Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) is one of those stunning locations you've likely seen on social media. You might be wondering: is it really worth the hype? We found ourselves pondering the same question but ultimately decided to go for it. And let us tell you, it was absolutely worth it!
We booked our trip with Rainbow Mountain Travels, and they picked us up bright and early at 3:30 AM. After a drive of about 1.5 hours, we arrived at our breakfast stop, where we enjoyed delicious American pancakes, scrambled eggs, and plenty of coca tea to help us acclimate to the altitude, especially since we were gearing up to climb over 5000 meters!
We arrived at Rainbow Mountain as the first group, which was perfect for avoiding the crowds. After a quick briefing, we set off. The hike was no joke: one hour of steep uphill walking. It was tough, we took several breaks, but eventually we made it to the top. We were probably the last in our group, but we didn't care!
Once there, we were blown away. The sun hit just right, making the mountain’s colors pop like an actual rainbow. We were skeptical at first, but the vibrant mineral bands were stunning without any photoshop! It definitely was one of those "wow-moments". The hike to the highest viewpoint was the ultimate highlight of the trip. Although the final climb was tough, the breathtaking view of the 6384m Ausangate mountain under a clear sky made it all worthwhile! All-in-all we would say: don't miss out on Peru’s next big thing ;-)
