{"id":5451,"date":"2018-01-22T04:50:28","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T04:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diningtraveler.com\/?p=5451"},"modified":"2023-03-14T17:22:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T21:22:23","slug":"exploring-rainbow-mountain-in-peru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diningtraveler.com\/2018\/01\/exploring-rainbow-mountain-in-peru.html","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Rainbow Mountain in Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When planning our trip to Peru, my Peruvian friend Jimmy suggested adding Rainbow Mountain to our Peruvian adventure. Given that we only had 4 days in Cusco, we toyed with the idea until we arrived in the country. Upon arrival to Cusco, we finally decided and booked a tour via Eco Packers Tours, a short walk from our hotel, El Mercado<\/a>. We booked the tour on a Monday evening, and Tuesday morning at 4:30 am, we were picked up for our tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainbow Mountain Peru: Booking The Trip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of tour operators in Cusco and we decided to Eco Packers as we walked in, the salesperson gave us a good orientation about the tour. We paid 80 soles each ($25). The tour included breakfast, transportation, entrance to the park, and lunch. It was easy booking the Rainbow Mountain tour at short notice, but I suspect is because we were traveling in the low season (January).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Rainbow<\/a>
On the road to Rainbow Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting to Rainbow Mountain in Peru is quite the trip! It takes around 4 hours to get there (with breakfast in between). I liked that our tour had a smaller van versus the huge tour buses, making it more comfortable. Once you get over the grogginess of waking up at 4 am, I recommend watching the beautiful Andean scenery: the emerald green mountains, the colorful Inca women walking along the road, and the extroverted llamas. The views from the bus were just as impressive as the hike itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arriving at Rainbow Mountain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compared to Machu Picchu<\/a>, Rainbow Mountain is still in its infancy regarding receiving visitors. The site is pretty basic in terms of facilities. Bathrooms consist of old latrines and port-a-johns. Thankfully my Marine Corps skills came to play on this one. If you are a prissy traveler, the bathroom scenario may traumatize you!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"hiking<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Hike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We were in a sticky predicament: we only had four days in Cusco and wanted to go to Rainbow Mountain. When we started hiking towards the mystical mountain, we only had spent 24 hours in the region. Altitude is real. It really slows you down. The Dutchman and I are used to hiking, but we had the wind knocked out of us (literally). Once you reach the top, you are at 5,000 meters above sea level. That’s 3 times what you experience in Denver!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to the altitude, it was a really tough hike for both of us. Thankfully our guide was super relaxed and wasn’t rushing us up the hill (we saw other tour companies herding people up the hill). That gave us the opportunity to take it all in, have some snacks, and rest when we were getting beat down by the elements. Our group comprised around 12 people: a mix of Brazilians, Peruvians, French, Bolivians, and us, the Dutchrican couple. Everybody had a different level of fitness, so each did their own thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n