Rainbow Mountain tour from Cusco

More about Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain is around a 3-hour drive southeast of Cusco. The fantastic 360-degree view over its multi-colored flanks is at an altitude of around 5,200m/17,060ft—you need to be well acclimatized to altitude to join this tour.

The Rainbow Mountain was originally known as Vinicunca, which in Quechua translates to ‘colored mountain’. There are 14 colors in total, including turquoise, gold, and violet. The colors are created by mineral sediments that change color when they interact with the sun, ice and wind. Red coloring often indicates the presence of iron oxide, and yellow indicates iron sulfide.

It is now among Cusco’s top attractions. To avoid crowds, we recommend starting early on the day 1 option or the 2-day option so you can enjoy a peaceful time in one of Peru’s most beautiful settings.

Acclimatize and make an early start

For those who have limited time, the Rainbow Mountain day trip is a long but enriching journey. We recommend that you acclimate to the high altitude before starting, and this trip often works better towards the end of itineraries in and around the Cusco area.

This tour starts very early to avoid the crowds at Rainbow Mountain. You are picked up by a private driver at your hotel at 4:00 am, to be the first at the mountain and enjoy the beautiful sunrise. (We can always change to a later departure time, just let us know.)

Getting to Rainbow Mountain

It will likely be cold, so you have to dress very warmly, including a hat, gloves, and a warm coat. We have pillows and blankets in the van so you can try to continue resting on the way, while we drive 3 hours to the trailhead, where a hot breakfast will be prepared and served. Llamas and alpacas can be seen dotted all along the route to Vinicunca.

Trekking route on Rainbow Mountain

After breakfast, we start ascending from 4,300m / 14,200 feet towards our goal of 5,200m / 17,060 feet.

Depending on your fitness level, we hike for 1.5-2 hours. The terrain will range from flat to steep, and the path can be dusty and slippery due to the gravel. During our hike, we see amazing views of Ausangate—the highest mountain in the Cusco region—while hiking through fields where alpacas, llamas, and vicuñas are grazing.

When we reach the summit, we are rewarded with the magic vistas of Rainbow Mountain. Your tour guide will explain the geology and geography of the region, why the colors are so bright, and the importance of the mountain to the local indigenous population. There will be time for photos and questions before we start our descent to our awaiting vehicle, which will 1.5-2 hours.

On the way back, we stop at one of the amazing viewpoints for our organic lunch. Finally, we take our bus back to Cusco, aim to arrive around 4-5 pm, and drop you off at your hotel.

Day 1: Cusco - Qesuno - Anata

On the first morning, we pick you up at your hotel at 5:00 am and drive 3 hours through beautiful scenery south of Cusco to the trailhead. On our way, we stop in a local village to visit a market where we can see locals selling fruits and vegetables, as well as their famous massive loaves of bread.

Once we get to the trailhead, and before starting the hike, we enjoy a hot breakfast. We carry daypacks only; we leave the rest of our gear with a local horseman to look after.

The hike starts in a beautiful valley where we see local families farming and herding llamas and alpacas, just like the Incas used to do many centuries ago.

We continue ascending slowly and steadily to our first pass, the Condor Pass, at an elevation of 4,875m/16,000ft. We are rewarded with amazing views of the glacier-covered Ausangate mountain. Your guide will explain how and why the Incas worshipped this mountain. Be sure to get some photos from here, especially the five crystal clear lakes below.

We then descend from the pass and hike for another 2-3 hours to reach Ananta, where our campsite will be located. The horseman will be here with your kit, and our chef will be waiting with a delicious lunch.  

After lunch, we can have a siesta, walk around and take in the incredible views. We have dinner at 7 pm and then take time to look at the stars and see the Southern Cross, Venus, Jupiter, and the Milky Way.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, and more.

Distance: 14km / 8.7 miles

Elevation: 4,200m-4,875m / 13,779-16,000ft

Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

Day 2: Ananta - Rainbow Mountain - Cusco

We wake you up at 5 am with coca tea delivered to your tent. After a delicious hot breakfast, we hike to our second pass.

After about one hour, we reach the second pass, where we can see our first glimpse of Rainbow Mountain. We then descend for half an hour, and after a further ninety minutes, we will reach our final destination—Rainbow Mountain. You can take as much time as you want to take photos of this magical place.

The benefit of the 2-day Rainbow Mountain trek is that we arrive early, before most other trekkers.

The hike back to the trailhead will take about 3 hours, and we will enjoy lunch before departing in our private vehicle for Cusco (3 hours).

We typically get back around 5 pm and will drop you off at your hotel.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, and more.

Distance: 18km / 11 miles

Elevation: 5,000m-5,200m-4,200m / 16,404ft-17,060ft-13,779f

Hiking Time: 6-7 hours