On Rainbow Mountain Trek 1 day, you will enjoy the mind-boggling views of Vinicunca Mountain Peru. This stunning natural wonder is located in the heart of the Peruvian Andes. A must visit tourist attraction for people traveling to Cusco. Our day trek allows you to encounter authentic Andean people and herds of alpacas close by the Rainbow Mountain Cusco. The area of Vinicunca Mountain Peru is the perfect place to taste the real country life on the Andes. Besides the surprising lifestyle of the locals, this Rainbow mountain hike full day in Peru, has the best view of tall glaciers in the region of Cusco.
If you go on Rainbow Mountain trek, we suggest you to check out the weather forecast. Due to Auzangate zone presents a very changeable weather conditions. Sometimes you can expect snowy, cloudy mornings and thunderstorms in the afternoon. We advise you to talk to our travel experts. So you can choose a good time to arrive to the colorful mountains, according to the weather of the season.
To begin the excursion to Vinicunca mountains, trekkers will be picked up from Cusco hotels at 5:00 am and then the car drive is for 3 hours through the south valley of Cusco, until you reach out the trail head at Llaqto (4,626 m / 14,650 ft). On the way to Llacto village, we will stop and have a delicious breakfast.
After our arrival to the bus parking place, we take some essential things like a jacket, hat and gloves with us. Then start this exceptional hike uphill on a beautiful gentle path; we will be able to see Llamas and Alpacas. This region is home of some indigenous people who own those beautiful animals. On the way to the Peru colored mountains, you will get some spectacular views of the glaciers. Besides our group there will be a good number of people hiking like us to the Rainbow Mountains Peru.
The hiking time to arrive to the famous Winicunca Mountains is approx. 2 hours (5,100 m / 16,400 ft); after we reach the lookout point, there will be plenty of time to explore the area and admire this spectacular Mountain set up between other colorful hills .
After to enjoy a memorable time at the Majestic Apu Vinicunca Peru, you will walk back down to the car parking. In the afternoon after a delicious lunch, you will drive back to Cusco the same way you came, arriving to your hotel around 4pm.
To travel to the Rainbow Mountains of Peru. You can book through a travel agency, an authorized tour guide or at least you need to get a transportation to take you to the end of the road. The journey to get to the trail-head takes almost 3 hours starting from Cusco. The hike itself is approximately 2 hours up and another 2 hours down to the end of the road. Then you drive back to Cusco the same road you came.
The altitude where you start the day hike is 4530 m / 14860 ft. after the 2 hour hike up you will reach the lookout of Winicunca, which has an altitude of 5050 m / 16560 ft. with a breathtaking views of the whole area. Remember Cusco has an elevation of 3400 m / 11010 ft. So you should get acclimated to the altitude before to travel to Winicunca Peru.
The difficulty of the Rainbow Mountain tour is cataloged as challenging or difficult. Due to its high elevation (16560 ft) this hike needs special attention and preparation before the trip. The area of Rainbow Mountains Cusco is totally isolated cautions should be taken. Especially with people coming from the sea level or lower altitude places.
The weather on the mountains is very difficult to predict. But is very well known that the Peruvian Andes gets two big seasons called dry and wet. Depending on the season you plan to visit the colored mountains. The dry time is from May to October, with very minimum chance for showers. Wet season goes from November to April, usually cloudy and rainy days. But the Rainbow Mountain trip is still open. You should check out the weather forecast if you want to plan a good trip.
The total distance for the rainbow trail is 8 km / 5 miles round trip. The elevation change is 530 m / 1700 ft from the start point at Llaqto all the way to the top of Mt Winicunca. The length of this day hike is not very long. But the trek in the high altitude is always difficult for everybody. That is why many people take the option of riding a horse instead of hiking.
If you look for the best hike options to arrive to the Rainbow Mountains Cusco. The suggested hiking trips are: Ausangate + Rainbow Mountain tour 4D and the Ausangate with Vinicunca expedition 6D. Both are stunning and unique treks with mind-blowing scenery. You can also request 3D or 2D Rainbow Mountain travel option.
