“You must go to Rainbow Mountain. Google it. You will want to go”.
My friend in Antigua was right. After the first “google” of Rainbow Mountain, I knew it was a must see in Cusco, Peru. Rainbow Mountain is painted in copper, yellow, green, brown and black. Rainbow Mountain is also known as Vinicuna Montana. The mountain reaches 16,100 feet (5,100 meters) at it’s peak.
I started my adventure in Cusco, which is at an elevation of 11,150 feet. Many travelers suffer from altitude sickness in Cusco. Can you imagine the hike up to Rainbow Mountain to the maximum 16,1000 feet? I was thankful I made it to the top without needing to rent a horse ride. Slow and steady was my motto.
The hike began with a very early wake up call at 3:30AM. The tour starts with a 3 hour bus ride. The trek itself to the top takes 1.5-2 hours. At the peak, I enjoyed the majesty of the mountain.
Next to Rainbow Mountain is snow capped mountains. I was informed this peak is the tallest peak in Peru!
The tour didn’t allow for too much time at the top. After about 30 minutes, I had to make the hour long trek back down. It always seems the last bit is the hardest because once the bus was in sight it still took 20 minutes to reach the parking lot. After the long bus ride back, I arrived to my hostel before dinner time.
Rainbow Mountain is definitely a must see in Cusco. My tour, which included breakfast and lunch was 70 soles. It did not include the 50 soles park entrance. I was very pleased by my Rainbow Mountain hike and suggest it for anyone who is able to hike even for a little bit. There are horses available if you can only like to hike a short distance. So do it!
