Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain, Vinicunca, or the Montaña de Siete Colores. We saw The Rainbow Mountain of Peru for the very first time on Instagram. The photos were just mindblowing so we knew we would have to put this location into our travel schedule around Peru.
One day trip from Cusco
A good place to start the treck is Cusco. The one-day trip to Rainbow Mountain cost 60 soles and it includes breakfast and lunch. The trail is not very easy as it’s around 6-km long and the altitude rises to 5200masl. We figured that this will be a good warm-up before 5 day Salkantay Trek.
Acclimatization, acclimatization, and acclimatization again!
The air is much thinner up there so it’s common to encounter a few symptoms of the altitude sickness while doing the hike. Fortunately, the very first week in Peru we spent in Huaraz, so we managed to acclimatize to the high altitudes quite well.
Trail at 5200 masl.
The trip began very early, at 3:30 am and after a 3-hour long journey we stopped for breakfast and a coca leaf tea. The hiking part began for us at 9:00 am from the altitude of 4500masl. Our guide estimated that we would all need between 2-2,5 hour to get to the top. For all those not feeling well, there was an option to take a horse for 50 soles per person. And actually, we saw many people using this opportunity. While hiking up, you could still buy some coca-candy or just coca leaves from the locals to support yourself on this adventure.
On the top
The day we decided to hike to the Rainbow Mointain was a bit risky because of the bad weather forecast. We knew it was going to rain at 1pm but we still hopped for some sunshine at the top, around midday. And it all worked out!
We had the sun and all the spectacular colours of the mountains visible ahaed of us! A truly stunning landscape, almost like from a dream! It was also very windy so many layers of clothing were a good idea at that point.
At the top, we had around 45 minutes fime window to admire the views and take pictures. The guide explained where all the colours come from. Each colour is coused by the different chemical element.
The only disadvantage was the constant crowd of people going up, not looking around. That’s why we have many photos taken with unexpected hikers that just happend to stand for a while right in front of our lense. No worries, we were patient and finally, we managed to take some good shots!
The way down
The trail down was much easier. After the first hour of descending the mountain, the weather changed and it started to snow. It wasn’t a problem at all, at that point. We saw what we wanted and the conditions at the top were just great so we were good!
The good weather is a key to good views!
It seems a good trick to book it last minute while considering the weather conditions. It can change rapidly in such a high mountains but it is still worth it to check. The 1-day tour to the Rainbow Mountain was a pure success and we would like to encourage you all to see it by yourself! It’s all worth the effort!
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