{"id":8842,"date":"2022-04-22T08:51:09","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T08:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/amazing-rainbow-mountains-peru-get-things-need-know\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:58:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T09:58:05","slug":"amazing-rainbow-mountains-peru-get-things-need-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/amazing-rainbow-mountains-peru-get-things-need-know\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Visit Rainbow Mountain In Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru? Well, let me tell you! When we decided to visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru, it was one I’d come to simultaneously look forward to but also dread, ever since we’d booked it.<\/p>\n

The excitement part is easy to understand \u2013 it\u2019s the Rainbow Mountains in Peru, and it looked amazing in the photos I\u2019d seen. Of course, it did! The dread part was more due to my sometimes unfounded anxiety whenever it came to doing any physical challenges.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not even that I\u2019m scared of the challenge, I think I just get \u2018performance anxiety\u2019 and it\u2019s so unfounded because as most people will have you know, things like hiking pretty much just involve putting one foot in front of the other (once you sort out the logistics and your hiking supplies \u2013 the part which never has me nervous).<\/p>\n

We booked these tickets to climb Rainbow Mountain<\/a> \u2013 they\u2019d been doing this here long before most people, and in fact, when we looked to book back in the UK, they\u2019re the only ones we could find. I\u2019m so glad we did, though, because they were amazing \u2013 they took care of everything and even carried extra oxygen with you, just in case the altitude sickness got too much to handle.<\/p>\n

Powered by GetYourGuide<\/a><\/div>\n

Our day started off very early \u2013 we got picked up in Cusco<\/a> from our hotel – Hotel El Mercaco in Cusco<\/a> at 2 am. We then drove 3 hours to get to the base of the trek (we were asleep for pretty much all of this), arriving at the entry to visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru long before the sun started to shine.<\/p>\n

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We popped into one of the farmer\u2019s huts here, where our tour<\/a> kindly arranged and had arranged a hearty (mountain-climbers) breakfast for us, with teas and extra treats we might need on our way over to the mountains. We were finally on our journey to visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru.<\/p>\n

The extra things we brought with us were:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • The waterproof gear we had for hiking Huayna Picchu<\/a> (the impressive mountain right next to Machu Picchu)<\/li>\n
  • Our cameras<\/li>\n
  • Water (2 litres per person)<\/li>\n
  • Chocolates (and other snacks)<\/li>\n
  • Winter gear \u2013 hats, fleeces, jumpers, gloves, etc (it\u2019s cold in the morning but warms up considerably come afternoon)<\/li>\n
  • Sunglasses (I didn\u2019t use these, though)<\/li>\n
  • Sunscreen and lip balms<\/li>\n
  • Toilet paper and wet wipes<\/li>\n
  • Any personal medications<\/li>\n
  • Hiking shoes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    That yellow thing, by the way, is the toilet here. That\u2019s what a lot of toilets around here are like. Make sure to visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru with your own loo roll and wet wipes too!<\/p>\n

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    After breakfast, we hit the tracks starting off with a rocky hilly ascent…<\/p>\n

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    \u2026before flattening out.<\/p>\n

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    The walking here truly takes it out of you. You\u2019re over 4,300 metres above sea level \u2013 almost half the height of Mount Everest, and the oxygen is very thin in the air. That’s what makes a visit to Rainbow Mountain in Peru so hard. The thin air.<\/p>\n

    Even when you\u2019re doing nothing, you\u2019re always struggling to catch your breath here. Now imagine that when you\u2019re actually doing strenuous exercise.<\/p>\n

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    The views around here make it so worth it though \u2013 you very quickly get distracted by the stunning mountains and their amazing myriad of colours; a small taste of what lies ahead!<\/p>\n

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    ^ That\u2019s another makeshift toilet stall there.<\/em><\/p>\n

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    As we went along, I have to admit, I seriously struggled with the hike. As someone who has sickle trait (which is different from yet related to sickle cell disease), I knew from speaking to my GP that I had to be extra careful before we visited Rainbow Mountain in Peru. No one wants to get ill, after all.<\/p>\n

    Sickle cell is pretty much what it sounds like \u2013 instead of your red blood cells being round, they\u2019re sickle-shaped (kinda like a \u2018C\u2019) and as such, can\u2019t carry oxygen or function the way they really should.<\/p>\n

    Someone with sickle cell trait has sickle cell genes and a low portion of sickle-shaped red blood cells, but usually no symptoms (except perhaps more immunity to malaria, though when they do get malaria, they do get it worse). You can find out more about it on this official NHS leaflet here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The long story short is that at high altitude, with low oxygen in the air, over-exercising can result in sickle cell trait carriers developing sickle cell crisis.<\/p>\n

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    The hike was generally easy if we weren\u2019t at such a high altitude, but with the lack of oxygen in the air, it was definitely hard for everyone.<\/p>\n

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    About halfway through, I noticed I was struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. I lagged behind for reasons other than stopping to constantly take photos. Our guide noticed this too and asked if I would like a horse\/donkey to help me along the way.<\/p>\n

    Turns out the locals here hire out their donkeys for people struggling with the hike, to carry you or your stuff, and hence help you get to the rainbow mountains. Needless to say, with my doctor’s warning still very fresh in my mind, he didn\u2019t have to ask me twice!<\/p>\n

    *Heads up though \u2013 there are still bits that you have to hike, and to make sure I didn\u2019t miss out on the experience, I got off the donkey where possible, to complete certain sections on foot.<\/em><\/p>\n

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    Lloyd, Georgia and Chris (and two other tourists \u2013 a couple from Italy and Australia) along with our two guides – finished it all on foot with no help from the donkey (which I think was more of a Honkey – a horse cross-bred with a donkey).<\/p>\n

    This is why a visit to Rainbow Mountain in Peru is so special. Just look at those mountains…<\/p>\n

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    Right \u2013 back to the actual hike!<\/p>\n

    For the first stretch, you tend to walk on a fairly flat surface, gradually rising as you approach the Ausangate Mountain range and glacier \u2013 a spectacular sight in and of itself!<\/p>\n

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    There are several more toilet stops and even drink stops, and for the entire hike, we saw no one else but the locals. There were no other tourists anywhere around, and it was just our group and the mountain range.<\/p>\n

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    Every so often, you\u2019d bump into a herd of free-range Llamas and alpacas, mostly minding their business but curiously checking you out once you got closer.<\/p>\n

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    Like I said before, my Honkey could only go so at the final stretch, I had to finish it all on foot. I also had \u2018generously\u2019 offered to take everyone else\u2019s bags with me, which kinda bit me in the bum as I arrived there a little while ahead of them and so had to haul all their stuff (yes, along with their heavy water bottles) all the way to the top.<\/p>\n

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    Once I saw the mountains at the top though \u2013 all thoughts of tiredness disappeared! We were finally here and it was every bit as glorious as I\u2019d been led to believe!<\/p>\n

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    This is one of the hardest things we\u2019d all done in Peru (even with the help of my Honkey) and understandably we all went pretty crazy with the photos and videos!
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    Here’s what it’s like to be at the top of Rainbow Mountain, even with very little oxygen in the air! \ud83d\ude1c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udc6f\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffb\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffb\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f . . . . . . . . #RainbowMountain #Peru #Vinicunca #Explore #Travel #Traveler #Explorer #Traveller #Adventure #ExploreFromAbove #Landscape #Wanderlust #Travelphotography #Earthfocus #Theglobewanderer #Awesomeearth #Beautifuldestinations #Ourplanetdaily #Earthpix #Awesome_Photographers #Travel_Awesome #Inspiredbyyou #Instagoodmyphoto #Bestvacations #Lovetheworld #Wonderful_Places #Discoverglobe #Beautifulplaces #Lonelyplanet #Earthofficial<\/a><\/p>\n

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