Rainbow Mountain Hike from Cusco Ahead of the Crowds
From €17 per person
See availability →A Rainbow Mountain hike from Cusco that leaves in the small hours, climbs the slopes of the Ausangate range for about 1 hour 45 minutes and ends with a buffet lunch.
This Rainbow Mountain hike from Cusco is for walkers who prefer to meet the mountain before everyone else. The hotel pickup is very early. After a drive of about an hour and a half you pass through the Cusipata district and stop there for a half-hour local breakfast. Another hour on the road takes you to Fulawasipata, where the guide gives a short briefing before you set off.
The trail starts at the foot of the Ausangate range and climbs for roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to the summit. On the way llamas and alpacas, relatives of the camel, may cross your view, and once you reach the red hill the coloured landscape opens out below you. The descent takes about an hour over flatter ground, back to the trailhead.
- Private transport, bilingual guide and hotel pickup in Cusco
- Local breakfast and buffet lunch in Cusipata
- A blanket, plus a first-aid kit and an oxygen mask
- Drop-off on Avenida El Sol, opposite the Qorikancha temple
The entrance ticket to the mountain and to the optional Red Valley reserve is paid in cash, and horses are available for hire through local operators. Children under 10, pregnant women and people with heart or mobility problems should choose another tour.