Climbing Rainbow Mountain

*2018 Updated Information* I finally got to climb to the top of Rainbow Mountain and must say it was everything I expected and even more! The mountain itself is incredible, and its easy to see where it gets its name Rainbow Mountain from as you can see from my photos below.

Here, I plan to give you a detailed account of my experience and show you that no matter what your age, it is very easy to visit Rainbow Mountain any time of the year!

We left Cusco for Rainbow Mountain at 3:30am on Sunday morning (tours operate every day – see here for more tour information). We booked via RainbowMountainTravels.com who are the best Rainbow Mountain tour operator in the area. Because this tour departs early, it guaranteed us to be 1 of the first groups at the top Rainbow Mountain.

As well as this, they offered oxygen tanks which are important as you do reach over 15,000 feet above sea level! Not all tour companies offer this, so this is definitely something to look out for when choosing the best Rainbow Mountain tour operator.

Vinicunca, AKA Rainbow Mountain, is located about 3 ½ hours from Cusco by minibus. Found in the Peruvian Andes, Rainbow Mountain – as you could probably guess – is famed for its natural, multi-coloured beauty. It has only recently been discovered, but is fast becoming one of THE places to visit in South America.