Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca or La Montaña de Siete Colores, is located in the Cusco region. The colours are completely natural, deriving from a variety of minerals in the earth: copper (green), yellow (sulphur), red (iron). The effect is spectacular!
Ever since its discovery a few years ago and its appearance on social media, Rainbow Mountain has become a hugely popular tourist destination in Peru. I was really excited about going and couldn’t wait to see it.
Booking a Rainbow Mountain trip
There are two options for tours from Cusco: a day trip and an overnight trek. Having just done the 5 day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, we opted for the day trip.
To book Rainbow Mountain, you can book online or wait till you’re in Cusco. I really recommend waiting till Cusco to book for two reasons. Firstly, online tours are often overpriced and secondly, you can shop around in Cusco and compare different agencies a lot easier. Rainbow Mountain tours in Cusco cost between 60-100 soles; we paid 70 soles (£15).
We booked our tour with two lovely German girls we’d met on previous treks to Colca Canyon and Machu Picchu. Despite booking together, we bizarrely didn’t end up in the same walking group. Luckily, we bumped into them at the top!
Pick up and getting to Rainbow Mountain
The drive to Rainbow Mountain takes three hours. So it’s no surprise pick up is early; we were collected from our hostel at 3.30am. After a stop for breakfast (take advantage of the coca tea available), we drove a little further to the trek start point and were ready to start walking at 8am.
There is a 10 soles entrance fee to the National Park which we paid on arrival. I think most tours don’t include the entrance fee in their price, but it’s worth checking.
Entrance to Rainbow Mountain (where you pay the 10 soles)
The hike
Starting at 4300m, the trek is a 10km round route and reaches 5200m. The majority of the walk is a steady and gradual incline with a steep push at the end. It took us about 2 hours to reach the peak.
Walk to Rainbow Mountain – it’s quite gradual
Rainbow Mountain was a unique hiking experience. Neither the distance nor the gradient was the killer; walking 10km was hardly anything compared to the distances we’d already trekked on the Salkantay or Colca Canyon hikes and the gradient was all in all steady, gradual and easy. Yet, the altitude upped the difficulty factor transforming the walk into a challenging hike requiring focus, energy and motivation.
Surrounded by stunning landscapes
Throughout the ascent, I was short of breath and huffing and puffing. In the final push to the top, I was walking twenty paces and then pausing for a breather – definitely feeling the effects of high altitude. If the altitude becomes too much and you’re struggling, there are horses to hire for around 70 soles.
We spent an hour at the top enjoying the spectacular views of not just Rainbow Mountain but also the surrounding epic scenery.
We made it!
Tips for Rainbow Mountain
#1 Manage expectations
Maybe an obvious piece of advice, but really try and manage your expectations about how colourful it is. It’s easy to get sucked up in the hype that surrounds Rainbow Mountain – it is a rainbow!!! But if you go expecting a literal rainbow, then you’re probably going to be disappointed.
#2 Keep an eye out on the weather when choosing a day
Weather is of course hard to predict and ever changing in the mountains, yet will play an important role in shaping your Rainbow Mountain experience and memories. We got lucky with a sunny blue sky day for our trip and it was brilliant. I’ve read several blogs with an entirely different story to tell simply because of the weather; come rain, hail, or snow.
#3 The altitude
Rainbow Mountain reaches 5200m. Don’t try walking it until you’ve spent some time getting used to Cusco’s altitude. I can almost guarantee that, even having adjusted to the Cusco region’s altitude, you will be huffing and puffing getting to the top. Rainbow Mountain certainly tests your ability to deal with altitude! Horses are on hand if the altitude struggle becomes too much.
#4 Be prepared for a long day
It’s a long day. The journey to and from Rainbow Mountain is approximately 6-7 hours. Take advantage of the long drive to catch a few winks. The hike takes around 5 hours in total including an hour break at the top. After lunch, you will drive back to Cusco normally arriving back early evening.
#5 There will be crowds of people
Unless you’re the first group up there, you’ll be sharing the peak with lots of people all eager for a photo with Rainbow Mountain. I knew it would be busy, but I was still a bit surprised by how many people were there. As Rainbow Mountain’s popularity grows, I can only imagine the number of visitors increasing too.
#6 Pack snacks and bring plenty of water
You eat a (light) breakfast early in the morning and lunch isn’t till mid-afternoon. The chances that you’ll get hungry are pretty high. Walking at high altitudes requires more energy than usual. Pack some snacks (we went for sugary sweets) to keep the energy levels high. Also, drink plenty of water and keep hydrated. You won’t want any headaches from not drinking enough.
#7 Wear layers
I’ve previously touched on the weather when choosing a day to go to Rainbow Mountain. The weather is also important when deciding what to wear for the hike. Being at high altitude and on a mountain, the weather can change quickly. You’ll want to be ready for sun, rain, wind and hot and cold temperatures.
Me wearing a mishmash of layers!
The best way to cover all those bases is to wear layers that you can easily put on or take off depending on how you feel. My alpaca jumper that I bought in Cusco came in handy here!
Some other items to bring are a waterproof, hat and gloves, sunglasses etc.
Final thoughts on Rainbow Mountain
Having already seen photos of Rainbow Mountain online, which have all more than likely been digitally edited and enhanced, there was the small worry that the reality wouldn’t live up to the hype. Especially, as on our travels we’d bumped into a few people disappointed by it.
Rainbow Mountain blew me away; a natural masterpiece that I was so happy I’d got to see. It’s certainly one of my highlights from our time in Peru. If you’re in Cusco, I’d really recommend adding Rainbow Mountain to your itinerary.
Have you been to Rainbow Mountain? What did you think of it?
