Quelccaya Glacier the ice giant of the Vilcanota

DAY-BY-DAY PROGRAM

The route, step by step

This is how the day unfolds, hour by hour, with everything you'll do and where.

1. DAY 1

   Quelccaya Glacier – Full Day

   03:00 | Pickup in Cusco and departure to the south: the adventure begins before dawn. Our team picks you up from your hotel in Cusco to board the tourist transport, equipped with oxygen and a first-aid kit. We set off on the long journey to the southeast of the region, along the Cusco–Sicuani highway, passing through the towns of Cusipata, Checacupe and Pitumarca as the sun rises over the Andes. 06:30 | Andean breakfast in Pitumarca: after about three hours of travel we stop in Pitumarca for an energizing breakfast prepared with local products. It is the perfect moment to refuel, stretch your legs and get ready for the climb up into the highlands of the Vilcanota mountain range. 08:30 | Arrival at the community of Phinaya: we keep climbing up to Phinaya, a high-Andean community of alpaca and llama herders at 4,700 m, the gateway to the glacier. Here the landscape changes completely: puna grasslands, herds of alpacas and, in the distance, the white gleam of Quelccaya standing out against the sky. 09:00 | Walk to the glacier viewpoint: from the trailhead we set out on a gentle 20 to 30 minute walk over moderate terrain to the Quelccaya Glacier viewpoint (Suyuparina). Before you rises the largest tropical ice cap in the world, with ice walls more than 200 meters thick and turquoise lagoons fed by its meltwater. 09:30 | Time at the Quelccaya Glacier: we will have plenty of time to admire and photograph the glacier while the guide explains its formation, its wildlife—vicuñas and high-Andean birds—and its role as one of the most important indicators of climate change on the planet. A silence and vastness that are hard to forget. 12:30 | Lunch in Phinaya: we descend back to Phinaya, where a lunch made with local products awaits us to help us recover our energy. A moment to share with the guide and the local villagers before beginning the return journey. 14:00 | Sibinacocha Lagoon and return to Cusco: on the way back we make a special stop at Sibinacocha Lagoon, an enormous mirror of turquoise water formed by the meltwater of Quelccaya and Suyuparina, one of the most impressive landscapes in the southern Andes. We continue the journey and arrive in Cusco around 20:00, closing an unforgettable day.

   See the full day

   • 4 km
   • 5,200 m
   • Breakfast · Lunch

   

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Everything you need, no surprises

GALLERY

The tour in pictures

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS