When you visit the Rainbow Mountain, aka Vinicunca, you’ll realize why is one of Peru's tourism hotspots with the quickest growth. The stunning landscapes and the kindness of the locals will make this trip unforgettable. Also, the area's fauna and flora are great.
A few things you should keep in mind are:
- It’s a good idea to hire a tour operator, such as Viagens Machu Picchu that offers a quality and guaranteed service.
- If you are adventurous enough to go on your own, no worries! This guide will show you how you can go by yourself.
- Vinincuca is over 5000 meters above sea level. So, you must be acclimatized to do this tough trek.
- The trip to Rainbow Mountain from Cusco is about a 2-hour drive (85 miles;137 km)
You can hire a private shuttle or you can take public transport in the Avenida Tomasa Tito Condemayta in Cusco heading to Checacupe. The trip from Cusco to Checacupe is around two hours, the transport costs around 10 soles.
When you arrive in the town of Checacupe, you’ll see taxi drivers offering their services near the bus stop. You have to bargain with one to hire a round-trip service, which may cost around 100 soles. Don’t worry if you’re afraid of getting lost, you’ll see lots of groups, so you just only have to follow them.
It’ll take you around 3 hours to complete the trip, plus approximately one hour to take pictures of the stunning landscape or take selfies with the fluffy alpacas and vicunas around. After finishing the trek, your car will take you back to Checacupe, where you can take a bus to returning Cusco. In case you have questions, you may ask local people, who kindly will reply to your questions.
One thing you must know is that it’s hard to get a private shuttle from Checacupe to Cusco. You'll leave Cusco around 4 or 5 am, and you should be back by 5 or 6 pm, the whole trip will take between 13 to 15 hours.
Some advantages you get by choosing this option are saving money (The more people are with you, the better), making stops where you like, eating what you want to eat, and not hanging out with strangers during this tour.
If you plan to visit Rainbow Mountain with a tour group, you won't need to know anything because everything will be planned for you. Tours include transportation from Cusco, expert tour guides who can provide in-depth knowledge about the area’s history and geography, and extras like food and hiking gear.
Make plans to see a good tour operator and get in contact. If you haven't arrived in Cusco yet, the easiest way to do this is to email the trip organizer. You must pay in whole or with a deposit in advance to reserve your tour. At Viagens Machu Picchu, we'll provide you with some information about the tour we do to this colorful mountain:
A member of our staff will pick you up from your accommodation around 4 am. We'll pause for breakfast before making the 2.5-hour journey from Cusco to the Rainbow Mountain. We'll have our breakfast at a cozy restaurant tucked in amongst the mountains 30 minutes before we get to the trek's starting point.
Around 7 am our Rainbow Mountain trek will begin. Our guides will provide you with some helpful information before the hike so you can walk safely to the summit of the mountain. Since the trek will begin at a high altitude, around 4,800 meters above sea level, we should go cautiously and carefully.
After three hours, once you reach the summit of the mountain, you'll understand that all that effort will be paid off. Our experts will explain the history of the mountain and offer you some free time so that you can fully appreciate the mountain’s natural beauty.
After we're done, we'll return to the buses and ride them to our lunch location. It should take about two hours to get to the parking lot. Around 1 pm we’ll get to the Restaurant, where we’ll have a well-earned lunch after an exciting day of exploration.
We have selected a location where you may sample the best Peruvian cuisine in the lunch buffet. Once we finish our delicious lunch, we’ll head back to Cusco. You can freely ask for your drop off: We can leave you at your hotel or the Plaza de Armas.
Our staff is fully equipped to help you in case you have any issues. Talk to any of our guides if you have any signs of altitude sickness so they can help you as soon as possible.
Make sure to inform your travel agent of your want to visit the Red Valley at the time of booking. Our staff will inform you of the upcoming activities the day before the trek. A walking stick and an identity vest are also included in the package.
With the right assistance, Viagens Machu Picchu offers all you need for a genuine journey across our nation. Learn about all the exclusive deals we have on our Peru travel packages, then go to work organizing the vacation of a lifetime!
We would love to show you everything there is to see in our beautiful nation! Fortunately, we've compiled a list of some of Peru's top treks, so you can select the one that's right for you.
