The Vilcanota (House of the Sun) Mountain Range is Peru's 2nd largest Andean Range. It is located East of Cuzco in the Cuzco Region and in the Puno Region. It is made up of 469 glaciers. To the East the Rivers San Gaban and Azangaro are the natural boundaries which separates it from the Cayahuaya Range. A visit of its highest Mountain, Ausan-Gate glacier (6,384m) completes a challenging visit to the Inca heart of Peru.
The Au-san-Gate Mountain (6,384m) is the 4th highest Mountain in Peru. It is situated around 100 km South East of Cuzco in the Cuzco Region, Canchis Province, Pitumarca District, and in the Quispe-Canchi Province, Ocon-Gate District.
The region is inhabited by llama and alpaca herding communities, and constitutes one of the few remaining pastoral societies in the World. High Mountain trails are used by these herders to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Currently, one of these high-altitude trails, "the road of the Apu Au-San-Gate, that encircles the Au-San-Gate Mountain, is one of the most renowned treks.
The trek goes over 3 passes where the view of all the surrounded area is breath-taking. Turquoise lakes, llamas and alpacas, glaciers, hot springs, encounters with local Andean people, all together make the visit a rewarding experience.
The area has 4 major geological features: 1)the Andean uplift formed by Granits; 2)the hanging glaciers and glacial erosional Valleys; 3)the Permian formation with its singular colors: red, ocre, and turquoise; 4)the Cretaceous, limestone Forest.
The Cuy-Llur Rit'i or Star Snow Festival attracts thousands of Quechua pilgrims. It is celebrated about 20 km North of the Au-San-Gate at the foot of the Cullqi-Punku and Sinaqara Mountains, one week before the Corpus Christi Feast. The Ukukos (spectacled bear) of all the groups, symbolically representing a character in the Andean Mythology, climb the glaciers of Cullqi-Punku and spend the night there in complete solitude. Then they come down bringing renewed energies placed in huge ice blocks that they carry on their backs for the people of their communities. The energy of the waters of the Mountain are believed to have the power of healing the body and mind of the ones leaving among them that are overwhelm with negative energy.
Cullqi-Punku (Quechua 'Cullqi'='Silver'; 'Punku'='Reservoir') Mountain (5,522m) is situated in the Northern extensions of the Vicanota Mountain Range in the Cuzco Region, Quispe-Canchi Province, in the districts Carhuayo and Ocon-Gate and in the Paucar-Tambo Province, Cosni-Pata District.
The Mountain lies North West of the lake Sin-Crina-Cucha, South East of Minas-Niyuq. The lake named with the same name as the mountain is situated South of the Mountain.
