Rainbow Mountain In Peru

If you are someone who likes to wake up very early, jump in a van for 2 hours going through incredible mountains, and embark on a heavy but doable walking track in a very special and unique place, then continue reading because you are gonna love this trip to the Rainbow Mountain!

We embarked on this expedition from Cusco. It is a full-day activity and most rewarding.

First of all, to fully complete and enjoy the magnificent Rainbow Mountain in Peru, you have to keep in mind that this is not a destination for everybody. You will hike at an altitude of over 5000 meters to reach the top, which makes this trek quite challenging. However, it’s not impossible, and if you take the necessary precautions, you can definitely make it!

There’s only three places in the world where you can see this type of Rainbow Mountain. Peru, Argentina and China.

We did the tour with Expeditions Luna and they were great! Always talked with René and he was always quick, responsive and super friendly!
We met him when we arrived at Cusco Airport, and he took us to our accommodation. While talking with him, we soon discovered that he also owns a tour agency that organises various activities from Cusco. We got his contact information, and we definitely recommend getting in touch with René because he is very professional and kind.

Tour Specifications Of The Rainbow Mountain

• Pick you up from your accommodation around Cusco between 4:15 AM and 4:45 AM.
• Two hours of driving to Cusipata, where you will have breakfast with a local family.
• Another hour in the van to the start of the trek.
• 3 Km of walking over mostly flat terrain, with occasional slight inclines.
• An hour and a half to walk to the summit, take pictures, and return.
• Back to Cusipata to have lunch.
• Back to Cusco finishing around 5 PM
• 12 hours of Tour.

Initiating The Adventure To The Rainbow Mountain

They picked us up at 4:45 AM, just two blocks away from where we were staying in San Blas. Since the streets there are extremely narrow and difficult to maneuver, we relocated to a larger avenue where they were waiting for us.

From the beginning of the day, we started chewing coca leaves that I had bought the day before. Trust me, you will need them.
It’s already hard to move around Cusco that’s only 3000 meters above sea level, compared to the 5000 meters you’ll encounter later.

Once you leave the city, the landscape takes over, and there’s nothing else to do but enjoy the view. Unless you suffer from car sickness, then you might be in trouble.
After they finished picking up everybody around Cusco, we began our journey to Cusipata (3,332 meters), which is 2 hours from Cusco. Here, we enjoyed an amazing breakfast (as you will see, every time they served us food in Peru, it was incredible!)

Cusipata

Approaching Cusipata, mountains dominate your surroundings, and everything feels as if it has been there for thousands of years.
The small villages you pass by seem frozen in time, I remember feeling the cold of the altitude in the early morning (from insight the van!) and see little girls and boys walking to school barefoot as if it were the most common thing to do (although it might have been because they didn’t have shoes, which makes this story much sadder). However, I remember seeing smiles on their faces, even without shoes to protect them.

These people are built differently; you can see it right away as they run alongside a horse, ascending the mountain to take a fat dude to the summit.
While you watch them run, you’ll probably be focusing on your breathing and trying to keep it together.

Once in Cusipata, we had breakfast, a buffet-style meal with different options such as rice, eggs, vegetables, milk, cereal, beans, and soups.

While having breakfast, they talked to us about the altitude, emphasizing the need to proceed very slowly and avoid overexertion. They also offered us the option to purchase some undergarments from them, such as gloves, long socks, caps (since it is very cold at the summit of the mountain), as well as chocolate and other sweets.

After breakfast and a necessary restroom break, we began our journey to the mountain. It was approximately another hour in the van.

Getting To Vinicunca – Rainbow Mountain

When you step out of the van, you feel the altitude immediately. The tour guide asked us if we wanted a walking stick, and we took them. I think it helped with walking.

Fortunately, I bought a big bag of coca leaves, and we were onto them like candy. They definitely helped with the feeling of sickness.

You can pay one of the locals to take you with his horse, but it’s never going to be my case to pay to use an animal’s strength and health to take me somewhere.

Take your time and don’t let anyone tell you at what pace you should walk.

We saw alpacas very soon; they stood there, looking at you with the side of an eye, ready to start getting away. And here, please, look up. It’s hard to walk on uneven terrain, but please admire the immensity that surrounds you.

Going up, we saw some local vendors selling water, juices, and offering to stamp your passport if you have it with you (for a fee, of course).

The Summit Of Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain)

You will start seeing the Rainbow Mountain when you are still far away, almost at the end of the walking track you have the line of people waiting to take the “famous” picture.
Please DO NOT DO THE LINE FOR THE PICTURE.

You will lose a lot of valuable time after making that big sacrifice to get to that place.

You can go even higher than where everybody is taking the picture. If you go higher, there are a lot fewer people, and you can take many great pictures with Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) in the background while facing the massive Ausangate.

Ausangate

On the other side of the valley from Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain), you have the majestic Ausangate, incredible and covered in ice which will remain long after all of us have passed away.
Here, you will find people having one of the worst experiences ever because of the altitude. I saw at least four different people with oxygen tanks, trying to breathe and struggling not to pass out.
It’s very important to respect nature and recognise that we are not accustomed to this pressure.

Back To Cusipata

Once you find your way out of this surreal experience you are having, it’s time to start the journey back to the parking lot.

Again, take your time. They will wait for every to be at the parking before going back to Cusipata.

Cusipata

Almost immediately after sitting in the van, we pass out, only to wake up for lunch at the same house where we had breakfast. Again, it’s a buffet-style lunch, all very tasty and fulfilling.

Here, we saw the toll that the altitude had taken on us and our companions; everybody looked tired and sleepy.
My head hurt for a while as well, and they gave me some soup specially for this kind of pain.

After a plentiful lunch, we went back to the van to start heading back to Cusco. Just like before, we passed out the whole way back.

Cusco

Back to Cusco, they left us in the same spot where they picked us up.

Closing Statement Of This Activity

Overall, this experience exceeded my expectations by far.

Considering that mountains are my favorite type of destination for vacation or day trips, it’s no surprise that I loved this experience!
It completely blew my mind; it was incredible.

The feeling of being as small as a grain of sand surrounded by these eternal mountains is something that everybody should experience at least once.
Having the chance to see this natural marvel is something worthy of appreciation.
I think that overall, the quality-price ratio was perfect!
The tour was well-organized, the food and timing were perfect. The whole experience was very good.

Price Of The Tour

For the tour we paid $27 per person and it includes:

• Pick up from your accommodation
• Bilingual guide (Spanish and English)
• Walking Sticks
• Breakfast and Lunch
• Oxygen tank
• Return to your accommodation

Does’t includes:

• Ticket to go to the Rainbow Mountain ($5)
• Entrance to Tintinco ($1,5)
• The horses to take you up the mountain
• Water
• Personal expenses
• Tips

Overall, it’s a reasonably priced trip, considering everything that’s included. A total of $35 with all the tickets.
Again, there are only three places in the world where you can see this marvel of nature, so please do it! You will not regret it!
If you like this kind of tours I’ll put my description about my four day tour through the Komodo National Park in Indonesia.