Rainbow Mountain Hike Full Day

Come to this incredible journey to Rainbow Mountain Hike with the PERU BY LOCALS team and enjoy this new natural wonder of Southern Peru. Cerro Colorado (4,990 m / 16,371 ft) is a colorful mountain also known as “Rainbow Mountain,” a beauty of millions of years of geological formations that seem painted by human hands.

Hidden in a remote corner of Peru’s Ausangate region, a couple of hours’ drive outside of Cusco, Vinicunca, more commonly referred to as the Rainbow Mountain Hike (the translation in the local language means “seven-colored mountain”), was hidden under a thick layer of ice. But as regional temperatures rose, the snowpack thawed and revealed thick stripes of mineral deposits painted across sandstone rock.

The journey is through beautiful farm valleys and native communities, but the hike itself offers you amazing scenic mountain views, herds of llamas, alpacas, and the snow-covered Ausangate, the tallest mountain in the region.

“Pictures don’t do it justice” – you need to see it.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Start your day very early before the crowds
• Hike with an expert professional guide trained by NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and graduated with a tourism degree. We only employ the top guides from the region because we believe the guide is the main ingredient for a great experience.
• Enjoy the views of the Andean mountains with big herds of alpacas and llamas
• Enjoy the colorful Rainbow Mountain and the spectacular Red Valley

• Distance covered: 4.5 miles
• Duration: 1 day
• Hiking hours: The morning hike from the start to the top of the Rainbow Mountain takes about 1.5 to 2 hours maximum through a gradual uphill trail, and the way back to the trailhead is through the same path, which is easy.
• Type of trip: Car transport and hike.
• Meals: Breakfast and lunch will be provided at a restaurant, both small buffet-style. Also, PERU BY LOCALS.
• Level of difficulty: Challenging, but your guide will be there encouraging you and helping you enjoy it as much as you deserve.

Group size: Our hiking group sizes are very important to guarantee the quality of our service by giving you personalized attention. That’s why we run with an average of 2 to 8 hikers. We know meaningful nature encounters must be undertaken in small groups. This not only guarantees you a more personal, close-up wildlife experience but also a less impactful presence on the earth’s brittle natural places we love.

Our guides:  Peru by Locals has a group of top guides, among them men and women with professional degrees, who receive refresher training with NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). Since our treks go into the wilderness and your health is our priority, our guides are fully trained to assist any of your needs while you are vacationing. We invest in our guides because we believe they are the main ingredient of any trip. Peru by Locals is not just a travel company but a group of great tour leaders who love sharing our culture with you and love being with travelers.

Location: This trip starts in Cusco City or the Sacred Valley, at your request. You will need to fly to Lima, the capital of Peru, then to Velasco Astete Cusco Airport, which is a small domestic airport.

Departures: This hike is operated 100% by PERU BY LOCALS. When you book your hike or take any tour package, you go with us; we don’t rearrange tours. We depart every day, year-round. The size of the groups is from 2 to 8 people on average, which allows us to give you personalized service.

We take bookings year-round, and this hike does not need to be booked far in advance. So, anytime you are ready, join us and reach out for any questions you have to our 14/7 number +51 989585967 or email us at info@perubylocals.com.

DAY 1.- CUSCO – CUSIPATA – PHULAWASIPATA – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN – CUSCO

We will depart your Cusco hotel at 04:00 am, for a 2-hour drive to Cusipata town, where we will stop for a delicious breakfast at a restaurant. After that, we will continue for another 50-minute drive to the trailhead at Phulawasipata (4,700 m / 15,419 ft). This section of the drive goes through beautiful landscapes, alpaca, and agriculture farms.

Our hike begins along the meandering path with spectacular vistas of snow-capped mountains and is surrounded by herds of alpacas and llamas.

After hiking for around 1.5 hours, we finally reach our destination, the magnificent Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca (5,020 m / 16,466 ft). No Photoshop or Instagram filters here; this awesome display of color is 100% natural and completely breathtaking.

We will take our time at the summit so that you can take spectacular pictures, breathe the clean air, explore the area, or just enjoy the spectacular views. Afterward, we will take a short 20-minute walk into the Red Valley. This valley does not have many hikers because it’s a slightly longer hike back down to the car parking, but it’s downhill, very rewarding, and offers a tranquil and beautiful hike amongst the crimson rocks that lead us to a spectacular view across the valley.

In a sense, this is almost like a different Hiking Rainbow Mountain, as we take in the views that were behind us on our ascent. The hike down will take around 1.5 hours to get back to our van, and then we will drive for about 50 minutes back to Cusipata, where a delicious lunch awaits us.

Then, it’s just a 2-hour drive back to your Cusco hotel or any other place you request to be dropped off around 3 pm.

OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS

Why Peru by Locals

• Peru by Locals offers tailor-made treks and tours, and we cater to your interests when planning your tour.
• We are committed to providing world-class tours based on exceptional customer service.
• We are a locally owned and highly experienced travel company based in Cusco, Peru.
• Our staff consists of members with decades of first-hand experience in the Peruvian tourism sector.
• All the management and staff at Peru by Locals speak English, Spanish, and Quechua (the language of the Incas).
• Our guides and staff members are professionally trained and educated in the history of the Incas, Peruvian history, culture and traditions, first aid in the wilderness, guiding treks and tours, the fauna and flora of the region, and tourism management.
• We are committed to protecting our environment.
• We are committed to creating jobs and empowering local people. We believe in fair labor practices and treat all our employees with dignity.
• We have programs to help with the development of the porters’ families and communities, such as planting trees and buying school books and school equipment for poor local communities.
• We honor native communities that have stewarded the land you visit.
• We have also started an Education Fund to support the education of porters’ children. A percentage of income from every tour and trek goes to the education of those in need.
• Our trips are designed carefully to meet your needs, and we create diverse, unique itineraries from 1 to 15 days in length. We offer a wide range of tours and treks and guarantee you the experience of a lifetime!
• Peru By Locals organizes worry-free trips for you to fully enjoy.

Peru small group specialists

Our tours are designed for those who love adventure, want to explore new places, experience local culture, love food, like history or photography, and are for all ages, whether you are traveling alone, with friends, in couples, or with family. At Peru by Locals, there are no large groups.

Small groups are the best, and the average tour or trek group is around 4 to 8 people. Why is this great? Well, have you ever waited in line while 40 other people get coffee in the morning? Believe it or not, it is not fun. Taking small groups allows us the flexibility to take you on an adventure to places that nobody else goes.