The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Rainbow Mountain, Peru

Discovered in 2015 this, now not-so-hidden gem is a must-see on every Peru travel bucket list. Sitting at 5200 feet, equivalent to a quarter of the way up Mount Everest, it is a truly unique spot to visit. Otherwise known as mountain Vinicunca, the colourful Rainbow Mountain, Peru near Cusco is known for its unique colours; formed from layers of gold, lavender, red and turquoise. Rainbow Mountain is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, sprawling views and small Andean villages. It really is an amazing, unique thing to witness and one that should be added to every South American travel bucket list.

Don’t get us wrong, the hike up is hard, the combination of the altitude and the steep ascent means you have to take lots of breaks. But, the view from the top is so so worth it. If you’re planning a trip to Peru and wondering just how you get to Rainbow Mountain, which South America tour company you should go with and why Rainbow Mountain has only just been discovered, then read on.

Rainbow Mountain, Peru; first discovered in 2015

The mountain had, of course, always existed but the incredible colours that the mountain is most famed for were hidden for centuries under thick layers of Andean snow and ice. Then, due to climate change, causing the snow and ice to gradually melt away, the colours were revealed.

The already popular region of Cusco in Peru suddenly discovered that it had yet another world-famous tourist attraction to add to its already long list; the first South America guided tours to Rainbow Mountain started in January 2016 and has been a sell-out ever since.

Its famous Rainbow colours, vibrant in the sunshine, are largely due to weathering and mineral deposits. Depending upon the time of day and time of year these colours can look vastly different, giving this mountain an ever-changing appearance. If you’re anything like us, then you’ve already seen hundreds of photos of the mountain on Instagram or other blogs of its bright colours. However, the mountains are actually quite musted shades of reds, blues and browns; still incredibly beautiful, but just be sure to manage your expectations so as not to be disappointed.

When is the best time of year to visit Rainbow Mountain, Peru?

There is really one period of the year that it is suggested to visit Rainbow Mountain. The dry season between March and November is generally the best time to visit Rainbow Mountain. With it being at its peak between June and August when the weather is generally a little cooler, but blue skies are much more common.

We visited during July and can confirm that the skies were blue and the temperature pleasant. You’ll be hot whilst hiking but soon cool down to a comfortable temperature when you stop to take in the views.

How long does it take to climb Rainbow Mountain?

The hike to Rainbow Mountain will take around 2 hours and is a distance of 4 kilometres (2.5 miles). This, of course, depends on many things including your fitness level, the other people that are on your tour and how many times you stop to take in the view, have a drink or enjoy a snack.

What should I wear to hike Rainbow Mountain?

Expect the weather to be freezing when you first start out on your hike no matter what time of year you visit. South America travel can vastly differ! Also, expect to get a bit sweaty whilst hiking. The weather can also be very unpredictable. For this reason, wear layers that you can remove or add during your hike.

Here’s our packing list for Rainbow Mountain, Peru:

• Suncream – The sun and its rays are intense at this height!

• Hiking shoes or sports shoes (we did it in running trainers and were fine, however, they probably weren’t the most comfortable or safe!)

• A pair of long socks

• Long trousers or leggings

• T-shirts

• Jumper or traditional poncho (again, probably not the most practical but it looks good!)

• Lightweight jacket

Rainbow Mountain and Altitude Sickness

Due to the height of Rainbow Mountain altitude sickness is something that must be considered. It really is no joke! In order to prevent this ensure that you are acclimatised before doing the hike. We recommend being at a relatively high altitude for at least 3 days before your hike. We were also advised to hike Humantay Lake prior to Rainbow Mountain to ensure we were properly acclimated for this hike. The city of Cusco also sits at a height of 3,399 m so it’s a great place to hang out and acclimatise before.

Altitude usually starts to get worse at 4,000 meters so even if you have acclimatised beforehand you may still feel yourself feeling unwell. Don’t stress, guides are used to this and will take perfect care of you, they will carry coca leaves, sweets, and other items that will help against altitude sickness. Ours even carried Oxygen in case anyone needed it when they reached the top. You can also buy Coca-leaf tea on your way up (completely safe and legal in Peru) as well as energy drinks and beers (not to help with altitude sickness, but just, well why not?).

Please do not think that altitude sickness just won’t affect you or that you’ll just ‘deal with it’ because it’s really not that simple. A couple on our tour couldn’t make it up to the viewpoint and ended up with extreme dehydration, headaches and generally feeling horrendous.

Rainbow Mountain really shouldn’t be your first hike from Cusco during your South America travel. You can see which other hikes and day trips we recommend here. Unless you have come from another high-altitude spot nearby. But, we would not recommend doing it within the first 48 hours of arriving in Cusco. There’s a reason tour companies have to carry oxygen, and you don’t want to be the person to find out why halfway through the trek.  

Rainbow Mountain and Animals

Before we explain how to get to Rainbow Mountain we feel that we should mention the animals that can be found around Rainbow Mountain. These are Llamas and Horses.

First off, there are wild Llamas everywhere which is incredible to see and only adds to the experience. However, there are also Llamas that are dressed up in colourful outfits and paraded up and down for tourists to get photos with you can also find this a lot in Cusco. From our untrained eyes, the Llamas looked healthy and weren’t made to run or do anything that they shouldn’t (except for wearing clothes). We personally don’t feel that animals should be subjected to anything for money. They are not there for us to use. On the contrary, they do provide a living for the locals who might not otherwise be able to earn a living, so we do understand that is a hard moral dilemma.

The horses are there for tourists to ride up to the viewpoint for a cost. The horses are then made to run back down to get the next tourist and take them to the top, this continues all day. Often these tourists are the ones that are too ‘lazy’ (we recognise that this isn’t always the case) to hike so instead, put undue strain on the horses.

What do the locals think about riding animals at Rainbow Mountain?

We spoke to our local guide about this issue and how we didn’t agree with the use of horses. We shared the story that we had recently hiked Acatenango in Guatemala and a week after we had been there a horse was pictured collapsing on its way up, which then went viral on Instagram and led to the banning of horse riding up the volcano.

Our guide agreed with us that the horses shouldn’t be used for taking tourists to the top. He put the issue down to the locals becoming greedy due to the huge, quick increase in tourism around the Rainbow Mountain area. He shared that the locals used to be content with what they had. However, now they have had a taste for more and want more and more no matter the cost and we certainly can’t blame them for this, however, here the cost happens to be the horse’s safety and this all stems from tourists wanting this service.

So, when you visit instead of just thinking about making your life easier or getting a cute picture please think about the animal’s welfare.

How to get to Rainbow Mountain

The best option and the way that 99% of travellers travelling South America use is a tour. There are multiple tour companies that you can choose between, all offering slightly different services but relatively the same tour. The biggest decision that you need to make is if you want to book your tour prior to arriving in Cusco or when you arrive. There are pros and cons to both options. Booking before gives you peace of mind that the tour is booked and you don’t need to worry about finding an agency beforehand. However, they are generally far more expensive.

Book a tour before arriving in Cusco

When we visited Cusco, Peru we had booked our trip to Rainbow Mountain prior with Salkantay Trekking. We also booked our trip to Humantay Lake with them. They are a more premium tour company and that is reflected in the price. However, as we were trying to cram so many South America tours into our time in Cusco, for us it was really worth having comfier buses, blankets to help us fall back asleep and bags of snacks provided. The tour guides were also fantastic. Informative, patient and friendly. Plus, they were all locals who all seemed to absolutely love working for the company – something that is so important in today’s tourist society.

You are picked up at 4 am, which is similar to all Rainbow Mountain one-day tours. You’ll then stop along the way to have some breakfast, this was a simple breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit and coffee.

You then continue the journey through the mountains to the bottom of Rainbow Mountain. After the hike, you’ll be taken for a buffet lunch. The lunch was really good quality with a great variety of food. Which, as two vegetarians we are always worried about.

You can book the tour here.

Book a tour in Cusco

As mentioned above, the other option is booking your tour when you arrive. We didn’t do it this way we can’t comment on how the tours compare to the ones that we did. However, if you are just interested in hiking Rainbow Mountain and watching your budget, then you can’t really go wrong. If you have taken part in a tour to Rainbow Mountain and booked it in Cusco. Let us know how it was in the comments below!

Looking for other day trips to do from Cusco whilst you’re planning your Peru travel? Then you should read Five Of The Best Day Trips From Cusco, Peru as well.

Have fun and enjoy this incredible, unique spot!