You’ve undoubtedly seen Rainbow Mountain in Peru on your timeline. Located at an altitude of 5000 meters (16,404 feet) and 140 kilometers (87 miles) southeast of Cusco, the world-famous Rainbow Mountain with seven colors is situated. These colors are due to an abundance of iron, copper, and malachite in the ground. Until a few years ago, Rainbow Mountain was almost always covered in snow or ice, and it took a six-day hike, covering 150 kilometers (93 miles), to get there. Due to global warming, Rainbow Mountain is now almost always visible, and you can admire the colorful mountain on a day tour from Cusco. In just a few years, it has even become one of Peru’s most popular highlights. Want to know how to stand atop Rainbow Mountain with just a handful of people and avoid the crowds? You can read about it in this article, along with many other practical tips for visiting Rainbow Mountain!

What is the hike to Rainbow Mountain like?

A visit to Rainbow Mountain isn’t just about the mountain itself. The two-hour hike to get there is also incredible. On one side, you’ll see bright red mountains, and on the other, huge snow-capped peaks. During the hike, you’ll encounter locals in traditional clothing who offer to take you up on their horse for a fee. We politely declined, but if you’re struggling with the altitude, you may want to consider it. The first part of the hike is relatively flat and easy to navigate. However, a steep section awaits you at the end, which is Rainbow Mountain itself. Because you’re at an altitude of 5000 meters (16,404 feet), you’ll get out of breath much quicker. Take your time on the steep section and take small steps.

Tip: Just before you start the climb on the steeper section, you’ll come across a few small “shops.” Here, you can enjoy a warm coca tea, which is excellent for acclimatizing, as it warms you up and the break is well-deserved. You can also find toilets here, but they’re pretty dirty!

Tips for visiting Rainbow Mountain

There are a few things to keep in mind when visiting Rainbow Mountain. Here are 5 essential tips to get the most out of your visit.

#1 How to have Rainbow Mountain all to yourself

The best tip we can give you is to visit Rainbow Mountain on your own. Since the Instagram hype around Rainbow Mountain, it has become incredibly crowded. Almost everyone visits Rainbow Mountain on a tour that departs from Cusco around 4 am. This means that almost everyone walks back to the bus around 1 pm, and you have Rainbow Mountain almost to yourself after that! Fantastic, right?
We recommend leaving Cusco around 8:30 am. We arranged a taxi through a taxi company. You can send them a WhatsApp message asking if they can take you to Rainbow Mountain and back to Cusco. The taxi driver will wait for you at the Rainbow Mountain parking lot until you’re back. After some negotiation via WhatsApp, we agreed on 250 soles or about 70 dollars. The telephone number of this taxi company is: +51 975 204 990. The taxi costs more than booking a tour, but if you ask us, this way makes your entire experience much better than going on a tour. If you prefer an organized tour, it’s still possible, and you can book it here.

From Cusco, it’s a three-hour drive, of which the last hour is on an unpaved road. Fortunately, a large part of the drive is very beautiful!

#2 Check the weather forecast

There are stories going around that Rainbow Mountain is not worth it and that it’s very disappointing in reality. This is true if you have bad weather. You’re obviously high up in the mountains, and the weather can be very harsh up there. If everything is gray and dull, the colors of Rainbow Mountain are hardly visible, and sometimes you only have very limited visibility. That will make your entire experience much less enjoyable. Therefore, make sure to check the weather forecast beforehand. The best time to visit Rainbow Mountain is during the dry season between May and September.

#3 Acclimatize to the altitude

Before visiting Rainbow Mountain, you really need to acclimate to the altitude. Stay in Cusco for at least two days before going to Rainbow Mountain. We visited Humantay Lake (4,200m high) the day before climbing Rainbow Mountain, and had already spent two days in Cusco. Thanks to this, we had little trouble with altitude during the hike to Rainbow Mountain.

#4 Wear layers, gloves, and a hat

The weather at Rainbow Mountain can change quickly, and it’s often extremely cold there. But when the sun comes out, it can warm up quickly. Layers are essential. Bring a hat and gloves, a windbreaker, a thick sweater, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Even though it was quite cloudy for us and we even saw snow, our faces were completely sunburned.

#5 Take the route via Red Valley on the way back

Near Rainbow Mountain, you’ll find another viewpoint that many people skip because they don’t know it exists. On the way back, you can walk through the Red Valley, which has bright red mountains and hills as far as you can see. In addition to the amazing views, it’s also fun to take a different path back than the one you came from, so you can see different things. You will need to pay another 10 soles for the Red Valley. Halfway there, you’ll meet someone who will ask for the entrance fee and give you a ticket. The turnoff to the Red Valley is at the bottom of the steeper section on your left (on the way back). You can also find the Red Valley on maps.me by searching for Valle Rojo.

What to bring to Rainbow Mountain?

In addition to wearing lots of layers, don’t forget to bring the following:

• 10 soles for Rainbow Mountain entrance fee
• Optional: 10 soles for Red Valley entrance fee
• Coca candy (available in stores in Cusco)
• Sunscreen
• Snacks
• Enough water (1.5 liters per person)
• Good shoes
• Optional: trekking poles

More awesome day trips from Cusco

Curious about more fun day trips from Cusco or the sights in the city? Read all our tips for Cusco here or click on the banner below for all our articles about Peru.