Destination
Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley
Difficulty
Challenging
Activities
Hiking – Trekking
Trip Type
Hiking – Trekking
Duration
Full Day
Max
2 Min – 16 Max
Overview
Take your hiking boots and let’s explore the most beautiful geological formation in Cusco: The Rainbow Mountain or the Apu Winicunca as the locals name it. Located in the Peruvian Andes in Cusco just 3 hours away from the historical center. Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley are becoming the main attraction to see after or before Machu Picchu. As you could guess, the mountain is famed for its natural, multi-colored beauty at a staggering 5,200m above sea level. This rainbow-like appearance is created by the sediment of minerals throughout the area giving the mountain the turquoise, lavender, gold and other colors. The Red Valley has one of the most beautiful landscapes, some say it is better than the mountain of colors It was only recently discovered due to the snow melting that revealed the hidden gem that is considered holy by many until this day. Since its discovery, Rainbow Mountain has been slowly gaining popularity and has even been listed in National Geographic’s “Top 100 Places To Visit Before You Die”.
What Trip Includes
What Trip Excludes
Itineraries
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We will pick you up early from your Cusco hotel around 03:30 am and set out on a drive through the South Valley. The drive to the trailhead (4,326 m / 14,189 ft) is 3 hours long. On the way we will provide you breakfast at the local restaurant. Then we start our hike, following a lovely stream. Literally herds of alpacas and llamas will immediately surprise you. We will have consistent views of the Ausangate Mountain. We will hike through villages and interact with the local residents. Back on the trail, we encounter more of the traditional elements of this trek. This includes potato fields and unique fauna. We have the prospect of seeing chinchillas and vicunas. Vicunas are the only non-domesticated animal of the llama family in Peru. Many red mountains are also a highlight of this portion of the hike. After a total hike of approximately 1.5 hours, we´ll finally reach our destination, what we came to see, the Rainbow Mountains (5,020 m / 16,466 ft). After getting over the shock of their beauty, you will have time to explore the area. You will have time to take pictures and soak in the environment. We will spend approximately 30 minutes at the top. At this point, it is time to go back down. We do this a little differently than other groups. Instead of hiking the same route as they do, we hike to a lookout point to see the Red Valley and continue with our hike. This valley has a beautiful landscape, and many of our hikers say that it is even nicer than Rainbow Mountain! It is about 2 1⁄2 hours mostly downhill from Rainbow Mountain, to the end of the trail, which is near where we started the hike. Our private van will be waiting for us when we return. We will stop for lunch at the same local restaurant before we head to Cusco. We will embark on the 3-hour drive back to Cusco and drop you off at your Cusco hotel. Approximate arrival time is between 5:00 pm.
- Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
- Night: Not included
- ACTIVITY LEVEL: moderate to hard.
- WALKING DISTANCE: 7 km
- WALKING TIME: 3&4 hours
- HIKING STARTING POINT: 4630m / 15190 ft
- MINIMUM ELEVATION: 4795m/ 15371ft
- MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 5100m/16732 ft
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