Rainbow Mountain is the newest natural tourist attraction located in Cusco region and it is located south of Cusco in the Vilcabamba mountain range at over 5100m /16,732ft m.a.s.l. This tour gives you the exciting experience on climbing a mountain over 16,000ft, where you will be able to see colorful landscapes, majestic glaciers, amazing and vibrant green valleys with herds of alpaca, the amazing Ausangate mountain range. Also you will experience first-hand how locals live in the mountains and even see them hard at work. Also, visiting the Red Valley is highly recommended while you are doing the Rainbow Mountain hike. It takes an extension and takes 20 minutes more (one way) and will feel like you are in other planet. You will get amazing view once there!.
Highlights: The Rainbow Mountain hike is unique because of the mountain’s rich colors. This is a newer tourist attraction so less crowd. The hike is about 2 hours long and is challenging because of the Rainbow Mountain’s altitude and the terrain you hike over. Vinicunca, which is mostly known as the Rainbow Mountain is a newer tourist attraction located in Cusco. The charm of this mountain comes from its amazing 4 different colors. The Rainbow Mountain tour packages starts with a 3 hour drive to the trailhead and then a 2 hour hike to the top. The hike is a bit challenging due to both the rainbow mountain altitude, which is more than 5100 meters high, and the terrain you hike through. It’s important to take the altitude sickness seriously because it can negatively affect your vacation so it’s important that you take the time to properly acclimate before the hike. At the moment there is not a rainbow mountain resort but when you’re traveling with us, you’re going to have the very best experience possible. Your Rainbow Mountain Cusco tour comes with private transportation by highly experienced drivers to ensure your safety and comfort. All of your tour guides are also professional and highly trained to be sure you get a rich educational experience.
CUSCO – TRAILHEAD – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN – CUSCO: We will pick you up at 04:00am – 04:30am from your hotel. It will take 2 ½ hour drive to the trailhead and will arrive around 07:00am. Here at the trailhead our chef will make a delicious breakfast including coffee, hot chocolate, teas, bread, fruit salad, eggs, and hot drinks. Cusco’s elevation is 3,300m / 11,300ft and the trailhead, which is called Phulawasipata, is at 4200m/ 14,300ft. Cusco’s weather is usually quite cold and the trailhead is even colder, so early in the morning. Be sure to bring a warm jacket, scarf, hat and gloves. After breakfast we’ll hike about 2 hours uphill to the Rainbow Mountain range. At a slower pace it could be 2 ¾ hours, or if you are really fit, quick and acclimatized well, some people can do in 1 ½ hours. The hike up includes some short breaks where the guide will explain some important information about the mountains and the geography of the area. Perhaps you’ll have chance to catch sight of some of the locals, including llamas and alpacas that frequent this area. The trail itself is quite wide and so is helpful for those with vertigo or fear of heights. The trek is best during dry season as the trails are not paved, so it can be a bit dusty, and in rainy season it can be slippery since it may be wet, but with good waterproof hiking shoes and hiking poles, it will be just fine.
Upon your arrival to the top of Rainbow Mountain, around 09:00am-10:00am, you will have about 1 hour to explore the amazing views of the surrounding areas – valleys, mountains and to view the highest glacial mountain in Cusco – Ausangate, whose summit is at an elevation of 6,384m / 20,944ft, making it one of the tallest mountains in Peru. After giving you a bit of time to take some treasured photos, your guide will give you some interesting facts about this fascinating place – like why the colors?! – and he will also share some detail about the Inkan history. A few last photos of this amazing mountain and we will begin our descent. We do this a little differently than other groups. Instead of hiking the same route as the others, we will hike to a lookout point to see the Red Valley and hike it. This valley is the icing on the cake – many of our hikers say that it is even nicer than Rainbow Mountain! It is about 2 ½ hours – mostly downhill – from Rainbow Mountain to the end of the trail, which is near where we started the hike. Here you will enjoy a fresh meal, prepared by your chef, which includes cold drinks, appetizers, soup and a main course. After lunch, it will be another 2 ½ hour drive to Cusco, where we will drop you off at your hotel at around 17:30pm – 18:00pm.
INCLUDES:
- Private transportation
- Pick up from the hotel in Cusco
- Breakfast at the trailhead
- Entrance fee into the park and the Red Valley
- English-speaking guide for the entire trip
- Drinking water
- Freshly prepared, hot lunch
- First-aid kit
- Dining tent, chairs & tables
- Private toilet
- Taxes