Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Rainbow Mountain in Peru
Rainbow Mountain’s vibrant colors are incredible and mesmerizing. It sits around 16,000ft above sea level in Peru’s Andes mountains. The terrain was unlike anything we had seen before! The colorful mineral deposits were everywhere and there were snow-capped peaks in the distance. It’s also known as the “Mountain of Seven Colors”.
We wanted to share more about the breathtaking hike, but also how to get there and helpful tips like how to acclimate.
About Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain has a diverse terrain that surprised us! We were expecting the colorful mountains, but we were not expecting the jagged peaks, snow, or rocky path.
The colors are the result of mineral deposits that happened over millions of years. It’s composed of sandstone, siltstone, and clay. Minerals like iron, sulfur, and copper are also present which is how the mountain gets the multitude of colors.
The Andean people have considered this place sacred because of the incredible natural formation.
How To Get There
Passing by llamas as we drove up the mountain
It was a long journey to get to the trailhead of Rainbow Mountain. Here was how we got there:
We took a 3 hour bus ride from Cusco. As we climbed the mountain, it was fascinating to drive through the countryside and watch people going about their day.
As we got closer to the top, we started curving around switchbacks.
Once parked, we used the small bathroom before starting our hike.
The hike was about 6 miles round trip and took around 4 hours.
Helpful Tips
Make sure to acclimate! Spend a couple days in Cusco prior to the hike, stay hydrated, and don’t drink alcohol the day before getting to Rainbow Mountain. Coca leaves can help with altitude sickness as well as the prescribed drug, Acetazolamide. We made sure to talk to our doctor before the trip!
The bathroom at the parking lot doesn’t have any running water but you can still stop and go before the hike! There was a small fee to use it.
Make sure to stay on the designated paths and pack out any trash.
Cody excited that we made it to the top of the challenging hike
Rainbow Mountain was an extraordinary experience with so much deep history. We hope this inspires you to make a visit to see the colorful terrain!
