Ausangate Circuit (The Sacred Apu)

The high-altitude heart of the Inca world. The Ausangate Circuit is a strenuous but scenic 70km loop around the highest peak in southern Peru. Unlike the busy Inca Trail, this trek is wild, high, and deeply traditional. The route moves through the Vilcanota Range, crossing multiple passes over 5,000m. Hikers are treated to a surreal landscape of turquoise, red, and emerald-green glacial lakes (the 7 Lagoons), massive hanging glaciers, and the multi-colored mineral stripes of Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain). You share the trail primarily with indigenous herders and their vast flocks of alpacas, offering a glimpse into a way of Andean life that has remained unchanged for centuries.

This is one of the most celebrated hikes in Tyrol, connecting two distinct alpine basins. Starting from the Ehrwalder Alm, a broad forest path leads to the Seebensee (1,657m), a turquoise lake that perfectly reflects the Zugspitze (2,962m) on clear days. The adventure continues with a steep, serpentine ascent of another 300 meters to the Coburger Hütte and the moody Drachensee (Dragon Lake). The hut sits on a high rock rib, overlooking both lakes and providing one of the most dramatic mountain vistas in the Mieminger Gebirge.