All about Rainbow Mountain

Chris

by Chris on 7th November 2018

Chris is the CEO of The Adventure People and has over 20 years experience in the travel industry.

With so much to explore in Peru, you really are spoilt for choice. Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and The Amazon Rainforest are on a lot of people’s itineraries already as the must-dos, but there are also plenty of amazing day trips you can do in between, like hiking Rainbow mountain. What is Rainbow Mountain? Get your hashtags at the ready because Rainbow mountain is one of the most photographed spots in Peru. It’s one of those images you see on Instagram and think, ‘hmmm that’s not real’, but yes it is, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from Cusco. The vibrant mountain range has been formed over millions of years of tectonic movement, which has caused layers of colourful sediment to be exposed to look as though the mountain has multicoloured stripes painted all over it. Where is it? Rainbow mountain is about 3 hours’ drive from Cusco, so it does require a whole day to see it. If you take one of our tours, like the Inca Jungle and Rainbow Mountain Trek, you’ll be taken there by private vehicle so you can have a snooze on the way, or enjoy the view of wild Peru from the window. How long is the hike? Rainbow Mountain is a full day of hiking and it can be challenging. If you make it to the summit, it’ll be a 2-3 hours hike each way and you’ll reach heights of over 5000m! That’s almost a thousand metres higher than Dead Woman’s Pass on the Inca Trail. Whilst it’s only a day, altitude sickness can be a factor so it’s a good idea to acclimatise your body before doing this day trip. You might want to check out our blogs, How to avoid altitude sickness while trekking and What is altitude sickness? What to pack? Be prepared for the weather to change at the drop of a hat. At this height, it can be very cold if the sun goes in behind the clouds so make sure you bring something warm, and preferably waterproof just in case the heavens decide to open. Here’s a short list of essentials but you can also click HERE to watch a video from our YouTube channel all about what to pack for a trekking trip.
  • Comfy hiking boots/shoes that are already worn-in
  • Warm clothing (and warm underlayers)
  • Waterproof jacket/poncho
  • Sunblock
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Water bottle
  • Altitude tablets
  • A backpack to stash all of the above
Trips to Rainbow Mountain You can see Rainbow Mountain as part of the included activities on a number of our tours to Peru, and you can also add it as an optional extra if you’re looking to customise your itinerary. Here are some of our adventures that feature day trips to Rainbow Mountain. Inca Jungle Trek, Rainbow Mountain & Salt Flats - 11 Days – View Trip Inca Jungle and Rainbow Mountain Trek - 7 Days - View Trip Iconic Peru - 14 Days – View Trip Peru Multisport - 15 Days – View Trip Inca Heartland - 21 Days – View Trip  

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