The Qoyllur Rit’i festival takes place every year at the base of Mt Sinakara in the Ausangate area, just days before Corpus Christi is celebrated in Cusco. In 2025, the dates for the Qoyllur Rit’i trek will be Jun 15-18.
Read more about the fascinating Qoylloriti festival on our Cultural Events page, and join the cultural adventure of a lifetime! Spend 4 days trekking through incredible mountain scenery to celebrate Qoyllur Rit’i, one of the most important cultural festivals in the Andean calendar.
Final rates are based on the number of paying participants that enroll for this trip. Minimum of 4 people to depart.
We are currently accepting deposits to secure space on the trek. Please be advised that one month before departure, we will, determine how many paying participants have enrolled and adjust the final cost of the trip. This information will determine the final balance per person.
If we haven't reached the minimum number of participants, you may choose to opt for a full refund or to pay a surcharge to depart regardless.
If you have any questions please ask prior to signing up.
Prices are per person, based on double tent occupancy; a single tent supplement may apply for odd-number groups:
Group of 4 - 6 people: $779 USD
Group of 7+ people: $659 USD
Single Supplement Tent: $20 USD
Hi Fellow trekker,
This is your payment link for your upcoming 4-day tour. The price quoted here is the price per person. Please be sure to enter the correct number of passengers for whom you will be paying the deposit.
Please make sure you read and understand our Booking Conditions before paying your deposit. Please also download and fill out this Passenger Details Form and this Medical Declaration & Insurance Waiver Form. You will be prompted to upload these documents when paying your deposit.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in Peru!
Apus Peru team
Our Qoylloriti pilgrimage begins as we leave Cusco early and travel by car along the Transoceanic Highway. We arrive in Mahuayany about 3 hours later, passing by Tinqui, the trailhead for the Ausangate treks. As we travel, we pass through spectacular landscapes and stop for photos along the way at Urcos, Ccatcca and Ocongate.
We will have an early lunch with other pilgrims at Mahuayany (4600m), which will be full of visitors! After lunch, we start our pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Qoylloriti at the base on Mt Sinakara, a breathtaking spot surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It is a slow, 3-5 hour uphill hike, and we will pass the 14 stations of the cross along the way. In the evening, we can attend mass at the Sanctuary. We will have dinner and camp at the Sanctuary.
Note: The Qoylloriti Sanctuary is located at a very high altitude. You must be well acclimatized!
Our second day on the Qoylloriti pilgrimage, we spend the full day at the Sanctuary, watching and learning about the activities of the pilgrims. We attend the “alacitas” market in the morning where you can buy miniature goods such as trucks, houses, cattle, university titles and anything that your heart desires! The legend says that whatever you purchase and then sacrifice to the Lord will come true, thanks to the power of the Lord of Qoylloriti.
The morning mass at the Sanctuary is the next event followed by the “Pablitos” mass. The afternoon is reserved for other activities: the procession of the Lord of Tayancani and the Virgin, several dancing performances, and mass at the Sanctuary again in the evening.
At night, after dinner, we enjoy a spectacular Andean fireworks show where wooden constructions with fireworks are set alight. Afterwards, the pilgrims ascend to the glacier to bring down the crosses to the Sanctuary. We retire to our tents.
After breakfast and a last look at the celebrations around the Sanctuary, we will get ready for the Qoylloriti pilgrimage. We wait and attend the Blessing Mass and then leave in the so-called “24 hour procession” together with the rest of the pilgrims. The procession leaves from the Sanctuary and runs through Calvario Machucruz, the lagoons in Kumukasa and Alqamarina sectors, until reaching Yanacocha, where we arrive at around 6 pm after about 6 hours of hiking.
At this point, we can either rest for 3-4 hours until 10:00 pm, when we start walking during the night towards Tayancani with the other pilgrims. Alternatively, we can opt for an early rise (around 4am) to catch the sunrise over Ausangate and a slightly late arrival at Tayancani. This will be discussed and decided upon among the various members of the group during the trek.
If your group opts for the night pilgrimage – an incredible experience! – we will wait for the sunrise and the impressive Sun Greeting Ceremony at 7am before we descend to Tayancani and attend the Blessing of the Sanctuary and the town of the same name at 8am. We can attend mass at 10am and then follow the trail 2h up a mountain pass and then down another hour to Ocongate where we will have lunch.
In the afternoon, we board our private car for the 3 hr drive back to Cusco, arriving in the late afternoon, exhausted but incredibly satisfied for having completed the trek to Qoylloriti.
Note: Thursday is Corpus Christi in Cusco. We organize this trek so that you will be Cusco for this equally colorful and fascinating cultural event.
