We are leaving Cusco early, at 5 a.m., in a private bus that will take us to the town of Upis Pampa (4,220 m / 13,840 ft). On the way, we’ll pass through the district of Urcos (3,152 m / 10,341 ft), where we can check out a local market. Once we arrive at our trailhead in Upis Pampa, we’ll have breakfast and get ready to start this amazing adventure.

Our hike today is pretty incredible. It’s a three-hour trek covering about 7 km to get to Upis Huramisaya. From there, the views are dramatic, with a stunning look at the snowy peak of Ausangate (6,384 m / 20,945 ft). We also get to visit with some of the local people in their traditional clothes.

When we get to camp, lunch will be waiting for us. In the afternoon, we have a two-hour round trip to the beautiful Upis lagoon and get to enjoy some relaxing thermal baths. For the night, we’ll be staying in cozy cabins at an elevation of 4,320 m (14,100 ft).

• Walking Distance: 7 km / 4.5 miles.
• Hiking Time: Roughly 3 hours.
• Trailhead Elevation: 4,220 m / 13,840 ft.
• Campsite Elevation: 4,320 m / 14,100 ft.
• Accommodation: Cabins.

The day starts early, around 5 a.m., with a hot cup of coca tea delivered right to your tent. It’s a nice way to wake up! We’ll spend a little time packing up our gear, then have a filling breakfast before starting the long but incredible walk for the day.

We’re going to hike uphill to a place called Abra Arapa (4,958 m / 16,266 ft), which is a pretty high climb. After we make it to the top, we’ll descend for a delicious lunch prepared by our chef. The food is always a great reward after a hard morning’s hike.

Once we’ve had lunch, we continue walking uphill again to reach the Pucacocha pass (5,000 m / 16,404 ft). We’ll set up camp right there for the night. In the afternoon, we’ll get to visit the nearby lagoon, where you might see ducks and Andean geese. They also say you can sometimes spot bears in the area.

• Walking Distance: 14 km / 8.66 miles.
• Hiking Time: Approximately 9 hours.
• Campsite Elevation: 4,420 m / 14,501 ft.
• Accommodation: We’ll be staying in cozy mountain huts.

The day starts super early with a tasty breakfast. We’ll hike to the Pucacocha pass (5,051 m / 16,571 ft), where you can see all these amazing colorful mountains that surround the area. You can also get a good look at the snowy peak of Ausangate and some incredible colored lakes. It’s a truly magical place.

From there, we’ll enter the Red Valley, which is stunningly beautiful with its vivid, vibrant colors. Keep an eye out for llamas grazing in the grass nearby. We’ll have lunch there, and then continue our trek to the Warmi Saya pass (4,500 m / 14,763 ft).

From the pass, we’ll be able to see the amazing Rainbow Mountain in the distance. We’ll keep walking to our camp from there. If we have enough time and the weather is good, we might even get to go to Rainbow Mountain for the sunset!

• Walking Distance: 10 km / 6.214 miles.
• Hiking Time: About 7 hours.
• Campsite Elevation: 4,900 m / 16,076 ft.
• Difficulty: Moderate to difficult.
• Accommodation: We will be camping in huts.

This is the day we’ve all been waiting for. We’ll get woken up at 6 a.m. with some coca tea delivered right to our tents. Then, it’s just a quick 45-minute hike to get to the main event: Rainbow Mountain (5,020 m / 16,466 ft).

We’ll have plenty of time to explore the area and take pictures, spending about 30 minutes to an hour there, depending on our trekking speed and the weather. After that, we’ll walk for another 30 minutes to check out the beautiful Red Valley before heading to the bus to catch our ride back.

Today, after our last meal together, we’ll say goodbye to our horseman and chef. We’ll then get on the van and head back to Cusco, where we should arrive at the hotel around 3 p.m. It’s a perfect ending to an amazing trip.

• Walking Distance: 1 km / 0.621 miles.
• Trailhead Elevation: 4,900 m / 16,076 ft.
• Difficulty: Easy.
• Hiking Time: Approximately 45 minutes.