Ocongate: Andean Views and Culture

From the Mirador Natural de Ocongate on Cerro San Francisco, the view stretches across the main square and temple, over the many two-storey adobe houses, and to the Río Mapacho on the left of the town. This is Ocongate as a real place with distinctive views. The district also offers mountain landscapes, lagoons and the Santuario del Señor de Qoyllurit’i – very different highlights to consider when planning your trip.

Ocongate and the View from the Mirador

The Mirador Natural de Ocongate is located on Cerro San Francisco. From the main square, a 600-metre footpath leads uphill in about ten minutes. Wooden benches and a covered structure offer places to sit and take in the district’s landscape. Along the way, you can observe various plants, including medicinal plants, as well as Andean sparrows. The views, short walk and chance to observe nature make the mirador a distinctive experience in town.

The church of San Pablo Apostol de Ocongate is also part of the town’s history: on 4 November 2005, National Director’s Resolution No. 1492/INC declared it a monument of Peru’s national cultural heritage. When exploring the town, you can therefore take in a lasting cultural landmark alongside the views of the main square and temple.

Ausangate and the Lagoons of Ocongate District

Nevado Ausangate is located in the Anexo Pacchanta in Ocongate District. It reaches an elevation of 6,385 metres and lies in the heart of the Cordillera Vilcanota. The trekking route around the mountain is approximately 70 kilometres long. Mountaineering options also include ascents to glaciers; conditions on the mountain are changeable. These dimensions give Ausangate a different character from the mirador in town: here, the focus is on mountain scenery and a longer trekking route.

The district’s other landscape destinations include several lagoons. Laguna Oqe Qocha lies about ten kilometres from Anexo Pacchanta at an elevation of 4,620 metres. It is the third lagoon visited on the Seven Lagoons circuit and is known for its blue-grey water. Laguna Q’omer Q’ocha has intensely emerald-green or turquoise water and is part of the Ausangate Twelve Lagoons circuit. Laguna Sigrenacocha is also notable for its seasonal colour change: from June to November, the water is turquoise; from December to May, it is green.

Sanctuary, Tradition and Thermal Pools

The Santuario del Señor de Qoyllurit’i is located in the Sinak’ara Gorge, in the communities of Mahuayani and Tayancani in Ocongate District, at an elevation of 4,900 metres. From the Comunidad Campesina de Mahuayani, an approximately seven-kilometre footpath leads to the sanctuary in about three hours and 30 minutes. This route is quite different from the roughly ten-minute walk from the main square to the mirador: the two start in different places and lead to different experiences.

At the Santuario, the image of the Lord of Qoyllurit’i is depicted on a dark-grey basalt boulder weighing about ten tonnes. It is adorned with a silver crown and an alpaca-fibre cloth decorated with motifs of llamas, alpacas and Andean deities. Nevado Ausangate also has spiritual significance in the Cusco region: it is regarded as a protector of people and a deity who provides water and life, and is associated with the traditional cultures of the communities living there.

The district’s cultural heritage also includes techniques for making traditional clothing, passed down through generations. Natural fibres such as alpaca and sheep’s wool are used. In Pacchanta, the Aguas Termales comprise seven pools of varying sizes and depths, with water temperatures of 38 to 44 °C. One large pool, measuring 60 m² in area and 1.60 metres deep, was described as being under maintenance. Check the current pool configuration before your trip.

When looking for a holiday rental, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: would you mainly like to explore Ocongate, with its mirador, main square and church, or are destinations elsewhere in the district, such as Ausangate, the lagoons and the Santuario, your priority? Distinguishing between the town and the district gives your planning clearer direction, without grouping the different excursions into a single town walk.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Soray, Calca, Urubamba, Oroya, Andahuaylillas, Lamay, Huarocondo, Checacupe

For the overview of the wider region: Cuzco.