Rainbow Mountain - Peru
After a two-days trip in Machu Picchu, I decided to do another two days trip in Rainbow Mountain.
The elevation of Machu Picchu is around 2000m-3000m and the elevation of the Rainbow Mountain is around 5000m. If you plan to go there, I recommend acclimating for at least 1 day in Cusco before to do this trip. The lack of oxygen in the mountains will make the hike more difficult than usual.
I booked the trip with FlashPackers Connect for around 350$ and I DON'T regret it! It was an amazing experience. The guide speak english, very friendly and give us a lot of information during the trip.
2-days trip included :
- Private transportation to and from your hotel in Cusco
- All meals/drinks prepared by private cook (All food on the trek, which incorporates traditional Peruvian cuisine as well as modern fusion cuisine and specific dietary needs.)
- Boiled water and snacks.
- Fluent English/ Spanish speaking guide
- All gear and camping supplies
- Large Dining tent, table, stools, all cutlery, and kitchen tent
- Portable toilet
- Horseman/Pack horses to carry all of the gear
- Duffel bag for you to pack your personal belongings into (carried by horses)
- Fees to access private land
- First Aid kit including oxygen tank
- Sleeping bag (available upon request*)
- Sleeping pad
We were 3 tourists, a guide and two horses.
DAY 1
Pictures location
The trip starts here. The weather was perfect, the temperature was around 15°C. As soon as we start walking, we could remove a few layers, wearing only a t-shirt was enough.
We stayed for the night in these huts. The sleeping bags were very thick and the hut well insulated. We had no problem to fall asleep!
DAY 2
Pictures location
Wake up at 3:30 am, with a traditional coca tea at breakfast and a good meal. Then we started our walk. The goal is to arrive before 7:30 am in the Rainbow Mountain to arrive first. Indeed, tourists who visit these mountains in 1 day usually arrive around 8:30 from the other side of the mountain.
That's it! I hope you enjoyed it. Personaly the Rainbow Mountains was a more interesting experience than the Machu Picchu. I really recommend doing the 2-days trip and not a one-day trip (which is much more popular and touristic).
Those mountains have much more to offer than only the famous Rainbow Mountain.