Peru
2 Day Machu Picchu Tour by Bus from Cusco
Hidroeléctrica, Puente Ruinas, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu
From
US$215
≈ €184 · billed in US$ ≈ £158 · billed in US$ per person
In short
Rainbow Mountain — Vinicunca — is a striped ridge at 5,200 m, three hours from Cusco. It is a long day: a pre-dawn start, an hour and a half of walking at altitude, and a summit higher than any European peak. Do it after Machu Picchu, never before.
The stripes are mineral: iron, copper and sulphur oxides in the sediment, exposed when the glacier that covered the ridge retreated in the last decade. That is also why nobody had heard of it before about 2015.
The altitude is the entire difficulty. The trailhead is already at 4,600 m and the summit is 5,200 — higher than Everest base camp on the Nepal side. There is no technical climbing, but there is no shortcut around needing several days at altitude first.
Days start between 3 and 4 am from Cusco, and the weather closes in by late morning, which is why the tours that promise a relaxed departure are the ones that arrive in cloud.
What Rainbow Mountain is known for
- Vinicunca ridge at 5,200 m
- The Red Valley, twenty minutes further and almost empty
- Alpaca and llama herds on the walk in
- A 3 am start from Cusco — non-negotiable for the weather
- Horses available for most of the ascent
Practical detail
- Altitude
- 5,200 m at the summit
- When to do it
- After several days at altitude, never on arrival
- The day
- 3 am start, back in Cusco by 6 pm
- Walking
- 1.5 hours up, non-technical but thin air
What a trip to Rainbow Mountain costs
Per person, including hotels, transfers and the guided days each trip lists. International flights are never included.
Peru
4 Day Best of Cusco Tour Package
Cusco, Sacred Valley of the Incas at the Urubamba
From
US$309
≈ €265 · billed in US$ ≈ £227 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
5 Day Highlights of Cusco Tour Package
Cusco, Rainbow Mountain, Urubamba and More
From
US$444
≈ €381 · billed in US$ ≈ £326 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
6 Day Best of Cusco Tour Package
Cusco, Humantay, Urubamba, Salkantay and more
From
US$580
≈ €497 · billed in US$ ≈ £425 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
7 Day Ultimate Cusco Tour Package
Cusco, Humantay, Urubamba
From
US$721
≈ €618 · billed in US$ ≈ £529 · billed in US$ per person
Peru
5 Day Best of Cusco & Machu Picchu Tour Package
Cusco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Urubamba and more
From
US$870
≈ €746 · billed in US$ ≈ £638 · billed in US$ per person
| Package | Length | Price p/p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Day Machu Picchu Tour by Bus from Cusco | 2 days | US$215 | Book |
| 4 Day Best of Cusco Tour Package | 4 days | US$309 | Book |
| 5 Day Highlights of Cusco Tour Package | 5 days | US$444 | Book |
| 6 Day Best of Cusco Tour Package | 6 days | US$580 | Book |
| 7 Day Ultimate Cusco Tour Package | 7 days | US$721 | Book |
| 5 Day Best of Cusco & Machu Picchu Tour Package | 5 days | US$870 | Book |
No package matches that search.
Frequently asked
How hard is Rainbow Mountain?
Non-technical but genuinely hard because of the altitude: the trailhead is at 4,600 m and the summit at 5,200 m. Anyone who has spent three or four days at Cusco altitude first manages it; anyone who has just landed does not.
When should you do Rainbow Mountain?
At the end of a Cusco trip, after Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley have done the acclimatising. It is the highest thing you will do in Peru, so it should be the last.
What is the best time of year for Rainbow Mountain?
April to October, the dry season. In the wet months the last stretch turns to mud and the ridge is often in cloud by the time you reach it.