Hiking
Classic · VinicuncaUS$ 29
Red Valley + VinicuncaUS$ 29
Quad · ATV
Vinicunca quadUS$ 70
Red Valley + quadUS$ 75
Classic · VinicuncaUS$ 29
Red Valley + VinicuncaUS$ 29
Vinicunca quadUS$ 70
Red Valley + quadUS$ 75
The same day as the classic route, walking the crimson valley on your own before meeting the group at Vinicunca — hour by hour.
In short: Same day as the classic route, but from Phulawasipata you walk the Red Valley on your own, paying the community fee at the gate, then meet the guide and the group at the Vinicunca viewpoint. It adds about one hour of walking.
The pickup, the breakfast in Cusipata and the arrival at the Phulawasipata trailhead are identical to the Classic itinerary. The difference starts at the trail: instead of walking up with the group, you take the path into the Red Valley on your own, pay the community entrance fee at the gate, and cross the basin at your own pace. You then meet the guide and the group at the Vinicunca viewpoint, at 5,090m, and the rest of the day — the explanation, the photographs, the walk down and the buffet lunch — happens together.
Cusco – Cusipata – Vinicunca – Red Valley – Cusco
Collection from your hotel or Airbnb in downtown Cusco, with the exact time set by your location.
Tourist transport heading south along the Vilcanota valley.
Breakfast and a break in Cusipata (3,310m) before continuing up to the trailhead.
At 4,650m the guide points out the Red Valley path, where the group will be waiting at Vinicunca and the time to be there.
You set off alone on the Red Valley path and pay the community entrance fee at the gate. Expect wind, wide open slopes and very few people.
You rejoin the group at the viewpoint for the guide’s explanation and time for photographs, with the Ausangate glacier opposite.
The descent with the group, roughly an hour, and the drive back to Cusipata.
Andean buffet lunch and free time before the return journey.
Drop-off in the centre of Cusco.
The self-guided leg keeps you above 4,900m before you meet the group at Vinicunca.
| Point | Altitude | What happens there |
|---|---|---|
| Cusco | 3,350m (10,990 ft) | Pickup and return |
| Cusipata | 3,310m (10,859 ft) | Breakfast and buffet lunch |
| Phulawasipata | 4,650m (15,256 ft) | Trailhead, where the hike starts |
| Vinicunca | 5,090m (16,700 ft) | The Rainbow Mountain viewpoint |
| Red Valley | Above 4,900m | The self-guided leg of the route |
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💡 Note: the Red Valley leg keeps you above 4,900m for around an extra hour, walked on your own. If you would rather stay with the guide the whole day, take the classic route — the price is the same either way.
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