The Rainbow Mountain in Peru which is also known as Vinicunca Mountain was not virtually discovered till 2015. The day tours stared in. 2016. This mountain is becoming popular day by day and people are willing to give it a visit.
Indeed, staying well-informed about a place, which you are about to visit, will make things easier and understandable for you. Read below to find what you can expect when hiking Rainbow Mountains Peru
The rainbow mountain is 2 hours drive from the main Cusco in try Andes Mountain. It is situated at an elevation 5200 meters.
The mountain is very crowded these days but it is worth the visit because of the splendid view. The best time to visit the Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca Ausangate Peru is in between March and November. This is the time of the dry season and you won’t find the place, very crowd.
The hike to the mountain takes around 8 kilometres. The gain is elevation is of 1200 metres during the hike.
Earlier, everyone had the option to visit the Rainbow Mountain on their own. The hike was way much longer and hectic.
To cope up with this, a road has been built which takes you quite closer to the base. It takes only 7kms to hike. Earlier it used to be 15 km. The distance has been reduced by about half.
The dry season is very apt for you to take on a tour. The time from March to November is ideal. These months have the best weather conditions making things convenient for you.
Even if you visit at this time of the year, make sure that you check the weather conditions of the trek days. You will definitely not want to see the muddy stretches and be drenched in heavy rain.
Book your tour earlier so that you can be relaxed of having the certainty of the tour. You will definitely need to pay little extra money. But at least you will have peace of mind.
The drive from Cusco will have snaking mountain roads. It is covered by blackness
Your tour members can be from different nations. So be well prepared about it.
You won’t find any sanitary napkins. Be sure that you have your own tissue paper.
At the back of your mind, do remember that the altitude is not a joke at all. The viewpoint if 5300 meters above the sea level is actually very high.
The hike starts from 4200 metres altitude. You might feel altitude sickness.
Give some time to acclimatize and let your body to adapt to the elevation in Cusco. Only then think of hiking the Rainbow Mountain.
By doing this, you will be assured of not having to experience the altitude sickness.
Trekking the rainbow mountain is not easy because of the terrific elevation.
The hike depends on how well balanced your body is and the level of acclimatized your body is to altitude.
The path is relatively flat but you will feel out of breath at times.
The final 300 metres are steep. You need to take your own time a dive ahead slowly. The views are extraordinary.
For the fatigues out souls, there is an alternative. The touts follow the column and gently sells the horse rides to the top. But this is for 70 soles for a person which is quite expensive.
Make sure that the horse which you have chosen is healthy. The local community makes money out of hit but taking care of animals and being considerate is humanity.
Your skin will literally boil in the scorching heat if the sun. The relatively higher altitude needs you to put high SPF sunscreen to protect your skin from the harsh damage.
However, the soothing breeze will make you a little comfortable. The temperature at times drops down to frigid. You need to dress accordingly in layers.
You can bring hiking boots as your usual flip flops will not help you. It will rather bring more trouble to you. Waterproof Jacket and a wide-brimmed hat are very essential. Make sure that your base layer of cloth isn’t cotton. Sunscreen and bottle is also mandatory.
The higher you go, the better the view gets. The rainbow mountains Peru has shifting colours from pink, green, grey to yellow. This beautiful expanse of colours on the mountain cannot be found anywhere else.
The llamas and alpacas and the local village people around the radiant mountain and all over the horizon will just blow your mind.
The buffeting winds are the real struggle but reaching the top is a moment if victory in itself. The hiking down will be pretty easy and less time-consuming.
Wondering the difference between Palccoyo and Vinicunca Rainbow Mountains? Check out our detailed post.
