This place is literally otherworldly!
On the last of our three full days in Cusco, we scheduled a tour to Rainbow Mountain, or la Montaña de Siete Colores (the mountain of seven colors). For the record, we were exhausted by this point! The nice thing about staying in Cusco is that it’s central for various day trips into the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The bad part is that most tours leave in the early morning hours. This, by far, was our earliest departure, at 3:30 am! 😳
Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca in Quechua, is the fastest-growing tourist attraction in Peru, and it’s only been visible since 2013. Before that, the mountain was snow-covered. Thanks to climate change, the colors in these mountains are visible. Unfortunately, climate change made all the colors in these mountains visible.
After our 3:30 am pick-up and a stop for breakfast, we arrived at the base of the trail. The walk to the top is only ~4 km (~2.5 miles). But there’s a catch. The trail starts at ~4600 m (~15,000 ft) and ends just above 5000 m (~16,400 ft)! For some context, Mt. Everest base camp sits at ~5365 m (~17,600 ft). This was definitely the highest altitude we’ve ever been!
The walk is split into three parts: “Inca flat” (aka small hills), medium hills, and STEEP at the very end. You can walk the entire way or take a horse 80% of the way. Unfortunately, in the final and steepest section, you have to walk regardless!
The nice part about our early arrival was that we were in the first groups to arrive. Most of our group decided to take a horse. Shane and I walked it and had the trail to ourselves for most of the walk!
We did, however, have a cute companion in the beginning.
Overall, for us at least, the walk wasn’t that bad. The steep part at the end was indeed very steep, but we both found that if you just walked a slow and steady pace (relative to ourselves), it was much better than quick bursts of walking. Getting your heart rate up too high was when you felt the effects of the altitude the most!
All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. The view is worth it!
Be sure to grab a fresh coca tea once you get to the top for the altitude sickness, ya know. 🙃
Now, if you’re feeling feisty, and I recommend finding that energy, you can keep going up to the true peak at just over 5,000 m. It’s definitely another steep slog up, but you’re only there once, right? So just do it. Plus, this is the best spot for the full-valley view.
After everyone had time for photos and a short rest, we were given the option to walk straight back to the van or visit the Red Valley on the way back, which was a ~15 min detour and absolutely worth it. The colors in this valley were surreal! Plus, the worst of the uphill was over. There’s a slight uphill to get here, but not much. Then, it’s all downhill to get back to the vans.
Honestly, after this, we were ready to return to the vans! It didn’t feel so cold at first, but between the wind in the Red Valley and the altitude, we were tired and cold! Plus, by this point, I had constant pins and needles from the elbows down, presumably from the altitude! It was wild, actually, and not something I expected. When I threw my arms out for the picture above, it physically hurt to have my arms extended! Altitude is crazy.
To visit, we used Rainbow Mountain Travels, which I highly recommend. The price is $50 per person, which may be a bit more expensive than other tours, but it includes breakfast and lunch, which is a nice touch given that you leave at 3:30 am and get back to Cusco around 3:30 pm. Also, the group was small (12 people), and they indeed get you to the mountain first. By the time we left for the Red Valley, this was the line for “the” photo spot…
This may be a controversial statement, but I might have enjoyed this day trip more than Machu Picchu! Don’t get me wrong, Machu Picchu is incredible, but I’m a sucker for natural wonders and a good view. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it!
Unfortunately, that was all the time we had in Peru. There’s definitely so much we didn’t see. I guess we will just have to go back! 😜
Nos vemos,
The Shwits 