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The Rainbow Mountain Hike in Peru is a 3-hour trek of 8 km/4.9 miles trail, and reaches the top at 5,036 m /16,000 ft. Visit the Rainbow Mountain from Cusco, the second most famous tourist destination after Machu Picchu. The mountain’s vibrant colors have been formed over the years through weathering and erosion. This creates an amazing display of colors you’ll encounter when you take the Rainbow Mountain Tour.
Reach the trailhead after 3 hours of scenic drive from Cusco to Rainbow Mountain. Start the Rainbow Mountain Hike, following the hillside trail with some viewpoints and snack spots. Afterwards, the highland path prepares you for the short but steep climb to reach the lookout point, which offers the best views of Vinicunca. The Rainbow Mountain Hike seems to be challenging, and that is just because of the altitude. However, with a good acclimation and the right tour company, you can fully enjoy this adventure.
For this hike to Rainbow Mountain, you can use horses as a second option. Riding a horse to the Rainbow Mountain makes a lot of easier with greater chances to enjoy the landscapes. By taking this option you just walk the last stretch of the trail plus the extra one hour hike to the Read Valley. The hike to the Red Valley isn’t as difficult as the Rainbow Mountain, with much flatter sections and takes only one hour back and forth.
Mapi Tour Peru organizes the Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley Hike with late departures, which allow you to experience the attractions like no other. As locals, we know that this trek requires a lot of energy, therefore, a good sleep might potentially help you out. Our Private tour style also ensures that you find the place with fewer people and have the visited destination for yourself.
Unleash your adventure soul and discover the Red Valley and Rainbow Mountain from Cusco in the Andes of Peru with local tour guides.
The Hike to Rainbow Mountain takes place in the Andes of Peru, which offers two different seasons: dry (May through November) and wet (December through March). Therefore, the best time and highly recommended season to take this hike is during the dry season.
On a clear day, the vistas while on a hike and the top are simply stunning. We don’t recommend the Rainbow Mountain Hike in the rainy season because it snows and completely covers the mountains. The hike can be also harder as the trail becomes muddy and slippery.
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The full-day private Rainbow Mountain Hike begins with a pick up at 6:30 am from your hotel in Cusco. Then, we will take a 2-hour drive to Cusipata in our comfortable and spacious vehicle. The paved road heads off to the south valley of Cusco and passes picturesque Andean villages. Our journey continues for another one hour, this time in a dusty but scenic road. This typical Andean road shows farming villages and beautiful Andean landscapes.
Your trip to Rainbow Mountain from Cusco continues and reaches the phulawasipata trailhead at 4,600 meters. Here, you will ride a horse and ascend enjoying a typical Andean scenery with herds of alpacas and llamas. Views of Ausangate Mountain will grace us as we hike the last section of the trail. You’ll also see many red-colored mountains and green valleys which are the main highlights of this adventure.
We summit the Rainbow Mountain after a total hike of approximately 2 hours. The Rainbow Mountain lookout point is at an elevation of 5,036 m / 16,500 ft. From this spot enjoy the natural and fantastic vibrant colors, such as red, turquoise, yellow and others. Additionally, you’ll have plenty of time to explore, take pictures, and take it all in. We’ll stay approximately 20 minutes at the summit ( depending on the weather conditions and your interest).
We’ll descend the same trail for a few minutes and head towards the Red Valley ( This is an Optional hike)
The Rainbow Mountain neighbors the red valleys, some of the best places on earth. The quiet environment adds an extra context to your visit. You can actually walk all over the sandy red hills to feel and almost believe that you are on a different planet. This hike grants trekkers with two different lookout points for the best view of the entire attraction.
We’ll descend for one hour the same way back to the trailhead. Our private transportation takes us for another one hour to our lunch spot.
Finally, we will take a 2-hour drive back to Cusco, and we’ll drop you off at your hotel around 5:00 -6 pm.
The Rainbow Mountain Hike is perfect for friends, couples, and families because you can leave any date you wish. With our private tours, you can also set your pace to maximize your experience. You don’t have to wait for anyone else, the Rainbow Mountain Day Trip starts with only 02 passengers.
We will design a customized trip to connect you with our country through your interests. Feel free to modify or alter this sample itinerary of our website. You decide where to visit, how long to spend in each place, type of accommodation that suits you best, and more including:
Contact Us to help you planning the adventure of your dreams.
Planning a trip to Mach Pichu can be challenging, and I only realized it when I finally decided to travel. Corayma was such an amazing person and established a line of communication with me via WhatsApp. I had tons and tons of concerns and queries and she always responded and supported me as patiently as possible. Ultimately we traveled and set off for our trip. Our guide was David, who was an amazing gentleman and took great care of us throughout the tour starting from Cusco and returning. I just can’t stop raving about this company and the team who made my dream come true.
Written May 31, 2025
We had an incredible experience with Mapi Tour, who arranged a fantastic week-long adventure for my husband and me—from the Amazon to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Every detail was handled seamlessly, and all our accommodations were excellent. Since this was a special occasion trip, Mapi ensured the hotels were aware, and each one added a thoughtful touch to make our stay even more memorable.
The absolute highlight of our journey was our guide, Karen, who accompanied us from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Her passion for her country and heritage shined through in every moment. She was knowledgeable, kind, and went out of her way to take special care of us.
We loved that we were booking with a local Cusco-based company, and our itinerary truly reflected that. From boating down the Amazon and walking across treetop footbridges among the monkeys to exploring Cusco and nearby mountain towns for an authentic glimpse into local life and culture, every experience was unforgettable. Taking the Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu was an absolute blast and a perfect way to round out our trip.
We highly recommend Mapi Tour to anyone looking for a well-organized, immersive, and truly special experience in Peru!
Awesome Tour Package for Machu Picchu!
This was our first time to Machu Picchu and I was nervous about all of the logistics. We were traveling with a family of 11 with two small children. I booked a hotel in Cusco. I contacted Mapi tours a while back and they offered a great itinerary at a reasonable price. I’m so glad I went with them. They took care of everything from booking the train, to booking the shuttle bus, to booking the admission tickets to Machu Picchu. They were quick to respond via WhatsApp.
David was our guide and picked us up in a private shuttle early morning at around 5 AM. The drive to the train station was a rough 2 Hour Dr. One of our passengers got altitude sickness, and they had solution and remedies to help. David was very knowledgeable. And guide us through the crazy train station traffic. We were there right in time for the train. He even advised us on the bathroom situation (which was helpful). He was with us the whole day. They even included another guy to join us at Machu Picchu since we had small Children. It was helpful because 3/4 of the way through, the little children’s decided to go back so the second tour guide walk them back.
They even made a recommendation and negotiated a great price for lunch buffet at Aqua Caliente. They recommended circuit two for the tour, which was perfect. They booked the tickets well in advance so we got a great entry time at 10 AM. We completed the circuit with plenty of pictures in three hours. We went straight to the lunch buffet and it was fantastic.
We made the train back and arrive back at our hotel at approximately 8:40 PM. All in all, it was a fantastic day for us. David and Liz made the tour wonderful. I would highly recommend going with Mapi Tours. You don’t have to worry about anything.
Written July 9, 2025
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+51 984 714 180
Picchu Alto N-12 Cusco – Perú
+51 984 714 180
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