Rainbow Mountain Peru Trek
Ausangate is known around the world as Rainbow Mountain. Locally, it’s called Vinicunca. The steep slopes and ridges of this area are striped with beautiful colors. Looking out on the landscape, you can see gold, maroon, green, lavender, and turquoise. It’s one of the world’s great geological marvels. The area is also a holy site for local indigenous peoples.
Our Rainbow Mountain trek 2 days are designed to get you out of sync with the crowds! We’ll climb high passes with stunning views of snow-capped mountains, incredible valleys and, of course, the namesake colored stripes of Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain.
On the first day of your Rainbow Mountain adventure, we will pick you up at your hotel at 4:00 am and drive 3 hours to the trailhead. While packing up our gear near the trailhead, our chef will be preparing a hot breakfast to get you fueled up for the hike ahead of you. Our guides will go over the itinerary for the day and safety tips to ensure you are fully prepared for the next two days. The trek begins in a large green valley. There, you will see hundreds of alpacas, local farmers, and the beautiful Ausangate Mountain, towering high above. This is only a teaser for what is to come on your journey!
As you continue making your way on the trail, you will conquer the first pass of the trek, the Pucacocha pass. At around (4876mt, 16,000 ft), the pass sits just above Pucacocha Lake, and the massive Ausangate Mountain is directly in front of you. After a successful climb, we will stop around noon to eat lunch and recharge our bodies for the remainder of the hike.
Our destination for the night is Anata, where we will enjoy a beautiful evening surrounded by jaw-dropping landscapes at the base of the Andes Mountains. As the sun sets, we set up the dining tent with chairs for the group to relax and enjoy conversation while dinner is being prepared. This night you will see an unforgettable night sky full of constellations, and shooting stars, and keep yourself warm with coca tea or hot chocolate made from Peruvian chocolate.
Today is what you have been waiting for! Your chance to see the beautiful Rainbow Mountain, and the best part is you’re almost there! We will wake you up bright and early between 4 am and 5 am with coca tea delivered to your tent and serve a hearty breakfast to fuel you up for your final climb to Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain). Upon arrival, you can take all the time you want soaking in the amazing 360-degree vistas of the surrounding lands and explore the mountain itself. Take some time to yourself and really enjoy the beauty of nature around you. It truly is a magical place. The hike down will only take about three hours and here we will celebrate a successful journey, and enjoy lunch before departing back to Cusco (3 hours). Arrival time back in Cusco will depend on how long you want to spend on Rainbow Mountain, but we typically get back around 5 pm and drop you off at your hotel.
