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Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley Small Group: Exclusive Early Access with Flexible Itinerary
4.9
28 Ratings
Vinicunca Mountain
Experience the exclusive early access to Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley with a flexible itinerary. Avoid the crowds, connect with local communities, and indulge in Peruvian gastronomy.
Experience the exclusive early access to Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley with a flexible itinerary. Avoid the crowds, connect with local communities, and indulge in Peruvian gastronomy.
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Vinicunca Mountain - Pickup is between 2am and 2:30am (flexible). The day includes a 2.5-hour hike covering a distance of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The journey takes you through a lush green valley with the majestic snow-capped peak of Ausangate in the distance. You will encounter hundreds of alpacas roaming freely and gain insight into the…
- Vinicunca Mountain - Pickup is between 2am and 2:30am (flexible). The day includes a 2.5-hour hike covering a distance of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The journey takes you through a lush green valley with the majestic snow-capped peak of Ausangate in the distance. You will encounter hundreds of alpacas roaming freely and gain insight into the authentic lifestyle of the Quechua people. The company provides a boxed breakfast, including drinks (teas), an avocado and cheese sandwich, and snacks. Breakfast is typically enjoyed at the start of the hike, offering the best views and avoiding crowds. As you approach Rainbow Mountain, the colorful mineral streaks that form the painted hills become visible. Your guide will explain the formation of Rainbow Mountain and its orogenesis. Finally, with a final effort, you will reach a vantage point offering a 360-degree view of the stunning landscape.
TOUR DETAILS
Duration: 3 to 4 hours round trip
Hike Distance: 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).
Elevation: Approximately 5,033 m/16,518 ft
Difficulty: Moderate, yet challenging due to altitude
*Horseback riding is available for hire on the morning of the trek from local horsemen. The horses belong to the locals. If you choose to hire a horse, please note that the horsemen do not speak English and may not stay with the group of hikers and the guide, as horses move faster than hikers. If you hire a horse, you assume all liability and ride at your own risk. VSA is not responsible for any accidents that occur while riding a horse.
- Red Valley Cusco - This area features a series of intensely red-colored mountains. Located behind Vinicunca Mountain, it has gained popularity in recent years, with many of our travelers enjoying the scenic views of this destination throughout their journey.
What's Included
- First Aid Kit
- Oxygen Tank
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Complimentary Snacks
- Private Transportation
- In-vehicle Air Conditioning
- All Parking Fees Covered
- First Aid Kit
- Oxygen Tank
- Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Complimentary Snacks
- Private Transportation
- In-vehicle Air Conditioning
- All Parking Fees Covered
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- No accommodations included.
- Rent of Horses
- Gratuities
- No accommodations included.
- Rent of Horses
Additional Information
We make it a mission to be the first group to reach the summit of Rainbow Mountain! The experience is completely different when you are not surrounded by other travelers trying to get the same photo as you are and gives you a true appreciation for natures beauty. Not to mention the 360 views from the summit where you are able to see the Apu Ausangate in…
We make it a mission to be the first group to reach the summit of Rainbow Mountain! The experience is completely different when you are not surrounded by other travelers trying to get the same photo as you are and gives you a true appreciation for natures beauty. Not to mention the 360 views from the summit where you are able to see the Apu Ausangate in the distance. Avoid the crowds throughout our journey, also take advantage of the itinerary is totally flexible with our local guides who know the site perfectly.
- Bring warm clothes: gloves, hat, etc.. (extra pair of socks)
- Bring waterproof clothing in case of weather changes (very frequent)
- Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Lipstick, Buff-mask
Location
Vinicunca Mountain
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(28 Ratings)
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E-beth
Mar 16, 2025
Experience you will not forget - We had the most amazing experience with visit south America company. We scheduled our full trip to Peru with them. Hilton ensured we were taken care of. Each experience was special and we really got to know the locals. Rainbow Mountain was one of our favorites. I highly recommend this company. I traveled solo with my son
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z968zrmikee
Sep 3, 2024
Made it to the Top! - Absolutely amazing!!
A clearly undiscovered and maybe under rated location (everyone knows about Macho Picchu . few about Rainbow Mountain).
So other worldly. Not for the faint at heart or body (like me perhaps). 15,000 feet up, 25 degrees at 5:30am. Only made it because of Guillermo. .
Great tour. Awesome guides. Guillermo Ayala was the absolute best. He is our family in Peru now! Communicated the plan extremely well, was there for us early. Patient and genuinely concerned for us . Fun to be with. Cared for us like a "mother hen" (that is a good thing!) Huge thing. Especially considering this old man and 3 (yes 3! ) ladies with say particular requirements. ;-) (nicer than saying high maintenance)
Nino (spelled incorrectly). was a terrific driver. Like Guillermo, never left our side. Arrived early,,, catered to our needs and requests. Got us to places early, Stay for us and got us safely back tour hotel. He went above and beyond!
Great company. I recommend them without reservation. Kevin who arranged the entire trip was extrordinarily receptive and patient. Quickly responding to my numerous WhatsApp texts . I tend to panic and over plan. He never lost patience but followed us and provided updates quickly and efficiently. I never felty bad about contacting them (way too much)
Was the "man behind the curtain" the whole time. Updated us even during the trip.
Great value for the money. If/when we go again we will use them!
Awesome time !! Great tour company. This is 1 of 2 tours we took in Peru.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_b
Jun 21, 2024
Excellent tour - Excellent tour and guide. Left early which was great as it avoided all the crowds which came later. Guide walked at a good pace and made sure everyone was okay. Included breakfast and lunch which was good.
Review provided by Viator
Rorjam
May 1, 2024
Guillermo and Frank Helped Us Beat The Crowds to 7 Coloured Mountain - Guillermo the guide and Frank our driver were both great. Guillermo made sure we were the first people there, took lots of photos of us, knew all the history and is generally a fun, easy-to-talk to guy! Frank was a good and safe driver, very clean car, and also very nice to talk to. Would happily take the tour with them again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Venture28592547994
Sep 30, 2023
Incredible experience and first ones to arrive. - Me and my wife did a private tour with VisitSouthAmerica and our experience was incredible. Our guide, Fredy and our driver, Yurghen picked us up at 2:30am from Cusco and we were the literally the first one to arrive at the parking lot of Rainbow Mtn. Fredy was absolutely knowledgeable and made sure we reached the top of Rainbow Mountain before everyone else! 😀 Yes you read it right, we were the first ones to arrive on top! Other than being an amazing guide, Fredy was an incredible photographer! We spent approx an hour and a half on the top, which is a lot as compared to other operators.
We also did the Red Valley Tour, which was really incredible too! And the food! Food was absolutely amazing and delicious 😋 We would never forget the lunch we had! We got to try lots of Peruvian local dishes!
We would 100% recommend this tour with VisitSouthAmerica.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shahbazs495
Aug 17, 2023
One of my best travel experiences ever! - This was absolutely one of the best experiences that I have that pleasure of partaking in while travelling! And definitely one of the most unique. My wife and I were in Peru in August which is the dry season so it almost never rains or snows. Visit Southamerica took us to rainbow mountain and the guide was amazing, he was super knowledgeable and spoke english very very well!
As we arrived, to our surprise the entire landscape was covered in snow. So we did not get to hike rainbow mountain (even though we were still given that option from our guide) but we got to experience a once in a lifetime magical adventure in the snowy Andes that most people never get to see (as visiting Peru during the wet season is very uncommon). Afterwards we were taken to an amazing lunch and some additional archeological sites on the way back that weren't even a part of the original tour :)
Overall this was a 10/10 experience regardless of what the weather is like. We were also the first ones on the site! we showed up at 530 am BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! So if you go with this tour, assuming there's no snow, you'll be the first ones up at Rainbow Mountain without any other tourists.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paediil450
Dec 13, 2022
Skipped the crowds! - I'm glad we could join this group because it arrives at rainbow mountain before all the other groups. Meaning we had the place for ourselves and even some good light for pictures. AWESOME!!!
As we headed to the red valley after visiting Vinikunka, we saw all the groups arriving and hundreds of people hiking up.
Organization was without any problems and our guide Jacob was awesome and chill!
Good food afterwards.
We plan to go on more trips with visitsouthamerica.co on our next adventures :D
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cara
Oct 3, 2022
Sunrise rainbow mountain tour - excellent!! - HIGHLY recommend this tour. It was well worth doing the sunrise morning tour. As we were leaving the mountain, there were so many tourists arriving. We had the trail and mountain all to ourselves to take our time enjoying the views and capturing pictures. Ricardo was an excellent guide and provided us with information about the mountain, Cusco, and Peru in general. He was encouraging and supportive on this challenging hike - making sure we had enough breaks and were good to go! Also recommend checking out the red valley. Even though we were tired it was well worth the extra 30 minute hike! Yurghen was a great driver. There is a very winding steep road to get there (would also recommend to pack some Dramamine for this!) we always felt safe and comfortable navigating through these difficult roads. We had a great breakfast and an awesome lunch spread. Truly amazing and so glad we did this while in Cusco!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurenj12345
Oct 3, 2022
Ricardo and Yurghen are the best! - We did the rainbow mountain tour with Ricardo and Yurghen. They were both phenomenal. The tour was fantastic!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Poppy_g
Jan 6, 2025
My friend and I recently... - My friend and I recently went on this tour to Rainbow Mountain, and while the guide was incredibly kind and did her best to ensure my friend’s safety when he got sick from the altitude, there were a few issues that impacted the experience. Her English wasn’t great, which made communication a bit difficult, especially in an emergency situation like altitude sickness. Additionally, it was challenging to fully understand or learn about the area or local community because of this.
In terms of the tour logistics, we were disappointed that some promised inclusions, like snacks and breakfast, weren’t provided—apparently, we were expected to bring our own breakfast.
While the scenery was beautiful and the guide was attentive, the experience didn’t quite meet our expectations due to the high cost of the tour, the language barrier, and lack of stated inclusions.
Review provided by Viator
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