Ausangate Circuit emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, altitude and fees

Emergency numbers

There is almost no mobile signal on the Ausangate Circuit and no organised mountain rescue in the Cordillera Vilcanota. Carry a satellite messenger or PLB, and travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m: in a serious accident your insurer arranges the helicopter. The new 911 number was still a pilot in Lima in 2026, so use 105 or 106. Leave your route and return date with someone, and never walk alone.

Rules to know

• No permit or booking is needed and a guide is not compulsory. After a solo hiker went missing near Ausangate in May 2026, the police advise going with a registered Cusco agency; if you go alone, be an experienced high-altitude camper.
• Community fees: the land belongs to Quechua communities, which collect tolls in cash. Recent reports give S/10-20 at the entrance near Tinki or Upis, at Ausangatecocha and at Pacchanta, S/5-15 per tent at some campsites and S/5-10 at the hot springs. There is no official tariff; carry small notes and ask for a ticket.
• Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) and the Red Valley are on other communities' land and have their own tickets; go early to avoid the day-trip crowds.
• The circuit is inside the Ausangate Regional Conservation Area (created in 2019). Camp at existing sites, use a stove rather than fires, carry out all rubbish and never disturb vicuñas, vizcachas or condors.
• The glacial lakes are sacred to local people: do not swim or wash in them, and wash dishes and yourself well away from the water. Treat all water: alpacas and sheep graze everywhere.
• Altitude: every camp is at 4,300-4,700 m and Palomani pass reaches about 5,200 m. Spend at least 3 nights in Cusco first, climb slowly and go down at once if you have a severe headache, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest.
• Weather: the dry season is May to September; nights fall to -10 °C or lower. From November to March expect daily rain and snow on the passes. Afternoon storms bring hail and lightning, so cross passes in the morning.
• Herding families keep guard dogs. Walk calmly, keep your poles between you and the dog and call for the owner. Ask before camping near a house, and keep your gear inside the tent.
• Transport: minibuses to Tinki leave Cusco early in the morning (about 3 hours). Return minibuses leave the Tinki plaza and become rare in the afternoon. Bring all cash in soles from Cusco: there is no reliable cash machine near the trail.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Health posts and clinics

Tinki has a small health post for first aid and oxygen, and Ocongate, 20 minutes away by road, has a health centre with a doctor that stabilises patients and sends serious cases to Cusco. Neither has a confirmed 24-hour emergency service. The hospitals with a 24-hour emergency department are in Cusco, about 3 hours from Tinki.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies:
• ATMs:
• Shops:
• Minibus stops:

Tinki and Ocongate have small boticas with basic medicines, but there is nothing between Upis and Pacchanta and no duty-pharmacy rota in rural Peru. Buy everything in Cusco before you go: altitude medicine on a doctor's prescription, painkillers, rehydration salts, a blister kit, SPF 50 sunscreen and water treatment.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.