Rainbow Mountain
(1 Day)

  • icon

    Duration

    1 Full Day

  • icon

    Difficulty

    Difficult

  • icon

    Starting Point

    Cusco

  • icon

    Ages

    All Ages

From: $95.00

A full day hike to the now famous Rainbow Mountain – over 17k feet in altitude!

Some challenges bring the greatest rewards!

The red valley in southern Cusco offers some of the most wonderful and unique scenery in the world.  This full day tour includes a 4 hour round trip, challenging hike to 17000ft/5100m that’s so worth the effort.  We leave early to avoid the crowds!

What's Included

  • Private, English speaking guide
  • All transportation from end to end
  • All entrance fees and permits
  • Lunch
  • Walking sticks (available for rent $12)
  • Breakfast & Dinner
  • Alcoholic Beverages of any kind
  • Travel Insurance
  • Gratuity

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PALCOYO MOUNTAIN AND RAINBOW MOUNTAIN?

The more famous sister – Rainbow Mountain – is known as Vinicunca to the locals.  The trail to Vinicunca is very challenging and takes about 4 hours round trip.  When you get to the summit at 17000 feet/5100 meters, you’ll have a view of one massive “rainbow” mountain.

Palcoyo Mountain is still a high altitude hike at 16000 ft/4000 meters, but the trail is much easier and mostly flat.  It’s only a 2 hour round trip hike and has multiple overlooks where you can see several “rainbow” mountains throughout the valley.

PICKUP

4:30AM
Yes- that is an early start time!  We like to get to the trail head early so we can see the place without crowds for as long as possible.

RIDE

3 AND 1/2 HOURS
Settle in for a bit of a ride, but don’t plan to close your eyes!  You won’t want to miss a bit of scenery as we wind our way through the Andes.

HIKE

4 HOURS
You’ll have some time to stretch your legs and lungs on this challenging hike.  You’ll spend 3 of the 4 hours climbing straight uphill until we get to the overlook at 17000ft/5100m.  There is a ton to see along the way though so you shouldn’t have any trouble plowing through.

RETURN

4 AND 1/2 HOURS
After this tough day,  we’ll be sure to stop for lunch to replenish your fuel before we start the drive back to your hotel in Cusco.
For a more detailed itinerary, click here.

Prices

2 Trekkers (Private): $150 USD per person
3+ Trekkers: $95 USD per person

Views from the Trail: