Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, also called Montaña de 7 Colores, is located in the Peruvian Andes and has an altitude of 5,200 m above sea level. This guide provides you with everything you need to know about the trek to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca.

Did you know that… ?

The Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca was discovered only recently in 2015. It used to be a glacier but due to climate change the ice melted, exposing a mountain full of colourful stripes. Minerals on the surface of the mountain oxidised and caused these stunning colours.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

How to get to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca

To get there you can either go by yourself or take a tour. The most common and easy way to get there is taking a tour. However, in a tour you’re bound to a fixed schedule and you do the trek when everyone else is doing it too. This means sharing the trail and the view point with lots of other visitors.

Go by yourself

If you want to skip the crowds on the trek to the Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, doing the hike without a tour is a good option. Like this you’re more flexible in terms of time and you’re not dependant on anyone else.

Most of the tours leave Cusco between 3 am and 5 am. If you want to skip the crowds you should leave Cusco either between 1 and 2 am or between 7 and 8 am.

However, note that you’ll be by yourself and don’t underestimate the effects of the altitude on the body. In a tour the guides take care of participants who are not feeling well. Only go by yourself if you know you don’t have problems with the altitude. Also, I only recommend doing the hike on your own if you’re at least two persons. In case something happens in the mountains it’s always safer to be with a second person.

If you decide to do the hike by yourself you have three options to get there: By taxi, by public transport or by rental car.

By taxi

You can hire a taxi driver in the center of Cusco for the whole day for around 70€, depending on your bargaining skills. They will bring you there, wait for you to do the trek and then bring you back to Cusco.

By public transport

The cheaper option would be to take a bus at Avenida Tomasa Tito Condemayla towards Ocongate. Tell the driver that you need to get off in Checacupe. The bus costs around 2€.

From Checacupe you need to take a taxi. Bargain with the driver and you should pay around 30€ for the driver to take you to Rainbow Mountain, wait for you to do the hike and then bring you back to Checacupe. From there you can get a bus back to Cusco. Just tell your taxi driver to drop you off at the bus stop.

Rent a car

Another option is renting a car in Cusco. You can get a car for 30-40€ per day including insurance.

It’s certainly an adventure to drive on the dirt roads through small villages towards Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, especially when it’s still dark outside. Only drive yourself if you’re an experienced driver. Also, it’s better to be at least two persons for safety reasons. An offline map (like maps.me) is a must for this drive.

Same as with public transport, first you need to get to Checacupe. From there on you take a dirt road passing the town Pitumarca and several other small villages until you get to the parking lot of Rainbow Mountain.

However, note that the drive is quite long (approximately 3 hours) so the person driving might be tired even before you start hiking.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

Go with a tour

The easiest and most common way to do the trek to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca is by going with a tour. Me and my friends did a tour which we booked at our accommodation. There are lots of agencies in the center of Cusco and most of them offer the same itinerary.

Price: 15-30€ per person
Group size: 6-20 people
Includes: hotel pick up, transport, breakfast, lunch and guide
Not included: 3€ park fee

Most tours pick you up at your hotel between 3 and 5 am. If you want to avoid the crowds, try finding an agency that departs before 3 am.

Flashpacker Connect offers a great tour starting at 2:15 am. This way you arrive before the others and you can enjoy the tranquility on the mountain peak. However, this tour is considerably more expensive than the common tours.

The drive from Cusco to the trailhead of Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca takes about 3 hours. On the way there you stop for a small breakfast.

During the trek our guide made sure that everyone was feeling well and took care of those who didn’t. Even though we were a group, everyone walked at their own pace and nobody had to wait for anyone.

One disadvantage of a standardised tour is that once you arrive to the peak of the mountain you only get 10-20 minutes to enjoy the view before the guide tells you to make your way down again.

After the hike you get a delicious Peruvian meal for lunch and then you head back to Cusco, arriving there in the afternoon.

 

Best time to go

The best time to do the trek to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca is between March and November. During this period you have the highest probability of sunshine and a clear sky.

The worst time to go is between December and February. This period is rainy season in the region of Cusco and a clear sky is less probable. Clouds might completely cover the mountains, resulting in a bad view which ruins the whole experience.

I was there in early December and I was quite lucky with the view on the top. Nevertheless, it was a cloudy day so the colours didn’t glow as much as I had hoped. When I started the hike it was raining and when I got higher up it was snowing. The trail was muddy and it was quite cold – so not the best conditions.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

What to pack for the Vinicunca trek

  • Sun screen
  • Layers: The weather in the mountains can change within seconds. Wear layers to be comfortable with sunshine but also with snow and rain.
  • Water
  • Gloves, scarf, hat
  • Waterproof hiking shoes
  • Coca leaves: Chewing them helps against altitude sickness

Things to know before you go

Weather conditions

Due to the high altitude the weather can be quite rough, including fog, rain or even snow. Before planning your trip to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca definitely make sure to check the weather forecast.

If you go there full of expectations and then clouds fully cover the mountains it will be a guaranteed disappointment. Don’t make the effort of doing the hike if the weather isn’t good, it’s not worth it.

Altitude

The trek to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca starts at an altitude of 4,500 m above sea level. As if this wasn’t high enough, the peak of the mountain lies at 5,200 m above sea level.

Even though the hike is not very demanding in terms of length it’s extremely exhausting. The amount of oxygen in the air is lower in such high altitudes. Every movement is more exhausting for your body so it’s important to walk in a slow pace and to be prepared for the altitude.

Read more about how to avoid altitude sickness in my post about the Salar de Uyuni.

Getting there without hiking

Good news for the less active travellers: You don’t have to hike to get to the peak of Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca. There’s an option to ride up on the back of a horse. A round trip on a horse costs around 20€ and you’re accompanied by a local who leads the horse.

However, you can’t do the entire path on the horse. In some steep passages you have to get off for the safety of the horse and of yourself.

BUT: I don’t recommend taking a horse. The horses are tired and some of them seem to be in pain. So if you can, hike the mountain yourself.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

Crowds and overtourism

While Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca was only discovered a few years ago in 2015 it has attracted travellers from all around the world. The colourful striped mountains have soon become a must-see attraction during a stay in Cusco. In times of Instagram and Pinterest the stunning photos of the magical mountains have made them part of many people’s bucket list.

Now hundreds, in high season even thousands, of tourists make their way to the view point on the peak everyday. The peak is crowded and only the fastest hikers have the view point to themselves. Those who need more time to get there arrive at a crowded spot which takes away the peacefulness of this incredible place.

Alternative: Rainbow Mountain Palccoyo

Rainbow Mountain Palccoyo is a less known and less crowded alternative to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca. It’s a bit further away from Cusco but definitely worth it if you don’t like sharing the trail with hoards of people.

I haven’t done the trek to Rainbow Mountain Palccoyo myself but I was told by others that it’s a great alternative with similar views.

Trek to the Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

The trailhead is elevated at an altitude of 4,477 m above sea level. It takes about 2 hours to hike to the top, depending on your level of fitness.

Right when we arrived and hopped out of the van it started to rain. Not optimal, but we were prepared with the right equipment.

When I started the hike I was excited and motivated – without knowing what I was about to experience. At first, the trail is rather flat and it gets steeper after a while.

The higher we got the more exhausting each step was. We had to take breaks and walk slowly because of the lack of oxygen. I wanted to keep going but I started to suffer from altitude sickness.

Rainbow MountainVinicunca, Cusco, Peru

I felt sick in my stomach with the constant feeling of having to vomit. In addition to that, it was really hard for me to breath. Chewing coca leaves is supposed to help against altitude sickness so I kept chewing them during the entire hike. However, in my case they didn’t make it better. Determined, I still put one foot in front of the other but the distance to the peak didn’t seem to get shorter.

My friends didn’t get sick from the altitude but a few other hikers felt even worse than me and had to stop hiking.

Somehow I had managed to keep going even though I felt unable to continue. At some point I stopped looking up because it was too frustrating to see how much I still had ahead of me. After what felt like an eternity we finally reached the peak.

At first I couldn’t even enjoy the view. I was just glad that I had made it and that my heartbeat was calming down a bit.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, Peru

Even though it was a cloudy day we were lucky to see the coloured mountains. I was glad that we could see the colours, but to be honest, after seeing truly impressive photos of the mountains I had expected more.

The colours are much more saturated when the sun is shining. That’s the reason why you should only go there during dry season from March to November. Due to the cloudy sky the colours seemed a bit faded.

This was for sure the most exhausting hike of my life. Not because of the distance or the steepness, but hiking in this altitude is no joke – even experienced hikers can suffer.

Despite my struggles with altitude sickness on the way to the peak I’m glad that I did the hike and I wouldn’t want to miss the experience.

No matter if you go for the famous Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca or the less known Rainbow Mountain Poloccaya. If you take the weather and the altitude into consideration and prepare accordingly, you’ll have a great experience visiting this natural wonder.

Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca, Cusco, PeruRainbow Mountain, Cusco, Peru

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