Peru’s Rainbow Mountain
16 Tips For Your First Visit
In recent years, Peru’s Rainbow Mountain has had an explosion of popularity among tourists!
But often times, people aren’t well prepared for the altitude, distance, weather and early morning start.
So if you plan to visit this iconic destination, here’s 16 things to know for your first visit!
You can watch my 16 tips for Peru’s Rainbow Mountain here:
1. Located 3.5 hours from Cusco, Peru
This super popular day trip is a further drive from Cusco than most people realize!
Expect to leave super early in the morning and be gone most of the day.
Most tours will drive for 1.5 -2 hours then stop for breakfast before driving the rest of the way.
And on the way back, your drive will most likely be broken up with a lunch stop as well.
2. Located at SUPER high elevation
Rainbow Mountain sits at 17,060 feet which is almost the elevation of Mount Everest Base Camp!
The air will feel thin. You will likely be winded walking at such high elevation. It’s also possible you could feel dizzy, lightheaded or get a headache.
If you’ve never been at high altitude before, it can be a little bit of shock!
3. Acclimatize in Cusco for a few days first
Since Rainbow Mountain is at such high elevation, you don’t want to visit right when you land in Peru. You’ll feel a lot better if you take a few days to acclimatize and let your body adjust to the altitude.
If possible, book Rainbow Mountain as your last excursion in Peru to give yourself plenty of time to acclimatize.
And I wouldn’t suggest doing Rainbow Mountain right before trekking the Inca Trail.
4. To avoid altitude sickness, chew coca leaves and take altitude meds
You can easily buy over the counter altitude meds in Cusco for very cheap!
Some people prefer to get a prescription at home before their trip, either works. But you’ll be able to pick them up in Cusco faster since no appointment or prescription is needed.
And do as the locals do…chew coca leaves! They will help immensely. You can also get them in hard candy form if you prefer.
5. Bathrooms along the trail for 2 soles each
As Rainbow Mountain becomes more and more popular, the facilities are getting better and better. There used to be no bathrooms at all. Then there were very basic, porta-potty bathrooms.
Now the government has built 3 nice bathroom facilities along the trek with flushing toilets, sinks, paper and an attendant.
Just know you’ll have to pay 2 soles per use! (Roughly 50 cents USD.)
6. Can also buy drinks, snacks and souvenirs from locals along the way
If you need a snack or extra water along the trail, don’t worry!
There are plenty of opportunities to buy chips, candies and drinks along the way.
Vendors will also be selling sweaters, hats and mittens in case you don’t have enough warm layers!
7. You can pay extra to ride a horse part way but we walked
The first and last 15 minutes of the hike are the hardest. And regardless if you plan to use a horse, the start and ending section have to be done on foot.
Some people choose to go via horseback for roughly $25-$29 USD.
However, we decided to enjoy the hike by foot!
8. Roughly a 3 hour round trip hike to get there
It will take you roughly 90 minutes to reach Rainbow Mountain. (Possibly 2 hours if you go at a slower pace!)
And another hour or so to hike back down.
9. Wear good shoes, the terrain is rough!
You’ll be crossing over muddy roads, rough rocky terrain and encountering all types of weather.
So make sure you have sturdy shoes on for the hike.
This pair is one of my favorites! You can find all my hiking and travel gear on my Amazon storefront.
10. Be prepared for all kinds of weather
We had fog, hail, cold winds and bright, sunny skies all in one day.
We got sweaty on the hike and also cold while sitting up at the top.
Bring some light layers so you can adjust throughout the day!
11. Pack light layers, it will be cold at the top
Remember, you are at the elevation of Mount Everest Base Camp.. it will be cold at the top!
You may want gloves and a hat as well.
12. Small bills to tip for pictures
You will see many alpacas and llamas along the route to Rainbow Mountain. If you want to take a picture with them, the locals will expect a small tip in exchange.
13.Bus tour from Cusco for about $35
If you’re traveling on a budget, you can get awesome deals on day trips to Rainbow Mountain!
It’s a bargain but just take note, everything takes longer with the bigger groups.
14. Use Airbnb Experience for private tours
Since we had limited time and wanted to see Rainbow Mountain without the crowds, we decided to book a private tour for a more intimate experience.
This is the exact private tour we booked!
It was just me, Tessa and our local guide, Coco.
15. Private tour for better timing
Instead of leaving at 3:30am, we could be flexible as a private group and chose to leave at 4:30am.
Even leaving an hour later, we still beat all the tour buses! A small private car can go a lot faster on the bumpy, windy roads than a large tourist bus.
Plus we didn’t have to sit through all the hotel pick ups and drop offs.
So even with plenty of time spent at Rainbow Mountain, we got back around 2pm. Overall, it was a lot less waiting around for a group and we got to totally be on our own schedule.
16. Our local host, Coco was wonderful!
The trip included breakfast & lunch. Coco took so many great photos and videos.
When he picked us up at our hotel in Cusco, he had blankets and pillows in the car waiting for us so we could sleep on the drive there.
It truly felt like going to Rainbow Mountain with a local friend!
You may want to invest in travel insurance before your trip!
 I recommend World Nomads.
More on Peru:
- 26 TIPS FOR TREKKING THE INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU
- INCREDIBLE AIRBNB EXPERIENCES IN CUSCO, PERU YOU CAN’T MISS
- MACHU PICCHU TREK – 4 DAY ITINERARY WITH TREXPERIENCE ON THE INCA TRAIL
- 20 PHOTOS TO PUT PERU’S INCA TRAIL ON YOUR BUCKET LIST
