Skip to content
Outside
  • Watch
  • Learn
  • Podcasts
  • Maps
  • Events
  • Shop
  • New NFTs
  • Outside+

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Join Outside+ Create Free Account
Already have an account? Sign In
Outside Watch
Premium Films and Live TV
Campfire
Outside Learn
Expand your Skills with Online Courses
Podcasts
The Outside Podcast
Maps
Get the Free Gaia GPS App
Get the Free Trailforks App
Events
Find Your Event
New NFTs
Discover NFT Market
Outside+
See Membership Programs
Shop
Discover Outdoor Products
Advocacy
Find Your Good

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Join Outside+ Create Free Account
Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

Outdoor
  • Backpacker
  • Climbing
  • Fly Fishing Film Tour
  • Gaia GPS
  • National Park Trips
  • Outside
  • Outside Watch
  • Ski
  • Warren Miller Entertainment
Healthy Living
  • Clean Eating
  • Oxygen
  • Vegetarian Times
  • Yoga Journal
Endurance
  • Beta
  • Peloton Magazine
  • Roll Massif
  • Trail Runner
  • Triathlete
  • VeloNews
  • Women's Running
Industry
  • athleteReg
  • Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
  • FinisherPix
  • Idea
  • NASTAR
  • Outside Business Journal
  • Outside Shop
  • VeloPress
  • VeloSwap
Outdoor
  • Backpacker
  • Climbing
  • Fly Fishing Film Tour
  • Gaia GPS
  • National Park Trips
  • Outside
  • Outside Watch
  • Ski
  • Warren Miller Entertainment
Healthy Living
  • Clean Eating
  • Oxygen
  • Vegetarian Times
  • Yoga Journal
Endurance
  • Beta
  • Peloton Magazine
  • Roll Massif
  • Trail Runner
  • Triathlete
  • VeloNews
  • Women's Running
Industry
  • athleteReg
  • Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
  • FinisherPix
  • Idea
  • NASTAR
  • Outside Business Journal
  • Outside Shop
  • VeloPress
  • VeloSwap

Peace Out, Paywall

Unlock world-class adventure journalism.

Subscribe Now

Outside Online
  • Search
  • Gear
  • Adventure
  • Health
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Long Reads
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Trips
  • Gear
  • Adventure
  • Health
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Long Reads
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Trips
Outside Online
  • Gear
    • Gear News
    • Cars & Trucks
    • Apparel
    • Biking
    • Camping
    • Climbing
    • Hiking
    • Running
    • Snow Sports
    • Water Sports
    • Tools & Tech
    • Gear Picks
  • Adventure
    • Exploration & Survival
    • Environment
    • Everest
    • Biking
    • Climbing
    • Hiking
    • Snow Sports
    • Water Sports
  • Health
    • Nutrition
    • Training & Performance
    • Wellness
    • Running
  • Travel
    • Destinations
    • Travel Advice
    • Essays
    • News and Analysis
    • National Parks
  • Culture
    • Active Families
    • Books & Media
    • Food
    • Essays
    • Love & Humor
    • Opinion
  • Long Reads
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • Trips
  • Outside Feed
  • Home
  • Member Exclusives
Travel Destinations South America

A Not-So-Easy Hike for an Otherworldly View

Text by
The Editors
Twitter Icon
A year ago, Brandon and LeAnn Morris decided to quit their jobs in Seattle and hit the road. Not an uncommon premise for anyone that follows any adventurous Instagram accounts, but they actually did it. Six months of passport stamps from Nepal, Thailand, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, and the list goes on. Through all of their adventures, Peru emerged as one of the couple’s favorites and particularly the Ausangate trek, which led them to the striated Vinicunca Mountains and eventually their next job. The duo has since started the travel business FlashpackerConnect, which leads trips out of Cusco, with the rainbow mountains being their featured trip. Five days of high altitude trekking and you are rewarded with this view. Here, a preview of what you might see along this relatively undiscovered trail.  

Photo: Typically a five-day trip, the Ausangate trek meanders through the Andes and around the 20,000-foot Ausangate mountain—the highest in the region.
(Brandon Morris)

A year ago, Brandon and LeAnn Morris decided to quit their jobs in Seattle and hit the road. Not an uncommon premise for anyone that follows any adventurous Instagram accounts, but they actually did it. Six months of passport stamps from Nepal, Thailand, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, and the list goes on. Through all of their adventures, Peru emerged as one of the couple’s favorites and particularly the Ausangate trek, which led them to the striated Vinicunca Mountains and eventually their next job. The duo has since started the travel business FlashpackerConnect, which leads trips out of Cusco, with the rainbow mountains being their featured trip. Five days of high altitude trekking and you are rewarded with this view. Here, a preview of what you might see along this relatively undiscovered trail.  

Photo: Typically a five-day trip, the Ausangate trek meanders through the Andes and around the 20,000-foot Ausangate mountain—the highest in the region.

A three-hour drive from Cusco; the entire trek takes place above 14,000 feet through multiple mountain ranges and some of the most untouched territory in Peru.
(Brandon Morris)

A three-hour drive from Cusco; the entire trek takes place above 14,000 feet through multiple mountain ranges and some of the most untouched territory in Peru.

Pack horses are allowed and usually carry things like extra chairs, tents, and food. Expect healthy portions of fried platanos, granola, coffee, and fresh fruit.
(Brandon Morris)

Pack horses are allowed and usually carry things like extra chairs, tents, and food. Expect healthy portions of fried platanos, granola, coffee, and fresh fruit.

A typical mud and brick home of a local farmer near 14,700 feet. FlashpackerConnect has also joined forces with Abel Edy Quillahuaman, a Peruvian who has been in the guiding business for 15 years. A portion of their profits goes back to the community to support farmers in the area.
(Brandon Morris)

A typical mud and brick home of a local farmer near 14,700 feet. FlashpackerConnect has also joined forces with Abel Edy Quillahuaman, a Peruvian who has been in the guiding business for 15 years. A portion of their profits goes back to the community to support farmers in the area.

On the trail, you are sure to run into a few locals and roaming llama and alpaca are a constant part of any view.
(Brandon Morris)

On the trail, you are sure to run into a few locals and roaming llama and alpaca are a constant part of any view.

One the first and final day of the trek, a soak in a natural hot spring is a good excuse for a break. Or if you are looking for an energy boost, there are plenty of cold lagoons open for a plunge.
(Brandon Morris)

One the first and final day of the trek, a soak in a natural hot spring is a good excuse for a break. Or if you are looking for an energy boost, there are plenty of cold lagoons open for a plunge.

At high altitude and with no neighbors, light pollution isn’t usually a concern.
(Brandon Morris)

At high altitude and with no neighbors, light pollution isn’t usually a concern.

The most eye-catching reward is when you arrive at the painted hills, hidden deep in the Andes, usually on the fourth day. The mountains appearance comes from millions of years of sediment deposit and lots of tectonic shifting from the surrounding Andes. Iron oxide is responsible for the reddish color, manganese for the pink, and likely some combination of copper mixing with air and water to create the teal.  
(Brandon Morris)

The most eye-catching reward is when you arrive at the painted hills, hidden deep in the Andes, usually on the fourth day. The mountains appearance comes from millions of years of sediment deposit and lots of tectonic shifting from the surrounding Andes. Iron oxide is responsible for the reddish color, manganese for the pink, and likely some combination of copper mixing with air and water to create the teal.  

Soaking in one last view near 16,000 feet.
(Brandon Morris)

Soaking in one last view near 16,000 feet.

Filed to:
  • Peru

Read this next

In Defense of Visiting an Instagram-Famous Destination

By: Maggie Slepian

Our Gear Editors Are Still Obsessing Over These Products from the 2022 Summer Gear Guide

By: The Editors

Our Editors Have Made Plenty of Newbie Blunders in the Outdoors

By: The Editors

Is Ultralight Backpacking Gear Worth the Cost to My Budget—and My Comfort?

Outside+

Outside Magazine Summer 2022 Gear Guide cover

Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more.

Learn More
Facebook Icon Twitter Icon Instagram Icon
Outside
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Terms of Use
  • Licensing & Accolades
Healthy Living
  • Clean Eating
  • Oxygen
  • Vegetarian Times
  • Yoga Journal
Outdoor
  • Backpacker
  • Climbing
  • Fly Fishing Film Tour
  • Gaia GPS
  • National Park Trips
  • Outside
  • Outside TV
  • SKI
  • Warren Miller
Endurance
  • Beta MTB
  • CyclingTips
  • Fastest Known Time
  • Peloton
  • Pinkbike
  • Trailforks
  • Trail Runner
  • Triathlete
  • VeloNews
  • Women's Running
Industry
  • athleteReg
  • Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
  • FinisherPix
  • Inkwell
  • Nastar
  • Roam Media
  • Outside Books
  • Outside Events Cycling Series
  • Outside Shop
  • VeloSwap

© 2022 Outside Interactive, Inc