Vinicunca

"The Rainbow Mountain, known locally as Vinicunca, was only recently discovered due to the consequences of global warming. Before the mid-2010s, the Mountain was covered by snow; once it started melting, the colorful line stripes appeared, attracting people to see this natural phenomenon. Vinicunca sits at an altitude of over 5,000 meters; the Mountain showcases striking red, yellow, green, and purple stripes resulting from unique mineral deposits that paint the landscape. It is one of Peru's most iconic natural attractions, bringing many visitors annually. It is a very touristy place, so expect to see many people during your visit. Once you are near the top of the Mountain, you can visit the Red Valley. It costs 10 PEN to climb to the top of the viewpoint where you can see it. The Red Valley is way prettier than the Rainbow Mountain, so I recommend visiting it. 🏅 ACTIVITIES The primary activity at Rainbow Mountain is hiking, with only one very steep trail, so make sure to be well-acclimatized before embarking on this adventure. I recommend hiking for a few days around Cusco before visiting Rainbow Mountain. There are options to use horses or ATVS to get to the top. If you cannot hike by yourself, I recommend paying for the ATV instead of using horses to bring you to the top. It's tough for them, and locals push them to do as many daily trips as they can. Once you start hiking, you can hear the horses breathing hard because carrying people to the top is a big effort. So please use ATVs. 🚶‍♀️HIKING Hiking at Rainbow Mountain will last 30 minutes to 1:30 hours to reach the top. If you decide to see the Red Valley, the hike will increase to 20-40mins to get to the top of the viewpoint to see the Valley. Afterward, you will hike downhill toward the parking lot to enter the vehicle and return to Cusco. 🚃 TRANSPORTATION There are two options for transportation in this adventure: 1) - Renting a car and driving there by yourself. This option gives you a lot of flexibility. A parking lot near the trailhead lets you park the car there and continue your adventure. 2) - Book a tour with an agency. They will arrange everything for you at a local restaurant, including breakfast and lunch. This option is good if you don't want to think too much about the logistics involved in this adventure. 💡SUGGESTIONS If I visit Rainbow Mountain again, I will rent a car and spend the night camping there. The place is really big, and it is worth exploring the area around. So my suggestion for you is to spend more time there. Bring supplies and a tent, and enjoy having the place for yourself after all the tourists leave. I believe that watching the sunset or sunrise there is a great experience."

"Vinicunca or "Rainbow Mountain" as it is commonly called is one of the most amazing natural landscapes I have ever gotten the chance to see! The trail stands at a staggering 17,000 ft. (over 5,000 meters) which makes this trek very difficult and can lead to a pretty severe case of altitude sickness, so it is best to have plenty of fluids and rest frequently while hiking. The departure time for our day trip was 3:00 AM, which means you've got a long day ahead of you! While I was able to wake up on time for the trip, I had spent the entire previous evening curled up in bed with flu-like symptoms that started while on the train back to Cusco from Machu Picchu. As a result of this, I had very little energy throughout the day, and I struggled the entire day. The ride from Cusco to the base of Vinicunca is about 3 hours long, and there is a stop for breakfast along the way. However, I was not in a state to be eating anything, so I spent the breakfast period sipping on water. The hike itself is about 5 miles (8 km) and typically takes about 3-4 hours. Fortunately, there are multiple bathrooms along the path, but they do charge 2 soles per entry and like most bathrooms in Peru they were not the most sanitary and lacked toilet seats. About halfway up the trail, I started to rely heavily on constantly chewing coca leaves, and they definitely were the only reason I was able to make it to the top. After taking a few pictures and admiring the views, I was feeling way too miserable to stay at the top, so I left my group and made the hike back to the base. Fortunately, the walk back was much easier and after arriving at the parking lot, I chose to lay on a nearby bench and fell asleep for about an hour before the rest of the group was finished. The tour group stopped at the same restaurant after finishing the hike, but I still wasn't feeling well enough to eat, so I spent the afternoon lying outside in the sunlight. As you could imagine the rest of the ride home was pretty miserable as well, and by the time we made it back to our room, I was too exhausted to do anything else, so I was forced to spend another afternoon/evening in bed with no dinner. "

"People will say its overhyped but I actually really enjoyed rainbow mountain and think its a must-do. Yes, there is a lot of tourists but its still enjoyable and beautiful. Its not as rainbow-y as the Instagram pics but it is still cool and the area around is also stunning. Pro tip: Take the extra 30 mins hike and go to Red Valley!!! Its arguably better than rainbow mountain and its completely empty which is wild to me because its so so so pretty. Rainbow Mountain is very high in altitude so I would do this hike after acclimatizing in Cusco for a while. "