Tips for Climbing the Rainbow Mountain

In a short time, the Mountain of 7 colors has become the second most visited destination in Cusco, only after Machu Picchu, its impressive beauty makes 3000 people visit it daily.
This stunning wonder is located at 5 037 m.a.s.l. and also to get there you must take a walk in the middle of the most beautiful high Andean landscapes.
In this post, KANTU PERU TOURS gives you everything you should know to make this extraordinary walk and visit this wonder of nature.

Acclimatization
The Rainbow Mountain is at 5 036 m.a.s.l., therefore the altitude is a very important aspect to take into account.
Before climbing to the Mountain of 7 Colors, you must have acclimatized for 2 days in Cusco, so it is best to schedule this visit for your last day of stay in Cusco.
Above 2 400 m.a.s.l., the air pressure begins to drop, therefore, when breathing we inhale less air than usual. Your body will gradually get used to the new amount of oxygen.
We recommend doing some nearby city tours such as the City Tour, the Sacred Valley or Machu Picchu before visiting the Mountain of 7 Colors.

Rainbow Mountain Location

The Mountain of 7 Colors is located 100 km southeast of Cusco, to reach it you must take the route Cusco – Puno for 2 hours, in Cusipata town you take a detour and after an hour of travel you reaches the base camp of Phulawasipata at 4 600 m.a.s.l.. From there, the trek will begin until the Rainbow Mountain, which is located at 5 036 m.a.s.l., in front of the great Ausangate Mountain, the highest mountain in Cusco, in the Vilcanota mountain range.

How long should you walk?
To get to the Rainbow Mountain you must make a walk between 1 hour to 2 hours.
Remember that reaching it is not a competition, each traveler will make the walk at their own pace, according to their physical condition and acclimatization degree.
If it becomes too difficult, you will have the option of taking a horse, the price of the horse is S/. 100.00 (USD 35.00).

What to take to the Rainbow mountain

Being a difficult walk (it is difficult not so much for the walk but for the altitude), organizing your backpack is one of the most important aspects. Here we show you what you should bring:

• Water
• Snacks
• Coca leaves: help with the headache (if you do not like coca leaves too much you can bring coca candy)
• Lemon candies: Help if you feel nauseous during the walk
• Chocolate bars: Help with dizziness
• Trekking shoes
• Medium backpack
• Trekking pants
• Dry Fit T-shirt
• Walking sticks
• Cap or hat
• Gloves
• Sunscreen
• Toilet paper
• Personal medications: Any specific medication you consume should take it with you, eg: Inhalers
• Extra money: If you forgot to take any of the mentioned items, you can buy it during the walk, although it will cost a little more
• Extra change of clothes: Especially in the rainy season; you will leave these clothes in the car during the walk, if it rains and you end up soaked, when you return to the car you must change your clothes so as not to get pneumonia, it should not be a special type of clothing, in the last case it could be a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, only to return to Cusco.

Best time to go to the Rainbow Mountain

Cusco presents 2 very marked seasons, the dry season and the rainy season.
The best time to visit the Mountain of 7 Colors is the dry season, the days are mostly sunny and with very little chance of rain, with some exceptions. It is the season that receives the largest number of visitors, in which up to 3000 visitors arrive per day.
The Mountain of 7 Colors is so famous, that even in the rainy season it receives the visit of up to 2000 visitors per day.

Routes to the Rainbow Mountain

To reach the Rainbow Mountain there are 2 routes:
Pitumarca: It is the traditional route, previously it was very used, initially the cars arrived until Quesyuno, and the walk lasted 5 hours. Then the vehicular route was extended and reached Pampachiri, the walk lasted 3 hours. Now the route has been extended much more, such that on this route the walk is only 45 minutes, although the vehicular road is much longer and it is necessary to pay tolls, that is why visiting the Mountain on this route is more expensive and Very few people use it. Approximately 100 people arrive on the mountain on this route.
Cusipata: It is the alternate route created approximately 2 years ago. After the detour through Cusipata, you enter on a trip of 1 hour to the base camp in Phulawasipata, from there the walk to the mountain lasts between 1 to 2 hours. It is the most used route receiving daily between 2500 to 3000 visitors.

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