Rainbow Mountain Tour: An Honest Review of the 2-Day Cusco Trip

So, you are looking to visit Rainbow Mountain from Cusco, huh? It’s almost on everyone’s Peru bucket list, and rightly so too it’s like something straight out of a painter’s wildest dream! Very vibrant hills striped with colors you wouldn’t believe very make it such an appealing adventure, almost like you are stepping onto another planet. This article here is going to explore a recent 2-day, 1-night guided tour a bit, offering a candid, frank assessment so that, that you can make an educated choice a bit about whether this trek fits you right. Prepare yourself for tales of altitude, incredible vistas, and perhaps a llama or two or three!

What to Expect on Day One: The Beginning

The first day typically kicks off super early. Just super early. Expect a pickup somewhere around 4 AM from your Cusco accommodation. It’s almost a rude awakening, to be honest, but the goal here is to beat the crowds and maybe catch that light from early in the day, very appealing to those who are chasing photographs, too it’s almost like a professional pursuit. The drive it tends to be lengthy, maybe around three to four hours or more, depending on road conditions, so catch some zzz’s in the van! A bit of advice that one. It tends to includes a stop in a little, nearby town for breakfast – think eggs, bread, mate de coca or coca tea – to get yourself all fuelled up for what is to come and keep altitude sickness away. Once you are done eating, you keep driving close towards the trailhead and the real adventure begins.

The hike itself it usually begins at a spot somewhere above 14,000 feet, so you might already be gasping for air just a little. Take it easy! That applies a whole lot up there. The trek to the Rainbow Mountain itself it typically takes around 2 to 3 hours, depending on your pace and just how much you are affected by the altitude a little bit. The views, anyway? Oh, the views. You’re going to see this view of sprawling valleys, snow-capped peaks in the distance, and alpacas and llamas grazing away like it’s no problem for them, they live there after all. Upon arriving at Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), you may, after getting through that final push up, are greatly rewarded with views that just demand to be photographed in the best way possible, though photos never fully capture its greatness to be perfectly honest. Expect to spend about an hour at the peak to appreciate the view and take those must-have photos. Then it’s back down the mountain!

The descent it usually goes quite faster, maybe like, perhaps a third less of the time of the ascent or something. The return transport typically drops you off at your overnight accommodation. More often than not, it’s almost a village house or some similar lodging in a nearby town. It’s a way to get closer and personal with the local people there. You can get to see how they exist on a daily basis, what it’s like there, what’s expected, it’s kind of great to be able to meet locals who know this very, really interesting landscape. Get some sleep early though: another part of the adventure is happening early tomorrow!

Day Two: A Different Perspective on Natural Beauty

Day two so offers a bit of a contrast – in both activity and landscape. So that, that some tours a bit include a hike through the Red Valley a bit, also know as the Red Mountains a bit. The early start continues, typically you might want to grab some early light. After a similar breakfast to day one, you’ll often start your walk a bit, experiencing this differently textured landscape. Unlike Rainbow Mountain, this landscape just provides a rich look and texture, almost a reddish Mars type appearance due to the mineral content found there, of course. That does tend to mean more photo opportunities and possibly far, far, far fewer crowds so it could be something different compared to the previous day.

The hike through the Red Valley typically is pretty much less strenuous than Rainbow Mountain – the altitude can still play a factor to be certain, anyway. What makes it something amazing and noteworthy a little? It is the vastness. You can see red rock formations stretch as far as the sight goes, sometimes only dotted by small homes, roaming wildlife and roaming people, just enhancing the sheer sense of isolation mixed with community that defines life high up in the Andes a bit. Most tours that I know a little will get you back to Cusco in the early evening, giving you some decent enough time to decompress and just reflect on your adventure there, or head out and taste some amazing, awesome Peruvian cuisine or see some cool tourist spots around town a bit.

What’s Included and What’s Not? The Essentials

Tour packages for this trek, like, tend to differ a great deal depending on the operator a bit you decide to get and just what they happen to have decided it is in there a little. You might want to shop around before deciding something is a good offer, honestly. Most frequently, that does typically includes things like:

Round-trip transport from Cusco.
An English-speaking guide for helping explain along the way and pointing out significant cultural or physical features of the landscapes along your trek.
Meals during the trek – breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on some tours so check to see if your purchase provides each!
Overnight accommodation (usually basic lodging).
Entrance fees to Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley (or the alternative trail/scenic site).

Things that are not too it’s usually included so might encompass:

Personal snacks and water. You might want to prepare accordingly to deal with altitude changes. It helps to have stuff available at the exact time you might require it too!
Tips for the guide and cook.
Horse rentals (for those not up to hiking the entire distance).
Travel insurance (always recommended, in reality).
Altitude sickness medication (bring your own!) or oxygen (inquire beforehand if it’s available).

Altitude Awareness and Health Tips

The altitude it arguably presents the biggest obstacle for this tour here. Rainbow Mountain sits like way above 16,000 feet (5,000 meters), so altitude sickness is really just something to have some worry around. Before going on your adventure in Cusco itself, allow 2-3 days just getting acclimated. Take it somewhat slower than normal a bit! Drink lots of water so it helps you adjust better to altitude and give yourself some breaks or down time. Avoid things like heavy food and alcohol a little bit – it is always more beneficial to listen to your body in such environments so you don’t encounter problems somewhere down the line a little.

Coca tea or coca leaves? The locals that have existed around those altitude points swear by it! Just sip the tea or chew on the leaves as it tends to provide a small energy boost while possibly reducing the effects of altitude something you would want to see along your travels too, too it’s almost something you should prepare yourself on day one just so you are well suited for day two, in reality. Consulting your physician before the tour here too about altitude sickness medication is kind of wise, as certain people are very sensitive and maybe they can assist you getting acclimatized or prepared a bit. Make sure the tour company here includes oxygen too, in case someone runs into trouble on your travels to somewhere different from what you would be dealing with a little bit.

Photography Tips for Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley

For photos of truly great quality that you can appreciate sometime later, take them with these few pieces of advise so that, that those vacations that can really leave a mark show up in a different way from memory:

The early bird? Just catches the great light! The morning light just provides softer shadows and better colors so if photography tends to be key for your experience on the trek, get an early arrival going!
Rainbow Mountain colors kind of look their best just after sunrise or before sundown. Use golden hour for amazing snaps! That also tends to avoid those super crowded times too for good viewing angles there.
When it gives that clear, brilliant sunshine, colors often stand out so much, allowing you a far richer photographic experience. Just make sure you don’t have direct lighting, as those midday moments are too harsh to do much with those images anyway.
Use a polarising filter for cutting through the glare a little so you are enhancing colors some. Use that very wide-angle lens to just capture all the landscape in the background as those valley features there stretch very long, anyway.
Include other tourists, animals, and just locals, for those truly brilliant shots. Not only will they do their part when composing images from this trek – they will certainly show others the scope and grandeur involved in a special moment there with a location somewhere unlike Earth!

Is This Tour Right for You? Weighing the Pros and Cons

Alright, is that tour just something for you? Let us peek through a few quick considerations for or against so that, that we can offer great help a little bit:

Pros:

Mind-blowing scenery!
Challenging but ultimately very doable hike.
An introduction to the way Andean people go about their everyday life with so much nature out there.
Seeing Rainbow Mountain and then experiencing Red Valley hikes make them worth that early waking!

Cons:

The altitude – could be, might be a massive challenge!
Long travel times can mean a bit of sitting and boredom, or motion sickness a little!
Very basic accommodation means your tour money does not completely provide a luxury, high living experience to that part of Peru for anyone going around there!
The early starts can cause many travellers trouble, with alarms being as early as 4 am and then you gotta rush out too – it’s certainly tough and may wear some thin as the time runs out over this trek there too a little.

Ultimately, if you are an physically healthy traveler with a bit of appreciation for stunning natural scenery out in open land somewhere else other than your urban zone? Very doable! Take it on and very enjoy the journey itself for a couple days straight! Make some very great memory-filled vacations for yourselves here!

Some Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of clothing to be packed along this route?

Bring tons of layers, as temperatures it tends to swing like crazy! Warm jacket, waterproof gear (in the event there is the likelihood of a heavy rain pour or storms of all shapes or forms), hiking boots or sturdy sneakers and any extra hat or gloves will just provide you some well needed support to ensure those 16 hours of exposure from tours on a trek here are made easier and bearable than some other situation around you or among the tourists joining.

Could one perhaps rent or perhaps borrow walking poles?

Good news? Walking poles tend to be available for rental usually and you should absolutely use them for help with walking the climbs a bit, which can reach levels of steepness just like many points to mountains that go above this one from the looks of things. Check if the tour companies has or offers them as additional package extras and such though beforehand as it might provide easier methods when they know well those routes of yours out on that excursion itself somewhere.

I am traveling with kiddie children – do they have any say around Rainbow Mountain visits?

It may be hard for kids as well, particularly the littlest folk there too! Talk to a doctor there before signing your kiddos, so you get that green approval so things can occur right as scheduled a bit without setbacks as tour companies or local Peru specialists also know ways better prepared to make vacationing easier and safer too! Also they should enjoy every trip and destination there. This would assist them adjusting right so plans continue going well without trouble and worries from family and local people around too during special treks, also to the parents themselves as it may ease or stress children away a lot that it causes from travel excursions happening there across beautiful terrain too where some find challenges in doing just the trip here around there!

Key Takeaways

The 2-day, 1-night Rainbow Mountain tour tends to offer something fantastic – views blended up among challenges – perfect so much!
Acclimatize just fully to altitude as first priority prior for that mountain so everyone can enjoy fully!
Understand package tours with its elements very specifically by confirming beforehand with your operator. So they know fully your travels and its preparations are great throughout all elements to assist people making incredible getaways happen somewhere awesome such here!
Come ready to witness not also those landscapes and also an immersion too for Andean lifestyles so some experiences with different individuals happens throughout any traveler so any member coming across these mountains may connect some day!

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