Hike to the Astounding Multi-colored Mountain
Close to the city of Cusco is one of the most stunning natural sights you can imagine — the mountain of seven colors, aka, Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca. If you’re looking for an exciting day out of the city, that’ll challenge you but give you the most fantastic rewards, this is the perfect option.
Get ready to discover one of the most impressive natural wonders on the planet in the middle of the Peruvian Andes. If you visit Cusco, this day trip is a must! Our one-day tour to Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain, will take you through remote high-altitude barren lands and through isolated communities found in the Vilcanota mountain range. You’ll also be able to witness the immensity of the sacred Ausangate mountain (6,372 m/ 20,905 ft), the highest in the region.
- Itinerary
- Inclusions
- Before You Go
- Packing List
- Pricing
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Join us on this epic one-day trip away from the city and get out into nature, among the most beautiful landscapes imaginable. Whether you’re traveling by yourself, as a couple, or in a larger group, we have daily departures to accommodate you. This tour is designed for travelers with little time and great physical resistance.
Along the route, the difficulty ranges from moderate to challenging, which is mainly due to the high altitude that reaches over 5,000 meters. We recommend you spend a day or two in Cusco to acclimatize before joining one of our tours.
Despite the fact that Rainbow Mountain is usually full of tourists, we start our adventure very early to be the first to arrive. This way, you can enjoy the peacefulness and beauty without many interruptions. We take our time and enjoy the hike without pressure.
On the hike, expect to immerse yourself in the lifestyle of the inhabitants in the small communities, observe numerous herds of llamas and alpacas grazing in the mountains, and be a first-hand witness of millions of years of geological history. The imposing mountain landscape is sure to be the protagonist of your photographs. Choose Salkantay Trekking for the ultimate tour in the Andes.
Highlights
- Hike among some of the most stunning Andean landscapes imaginable and let Mother Nature whisk you away in her sheer beauty.
- Immerse yourself in the small mountain communities and witness how they live their lives so far away from the city.
- Observe the unique flora and fauna and see alpacas and llamas grazing in the mountains and roaming free.
- Hike to one of the most unique places on our planet and snap some special photos of the spectacular geological formation.
- Enjoy views of the highest mountain in the Cusco region, Ausangate, whose snowy peak stands tall nearby.
Detailed Itinerary
Cusco |Cusipata - Llactoc - Rainbow Mountain Peru, Vinicunca
Highlight of the day: Arriving at the spectacular Rainbow Mountain and enjoying the amazing panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.
Hike to the Mountain of Seven Colors
We’ll pick you up bright and early today to start our adventure. We’ll stop off along the way for some breakfast to give us the energy we need and then continue to the start of our hike. We’ll walk for an hour and a half through gorgeous landscapes and observe some unique Andean wildlife as we make our way along the challenging path to Rainbow Mountain. Once at the stop, you’ll have plenty of time to take in the 360° view and snap some memorable photos.
Once it’s time to come back down, it’ll take us another hour to reach the starting point of the day’s hike. From there, our transport will take us to a restaurant for lunch and then back to Cusco city. Your day will end when we drop you back off at your accommodation.
Our epic adventure begins at 4:00 am. We’ll pick you up from the door of your accommodation to head for 3 hours towards the Southern Valley of Cusco in our private transport. Despite the early morning, you’ll have the opportunity to catch some more z’s along the way in our comfortable transport with the cozy blankets that we provide for you.
Along the way, we’ll observe picturesque Andean towns, agricultural platforms from the Inca period, fertile valleys, and beautiful rolling mountains. We’ll stop off and observe the herds of llamas and alpacas that’ll entertain you while you enjoy a delicious continental breakfast to give you the nourishing boost you need to begin the hike.
We’ll continue our journey until we reach the starting point of the hike at 4,630 m / 15,190 ft. There we’ll start by heading along a meandering path in the middle of the Andean mountains that follows a pretty stream. As you ascend, you’ll be rewarded with the impressive view of the Ausangate Mountain (6,372 m / 20,905 ft). Take a few minutes to try to understand why this mountain is a living deity for the Andean people.
This remote region is home to many people, and you’ll have the opportunity to see them working the land. You’ll also be amazed to see the traditional clothing they use and make themselves thanks to the artistic textile talents that they’ve inherited from their ancestors. This is one of the many ways an ancient culture is preserved in the rural regions of Peru that refuses to be submitted by the rules of the western world. Your guide will teach you about the meaning of some garments and, if you want, you can ask him to teach you some words in Quechua, the native language of many inhabitants of the zone and one that’s been spoken since Inca times.
After an hour-and-a-half of walking, we’ll reach the amazing Rainbow Mountain of Cusco (5,100 m / 16,732 ft). Take your time to admire the astounding beauty of this impressive natural formation and feel the thrill of witnessing a unique natural site. You’ll explore the surroundings a little and take in the stunning landscape while your guide explains the theories that exist regarding the origin of this mountain that seems like it’s been taken from a colorful dream. Use this opportunity to take some incredible photos or simply immerse yourself in the landscape. We’ll spend around 30 minutes to an hour at the top, depending on how fast you hiked and the weather conditions. If you wish to spend more time there, let your guide know.
It’ll take us another hour until we reach the starting point of the hike, from where we’ll board our transport to the restaurant in Cusipata and enjoy a buffet lunch. Then, we’ll board our private transport once again to get back to the city of Cusco. We’ll leave you at the door of your accommodation to rest your tired legs.
Why Travel with us
At Salkantay Trekking, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may be different for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
What Is Included?
High Quality Service & Safety
Pre-departure Briefing
You'll meet your tour guide and group in our office for an orientation before your trek. The meeting will be at 5:00 pm the evening before the trip begins.
Experienced Tour Guide
English and spanish speaking official tour guide. All our guides are graduates of the professional career of Tourism of the National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. We choose them for their professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness, unbridled passion for exploring, and sincere desire to proudly share in our culture and history. He or she will keep you safe, sound, and comfortable on your trek so that you can enjoy your time worry-free!
Medical Kit or First AID Kit
All Salkantay Trekking guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers' diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.
Extras Included in our Service
We believe that attention to small details is what sets us apart from other local companies. You’ll receive a pair of walking sticks with rubber tips (or trekking poles) and a rain poncho.
24/7 Customer Service
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your trek.
Meals
Breakfast & Lunch
Snacks and water
Before starting your trekking, your tour guide will provide you a cloth bag with local fruits, cookies, chocolate, caramels, etc. In addition, you'll receive a bottle of water.
One cloth snack bag per person
To avoid the usage of plastic bags that contaminate our environment, we'll give you a cloth bag for your snacks.
Hygiene Products
You’ll be provided with a small towel and soap before each meal to clean your hands.
Transportation
Transport
All your transportation is included in this package. We will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the starting point of the hike. Once you complete the tour, we will take you back to the door of your hotel in Cusco.
Permits & Entrance Tickets
Entry to the Rainbow Mountain
What Is Not Included?
Dinner
Hiking Clothes
Travel Insurance
Tips for our staff
Tipping is the norm on any excursion in Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome, especially considering the hard work they do.
Additional costs or delays beyond our control
Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemia, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, act of God, etc.
Here we leave you with a brief list of extras that you can enjoy during this package.
Huayna Picchu Mountain
Huayna Picchu is the mountain behind Machu Picchu and which can be climbed in 45 minutes. Although this excursion is up to you, our guide will take you to the place of entry. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can assure for you if we have enough time in advance.
Your entry ticket will be purchased to coincide with the dates of your excursion on the Inca Trail. The entry can be done in two shifts: from 7:00 am to 8:00 am or from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. We buy the tickets in the second shift so that our clients can fully enjoy their guided tour of Machu Picchu. Remember, the shifts only indicate the time of entry. You can go up and down Huayna Picchu without haste.
The ticket for Huayna Picchu costs US$ 75.00 per person.
Machu Picchu Mountain
Machu Picchu Mountain is another of the mountains that surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It offers even more incredible views than Huayna Picchu, but it takes 1.5 hours to reach the top. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can assure for you if we have time in advance.
The excursion entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain is open in two shifts as well, the first from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, and the second from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.
The ticket for Machu Picchu Mountain costs US$ 75.00 per person.
Vistadome Train
All our tours include the PeruRail Expedition train. This train leaves Aguas Calientes at 4:22 pm. The Vistadome train is a higher category service that offers more comfortable seats, a panoramic design that will allow you to see through the roof, as well as an entertainment show on board. The Vistadome train leaves Aguas Calientes at 4:43 pm and goes to Ollantaytambo train station. From there, we’ll take you on our transport to your hotel in Cusco.
You can access this service for an additional payment of US$ 60.00 per person.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Salkantay Trekking in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Have another question that we haven’t answered here? Drop us a line and we will get back to you asap!
Briefing or Informative Meeting
All information meetings and briefings are held in our main office in Cusco (or your hotel) at 5:00 pm, one night before the tour begins. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If you’re unable to attend, you must coordinate another time by email, by phone or at the Salkantay Trekking office.
Can I store my luggage at your office?
Of course! During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Pick up of guests
Salkantay Trekking can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historical Center of Cusco. Your guide will coordinate the pickup time in the briefing session, but please keep in mind that the time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic.
Cusco is an old city, meaning it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.
Group Tours
Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.
It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.
Strikes and demonstrations
Strikes and demonstrations are common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.
Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.
Lost objects
Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our transport or restaurant. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL





CLOTHING












EQUIPMENT

RECOMMENDED


"Rainbow Mountain Peru 1-Day Tour" can leave any day of the week, from March through January. We don’t operate this itinerary in February because of the rainy season & maintenance of the route.
2023 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 100.00 per person
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 5%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits.
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Peru Adventure.
- Sacred Valley: US$ 60.00 US$ 50.00
- City Tour: US$ 30.00 US$ 20.00
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in Peru curated by Salkantay Trekking. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
Our Pledge | Your privacy is respected and protected. The Salkantay Trekking Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
Remember | One of our Travel Experts will contact you soon to confirm the availability of the trip you chose, give you more information, and/or provide you alternative options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit and a completed online registration to confirm your spot on the trek. Please call us at (+51) 958 191 179 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
Note | Due to the rainy season and trail maintenance, we don't offer this trek during the whole month of february. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, we are working to provide you a better service!