Trek & Climb: Nevados Percocaya & Mariposa – 6 Days
Overview
Trek & Climb: Nevados Percocaya & Mariposa
A great trek and climb plan for climbers who’d like to improve in the discipline of mountain climbing. Trek a topographically interesting mountain route in the first days of your adventure. On the last days climb two of the best intermediate/advanced mountains in the range to enjoy immense views and revel in your achievements!
Leaving from Cusco; in private transportation early in the morning, you’ll travel 3 hours south to the Ausangate region. Following our arrival; taking the time to check all of our equipment for the climb. You’ll meet up with our arrieros and their mules; the arrieros loading all of our equipment before setting off on this epic Southern Peru adventure.
Nevado Percocaya
Altitude: 5,230m
Terrain & Route: Southwest face. Route is the closest and most hidden, quiet access to the basecamp and its glacier.
Experience: Intermediate Level.
Nevado Mariposa
Altitude: 5,860m
Terrain & Route: North face, rough terrain access. (Access via the mountains close to their glaciers).
Experience: Intermediate Level.
Afterall it is a majestic landscape where you can observe cultural diversity; along with biological diversity of the high Andean areas such as; Vicuña, Vizcacha, Andean fox, Andean face, Andean carpenter and other native species.
Highlights
✓ Climb two of the famous mountains of the Cordillera Vilcanota, Ausangate region.
✓ Trekking, Rock climbing & Snow Climbing Level AD
Included
Breakfast x 6
Lunch x 7
Dinner x 6
Private Transport – collection & drop-off
Professional bilingual high-mountain guide
High-mountain Cook
Muleteer & Mules
All camping equipment (Sleeping bags to hire + Trekking Poles)
Not Included
International Airfare
Hotels before & after (can be organised as part of trip)
Tips for crew
Any additional extras
Domestic flights (can be organised as part of trip)
Crampons, Ice Axe, Harness, Helmet (can be hired as part of trip)
Machu Picchu Extension – Entrance Tickets, Transport & Guide (can be organised as part of trip)
| Joining Arrangements | There will be a pre-trek briefing held usually the evening before departure, at your hotel, to go over the details of the trek and any specific requirements not already captured. |
| Food & Water | Prior to setting off we recommend you steer clear of street food and only eat in good restaurants, to avoid any stomach complaints. Likewise with tap water, it is largely untreated, please only consume bottled water only or sterilised water if you have the right equipment. |
| Special Diets | We’ll ensure that we cater for all of your dietary needs, at the point of booking we’ll collect this information from you. We can secure special menu requests also for your trek party. |
| Trekking Crew | We are able to customise our treks to suit you, but usually our treks are guided by a professional bilingual guide, mountain cook, arriero (horseman) and mules to carry all equipment (passenger horses also available on request). They become a large part of your trekking expedition and it’s a great experience working together. |
| Acclimatisation |
This is a really important part of your trip planning process, please find a link below which explains a little more about preparing for altitude. Altitude Preparation
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| Preparation |
Attached below are a couple of links which will explain how to prepare for your trip & trek in advance of your arrival. We recommend being prepared in advance to save time & stress whilst you’re in Peru. Trip Planning | Trek Planning
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| Machu Picchu | An excursion to Machu Picchu can be included as part of your trip, including professional bilingual guide, entrance tickets, return trip bus tickets, Huayna Picchu & Machu Picchu Mountains (mountain climbs to be confirmed on reservation) & your return train ticket to Cusco. To be confirmed on reservation. |
| Covid-19 (Coronavirus) | We are working with the latest protocols issued by the Ministerio de Salud (Ministry of Health) to ensure our operations are safe and compliant for the future. We also have access to on-call health services for your time with us. |
| Covid-19 (Useful Links) | World Health Organisation | World Health Organisation – Peru | Covid-19 Data – Peru | Covid-19 Daily Statistics |
| Available Discounts | Throughout 2022 we’re offering a 15% discount for each member of a group larger than 4+ |
| Reservation | Please contact us to reserve your trek and we will send you our deposit & payment options. |
| Customer Service | Please feel free to contact us at any point before your trip for any queries or problems. |
Itinerary
Day 1Cusco - Pacchanta - Base Camp
First day for acclimatisation & trek to Base Camp
Leaving Cusco at 8am, until you reach Pacchanta (4,400m) around 3hrs later.
From Pacchanta you’ll begin the trek of about 1-2 hrs until reaching the Laguna Azulcocha where you’ll overnight (4,600m)
- Overnight: Laguna Azulcocha
- Accommodation: Mountain Lodge
- Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2Base Camp - Summit Percocaya - Base Camp
You’ll leave at around 1:00am to head towards the glacier, passing through heavy morraine for about an hour. Then hitting a rocky path for another hour and finally ascending a rock wall for about 30 minutes, level 4, until reaching the glacier.
There is a 65° degree wall that’ll take you to the next mixed section between snow, rock and hard ice. A very technical climb that will take you from the beginning of the glacier to the summit in around 4 hours and then a further 4 hours descent, followed by a 2 hour track back to base camp where you’ll rest.
- Overnight: Base Camp
- Accommodation: Camping
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3Base Camp Percocaya - Base Camp Mariposa
This day will take us approximately 2-3 hours to switch between camps, a gradual ascent. Overnight.
- Overnight: Basecamp Mariposa
- Accommodation: Camping
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4High Camp of Mariposa
3-4 hours of portage up on mixed trails (moraine, rock) ascent to the high-camp that will take a lot of energy and for this part it’s really important that you take on good nutrition throughout the day.
- Overnight: High Camp
- Accommodation: Camping
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5High Camp - Summit Mariposa (5860m) - Base Camp
It will take 7-8 hours of climbing on a glacier, navigation crossing ravines and walls between 55° to 65° degrees of inclination.
This will be super adrenaline climbing that requires resistance and experience to reach the summit. Once there we enjoy the rewards of the summit for 30 minutes or so.
The descent will take us 4-5 hours to the high camp and then you’ll descend to basecamp in around 2-3 hours where you’ll be greeted with a hearty meal and rest there.
- Overnight: Basecamp
- Accommodation: Camping
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6Base camp - Pacchanta
A descent of 3 hours to the hot springs of Pacchanta where you’ll enjoy and renew ourselves to finally have lunch and leave at 2 pm to arrive at 5 pm in Cusco.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
