Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley one day Hike Private Tour
Description
Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca nowadays is considered the second most visited place in Cusco after Machu Picchu thanks to the wonderful landscapes it offers us. Close to the city of Cusco is one of the most stunning natural sights you can imagine, the rainbow mountain, or Vinicunca is one of the most beautiful landscapes of the Peruvian Andes, the Rainbow Mountain is located about 100 kilometers from Cusco.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our epic adventure begins at 4:00 am, we will pick you up from the door of your accommodation to head for 3 hours towards the southern valley in our private transport, along the valley we will observe picturesque Andean towns, fertile valleys, and beautiful rolling mountains, In Cusipata we will enjoy a delicious continental breakfast to give you the nourishing boost you need to begin the hike.
We will continue our journey until we reach the starting point of the walk at 4,630 m/15,190 ft, there we will start by heading along the nice path in the middle of the Andean mountains. As you ascend, you will be rewarded with an impressive view of snow mountains, of course, the hike has some short breaks and our guide will help you to understand how the people from that area are still practicing the example of their ancestors, our guides speak Quechua so they will teach you words in our native language. After 1 hour and a half of walking, we will reach the amazing Rainbow Mountain (5,030 m/16,502 ft), take your time to admire the astounding beauty of this impressive natural formation, you will have about 1 hour to explore the spectacular views of the surrounding areas – valleys, mountains like Ausangate Mountain. Finally, we return in the same way that we used to go up, the downhill is going to be 1 hour or 45 minutes, and our car is waiting for us, to go 1 more hour to Cusipata.
We arrived in Cusipata and headed to our restaurant to enjoy our buffet lunch, then we will board our transport once again to get back to the city of Cusco, 3 hours of travel in our tourist transport. The end of the tour is in your accommodation in Cusco.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick you up from your accommodation in the historic center of Cusco. Our staff will ask for you at reception.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(24)
Our tour guid Rubens and our driver Willy were extremely friendly, helpful and full of information. Our driver Willy also drove very safely the hole trip. Rubens was very patient and gave us lods of tips and advice along the hike.
My friends and I had an unforgettable time during our tour of the Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley. Massive shout out to Ruben who went above and beyond throughout the tour. He was friendly, approachable, and was always making sure we were taken care of. Ruben and his team accommodated the tour to our schedule as we had a bus to Machu Picchu leaving at 4:30 PM. We made it with an hour to spare without compromising any time during the hike. Thank you Ruben!!
Was amazing, our guide Ruben was the best, chillest guy of all time, even David Joo made it up the mountain. Lunch was great, they gave us blankets on the ride there, breakfast in a lil bag even though we wanted to go super early and skip breakfast. Great experience.
We just had a great tour with Ruben and Fernando! He was so friendly and knowledgeable. He also went above and beyond to make sure we were okay with the elevation. It’s no joke. Highly recommend it!
We did the late start tour-which was difficult to find, that included red Valley. We chose to do the private one because we couldn’t do another 4 AM pick up. We are very happy we did this. It was just the two of us a Driver Fernando and our Guide Pablo from Apu. It was a quick smooth ride to go. We had a big breakfast before we left and they stopped at the restaurant. You’d normally stop at for lunch and breakfast and picked up a big lunch box for us for after the hike. About 2/3 of the way through the hike it started to hail and then by the time we got up to the top at the view point it was snowing. Of course this was no longer a rainbow mountain, but a white mountain. We waited a while though, and eventually, the snow stopped and melted, and we saw the beautiful colours of the rainbow mountain come out. we see the signs for beat the crowd all the time for the 4 AM tours, but those are the ones that actually end up with way too many people at the top. We maximum at any time so 20 people at the top so the late start is really the one that beats the crowds.
We did two private tours, the colorful mountain and the Humantay Lagoon! They were both exceptional, always attentive and very friendly! The guide Yaha was the best, told us the story, took care of us all the way, helped us when we were tired! 100% recommended tours with them😊
Departure at 8:00 am and arrival at 11:00 am at the parking lot. We opted for a box lunch (super good) that we consumed arrived at the Rainbow Mountains parking lot. Our Hiking lasted 3h 40 minutes, the guide made us take many breaks in the climb (he was always by our side wondering how we were). The Red Valley costs 30 soles per person to have in cash. By 18:00 we returned to Cuzco downtown. In the afternoon there are fewer people in the morning, while climbing the others descend (see photo). Super nice and good driver and guide, the road to the mountain is narrow with a few curves. The wind at the summit is very strong, you need gloves, a hat and a windproof jacket. I rate the exclusion 5/5, it was worth it!
An amazing day with an excellent guide Gi, Dionicio the cook and his assistant Benedicto, not forgetting the driver. We started with a lavish breakfast, then ascended the Rainbow Mountain followed bybthe Red Valley. Spectacular views. Lovely Cusco people on the way. At the end, we had another lavish lunch. We couldn't believe how Dionicio had time to prepare so much of the delicious food. We will never forget the experience.
We had an amazing trip. Our tour guide went above and beyond to make us comfortable and happy, he was very knowledgeable, told us all the history about Rainbow Mountain and surrounding, he even helped carry my backpack when I was tired to climb. We had a private tour and that was the best thing for us and our 12, 14 years old kids. The car was big, comfortable and clean. Breakfast and lunch had good options. We are very happy with our wonderful rainbow mountain experience and view from the top was well worth it!
JUST AMAZING!!!! Ruben my tour guide and Walter the driver were just perfect. I really couldnt have asked for more. Ruben is full of local and national history, I had the best day ever! The walk wasnt as tough as I had thought, the views of Rainbow Mountain are just perfect, I could have stayed there all day looking at vast scenery. Right after I finished this tour I booked 2 more day trips with Ruben which were just as perfect. Private tours are for sure the way to go, it was so perfect that way. I would recommend getting up early and leave at 4am, the early start will pay off as you will arrive before the crowds. Dont miss out on the Red Valley too, which is just as stunning and a lot less people! If you are thinking of doing this tour book it now, you wont regret it! Next time Im in Peru I would love to do the 5 day trek.
