tinqui at the road head. Cusco just 100kms away.
22 Comments
Andi
20/10/2014Awesome photos! A pity I ran out of time ..
Mike
20/10/2014Yeah! Truly awesome riding in the big mountains.
Are you telling me you didnt enjoy the Salars π
Nic
20/10/2014more excellent pictures, but lets see some of you and the long platted beard with beads in it. The girls haven’t seen the funky hair do recently. What does lama taste of? Keep the pedals churning.
Nic, Kath, Olivia and Holly
Mike
20/10/2014Platted beard, Pony Tail, and Birkenstocks got it all going on!
Llama is well tasty. See if Baxy will throw one of this on the barbie for you!
Federico
20/10/2014Greetings from Buenos Aires! I hope I can follow your steps riding there in the near future π
Saludos,
Federico
PS: GREAT potos!
Mike
20/10/2014Thanks Federico.
Likewise great shots on your site!
Rick McCharles
21/10/2014Seems your route bypassed the hotsprings. π
We trekked there in 2005 out of Tinqui.
Mike
21/10/2014Yeah we missed the hot springs only found out about them later.
Gina
21/08/2015where exactly are those hot sprigs located? Currently stuck in cusco waiting for gear but as soon as all is here we’re off to do Ausangate…
Mike
24/08/2015Sorry for the slow reply Gina.
We didn’t know of their existence until afterwards, but as I understand it they are close to the settlement of Ausungate.
Any trekking guide book should be able to point you in the right direction.
Aurora
23/10/2014Love it! Ausangate is so AMAZING! Thanks for sharing these awesome photos!
Mike
23/10/2014Thanks Aurora!
Ausangate is indeed AMAZING!
Cass
28/10/2014‘frikin awesome!!!
Mike
30/10/2014Awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Compadre! What a highlight of the trip!
Michael Dammer
29/10/2014Hermoso!, inspired to go ride Ausangate some time soon. Do you or Cass have GPS file for the ride?
Mike
30/10/2014Thanks Michael!
Sadly we dont have a GPS for the ride. We used Kurts notes and compared this with the notes in Hiking and Biking in the Sacred Valley guide. Basically you connect Tinqui – Ausungate – Ayaviri in a straight line it is actually fairly straightforward.
Hope that helps!
Michael Dammer
30/10/2014…Thanks Mike, I was just curious to take a look at your ride on google earth. I have done the Ausangate hike in the past so I wanted to see if you follow a similar route or just made one of your own. Iam glad there is no GPS involved…
Good luck on whatever adventure you are heading next and thanks for sharing those awesome pics.
Saludos
Neil
30/10/2014Waaaah! Not that I needed another excuse to return to Peru, but you’ve given me one! Looks incredible!
Mike
30/10/2014We said at the time that Ausungate had the Pikey’s name on it.
Cusco to Huancavellica: Missing Links and El Silencio » Mike Howarth
21/11/2014[…] our riotous arrival in to Cusco following the Ausangate Traverse. We ritefully put our feet up in the historic capital of the Incan Empire. Internet fixes completed […]
paul
20/12/2014Mike,
Truly epic route, cheers for the intel. Also thanks for the bolivianos, the equivalent of 100 cheese empanadas it turns out, should see me through to chileΓ’β¬Β¦
Paul
Mike
25/12/2014My pleasure!
Good luck finding those cheese empanadas on the Altiplano π