One Day Tour to Rainbow Mountain from Cusco, Peru

Vinicunca Mountain – now famously nicknamed Rainbow Mountain – is located in the impressive Andes mountain range near Cusco, Peru. Also called the Mountain of Seven Colors, Rainbow Mountain is covered in a mix of red, gold, purple, brown, pink, green, and white stripes.

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Why Is Rainbow Mountain So Colorful?

The unique combination of hues makes Rainbow Mountain one of a kind – but why does it look so colorful? The natural striations are actually just a mix of local minerals. The white highlights are made up of either limestone or sandstone, the purple from marlstone and silicates, green from copper oxide and ferromagnesian minerals, gold from sulfur-rich minerals, brown from manganese rocks, red from argillites and clay, and pink from a mix of mudstone, sand, and clay.

Why Have I Never Heard of Rainbow Mountain?

How is it that such a beautiful natural wonder isn’t more well known? Located high up in the Andes, Vinicunca had actually been covered by glaciers for the majority of recent history. It is only due to climate change that the glaciers began to melt, revealing the colorful mountains underneath. Rainbow Mountain was thus only “discovered” in 2015, and is therefore a relatively new tourist destination. In fact, if the climate were to change again in the future, there’s a chance that new glaciers could reform and conceal the mountains once again.

Though receding, the Colossal Glacier of the Nevado Ausangate is still readily visible from the Rainbow Mountain lookout point, towering above the other peaks around 21,000 feet.

One Day Tour to Rainbow Mountain from Cusco, Peru

Now that Rainbow Mountain has become such a popular excursion, there are luckily many tour companies through which you can book a tour. In fact, the mountain receives upwards of a thousand visitors a day on average. If you’re interested in getting to the peak before there are too many other visitors, we recommend 1) finding a tour company that will leave early in the morning, and 2) riding a horse to the base of the mountain!

Rainbow Mountain by Horseback

Depending on the tour company you book with, you’ll start your day by getting picked up from your hostel in either a tour bus or small car. We booked our tour through Kondor Path Tours, which accommodates a group size between 2-8 guests. Since we were only a group of two, we were picked up in a small car by our guide and a driver. The drive takes about three hours and involves an elevation increase of around 1600 feet. There’s a small diner that we stopped at in case we wanted to use the toilets or grab a coffee, but our next stop was the start of our journey!

After the carpark your guide will lead you up to the start of the trail, where most travelers will start their trek, and you’ll find your horse! While it’s cheaper to walk instead of ride to the base of Rainbow Mountain, we fully recommend going horseback. First and foremost because it’s way more fun – it actually turned out to be my favorite experience throughout my entire trip through Peru. I never imagined I’d be riding horseback through the Andes – or that I would enjoy such stunning & incredible views before even getting to Rainbow Mountain.

Your tour guide will find everyone in your group a horse and local guide to lead you while riding. Local villages alternate who guides the horses each day so that all indigenous families in the area benefit from the new boom in tourism.

To get onto the horse, you’ll climb up a few steps of rocks that have been made into a small landing and throw one of your legs over. After that, you’ll hit the trail. The horses move at a relatively clipped pace – so be sure to hold onto the saddle tightly and engage your core to keep your balance. There are a few mild hills throughout the trek, so be sure to lean forward when going up an incline and backwards when descending.

The elevation at this point of your trip is around 13,000 feet, which brings us to the second reason we recommend taking the horses: saving energy!

Due to the high elevation and decreased atmospheric oxygen levels in the area, some unprepared hikers struggle with having to exert energy in these conditions. You’ll notice that your heart will race a lot faster, and that you may need to stop to rest more frequently than you’re used to when exercising so high up.

Although everyone must ultimately climb the incline to the mountain peak by foot, riding to the base by horse will save yourself some energy!

Since the horses cannot climb up the steeper incline on the mountain, you’ll have to disembark at the base of the mountain. From here you’ll trek by foot!

There are two ways up the mountain: the first is a series of relatively steep stone steps. This is the most common way up as it’s the only path that is clearly identified and is the direction most solo travelers and large groups take. If this is the way you choose to climb, it’s important to remind yourself that it’s okay – and even necessary – to stop when you feel like your body needs a rest.

The second option up the mountain was shown to us by our tour guide, and simply involves traversing the side of it instead of taking the direct path. This allows you to ascend on a milder slope, and also removes you from all of the crowds! This was the path we chose, and what I would recommend if given the option.

While I personally did not find the hike nearly as difficult as some blogs I had read beforehand made it sound, I do recommend investigating whether or not your tour company packs an oxygen tank for your trip. You will NOT need it, our tour guide said he had only ever made use of it one time – and that the hiker still chose to complete the hike, but it’s good to know that you would have one available if it was needed.

Atmospheric oxygen levels are reduced by half at the summit of the hike, so again it’s important to keep in mind that your lungs are working at double their normal capacity and you should take rests as needed. There’s no rush to get to the top 🙂 Plus there are some pretty gorgeous views of the Andes to take in while on your way.

And then the good part! When you reach the top, your peak elevation will be ~ 17,000 feet, around the same elevation as the base camp of Mount Everest! From here you’ll be able to see Rainbow Mountain in all of its glory.

At the top of the mountain, there’s a very small stand with water bottles and candy bars to re-energize if you need it. There’s also a passport stand that will stamp your passport with a Rainbow Mountain emblem, so be sure to bring your pass along with you!

Lastly, you’ll have the option to take some photos with some llamas dressed to the nines (brightly colored woven clothes and sunglasses) if you would like to as well. All of these options only cost a few soles, and go towards supporting the locals’ livelihood.

But first and foremost, be sure to take in the views of the whole colorful mountain range! Beyond just Rainbow Mountain itself, the surrounding slopes are also adorned in color and deserve noting.

When you’re done at the top, you’ll begin retracing your steps and make your way back down the mountain. Since going down is – of course – easier than climbing up, we recommend just taking the stairs back down the mountain.

From there you’ll remount your horse, ride back, then hop back in the car for the three hour trip back to Cuzco! Depending on how long you spend at the mountain, if you left in the early morning you should arrive back at your hostel in the late afternoon.

Please let us know how you enjoyed your hike in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do the mountains really look like that? Yes! The mountains really are colorful and striped and the whole shebang. We were extremely fortunate and had all sun while we were visiting, so the mountains were well lit and bright. If it is cloudy, foggy, or rainy, the mountains will be duller. So be sure to book your trip in the dry season and cross your fingers!
2. How should I dress for Rainbow Mountain? This is a tricky one, because again it changes with the weather. I was told to pack for very cold weather – so I did – but then since we ended up having only sun, I had to shed a few layers while hiking. In general though I would assume it would be chilly due to the elevation and frequent winds. It’s easier to carry an extra layer or two then be up on a mountain wishing you had more clothing!
3. Is Rainbow Mountain worth visiting? 110%. I was weary about how well the excursion was going to turn out after reading some negative blogs online, but this ended up being my favorite activity of our whole trip through Peru! Again, I can’t recommend choosing to ride the horses enough.

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