Is Rainbow Mountain Worth It? What I Wish I Knew Before Visiting
Read on for my honest take on Peru’s Rainbow Mountain
It is without a doubt one of the most recommended sites to visit in all of Peru, but is Rainbow Mountain worth it?
As it takes several hours to drive to Rainbow Mountain and back, and with many tourists suffering from altitude sickness during the hike, it’s understandable that you may consider skipping this site from your Peru itinerary.
Having hiked to Rainbow Mountain during my trip to Peru in April, I’m the perfect travel blogger to provide you with all the details on what to expect.
In this blog post I’ll give you my honest opinion as to whether Rainbow Mountain is honestly worth visiting or not, and what I wish I had known in retrospect.
Plan Your Trip With My Recommended Resources:
🚆Bus or Train: Bookaway is a great resource for tickets
🏨 Accommodation: I always use Booking.com
🚙 Rental Car: Discover Cars has the best car rental prices
❤️ Travel Insurance: I recommend using Visitors Coverage
✈️ Flights: Kiwi.com has the best prices on flights
📱eSIM: Airalo has a fantastic range of eSIMs
Is Rainbow Mountain Worth It?
Despite having concerns about visiting Rainbow Mountain, I can say that it is 100% worth visiting!
Not only is the mountain itself an incredible sight, but the surrounding vistas are breath-taking to say the least, and the day trip there remains one of my most treasured memories from my time in Peru.
I would go so far as to say that Rainbow Mountain was second only to Machu Picchu in terms of the most spectacular places I visited in Peru.
Having said that, there’s a lot that I wish I known before visiting Rainbow Mountain – the hike is far from easy ,and altitude sickness is a real concern.
What I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Rainbow Mountain
Despite the jaw-dropping beauty and stunning scenery of Rainbow Mountain, there are plenty of things I wish I knew before visiting. Let’s take a look at what those are:
The Hike is Surprisingly Difficult
I honestly didn’t expect the hike to Rainbow Mountain to be so difficult, but it is! This is due to the high elevation of the area, with the mountain being over 5,000 metres above sea level.
Although the hike to the mountain is only three kilometres and not very steep, I found myself seriously short of breath at times, and it became difficult to continue walking as I approached Rainbow Mountain.
So don’t underestimate the difficulty level of the hike as I did! Even if you have plenty of hiking experience, the elevation level makes the hike surprisingly more difficult than expected.
👉 Check out my YouTube vlog to see just how difficult I found climbing Rainbow Mountain:
Harsh Weather Conditions
When I started my hike to Rainbow Mountain, I was surprised and disappointed to experience quite harsh weather conditions.
It was rainy and foggy with very low visibility levels – at times I couldn’t see where the hiking trail was heading! Thankfully, the clouds parted and blue skies appeared overhead as I neared the viewing platform at Rainbow Mountain.
If I had started my hike early (as all of the group tours do), then I wouldn’t have seen Rainbow Mountain in all its glory. I would have been so disappointed if that were the case!
👉 Pro Tip: I recommend checking the weather conditions for the day you plan to visit Rainbow Mountain and keep your itinerary flexible in case it is forecasted to be cloudy or have low visibility.
I also recommend visiting Rainbow Mountain later in the day rather than early in the morning. Temperatures will be higher the later you visit, meaning you have a better chance of cloud and therefore better visibility conditions.
Lots of Tourists
Despite visiting Rainbow Mountain later in the day instead of early morning when many group tours visit, there was still a large number of tourists at the first viewing platform in front of the mountain.
However, I still recommend visiting later in the day when the number of tourists will be lower. If you take a group tour early in the day, the site will be heaving with tourists, all busy getting that perfect selfie with the mountain.
My Advice For Climbing Rainbow Mountain
Now that I’ve answered whether Rainbow Mountain is worth it and explained what I wish I knew before visiting, let me give you some more final advice:
Don’t Visit With a Group Tour
If I have one piece of advice that I hope you take away from reading this blog post more than anything else, it is this: don’t visit Rainbow Mountain with a group tour.
Although visiting with a guide is more interesting, it’s honestly not worth it in my opinion.
If you take a group tour, you’ll have a very early start, there will be more tourists, and if the weather isn’t great, the mountain may be completely obstructed from view.
Book a private driver
Instead of visiting Rainbow Mountain with a group tour, I decided to book a private driver, which is fairly easy to do – just ask at your hotel.
This is a more expensive option than booking a group tour – I paid £65, whereas you can find group tours for as cheap as £50. But in my opinion, it is worth paying a little extra.
Pros of visiting Rainbow Mountain without a tour:
- No need to wake up so early! Most group tours leave Cusco at 4 am, while I left Cusco with my private driver at 8 am.
- Better chance of fewer tourists at the top of Rainbow Mountain.
- Less time constraints – my driver was flexible with how much time I could spend hiking to the mountain and back.
Only Visit If You’re In Good Physical Condition
I spent months at my local gym on the climb stair machine in preparation for my trip to Peru and didn’t expect Rainbow Mountain to be challenging, but I was wrong!
Even if, like me, you believe you’re in good physical condition, you may still very much be affected by altitude sickness when climbing Rainbow Mountain.
So if you’re not in the best physical shape, the hike will be doubly challenging, to be honest.
Take Plenty of Snacks And Water
Although there are a few stalls at the start of the trail (and at the viewing point) selling a few basic snacks and drinks, I recommend bringing your own instead.
Make sure to bring plenty of protein bars and other snacks with you during the hike; otherwise, you’ll regret it! And bringing plenty of water with you is a no-brainer.
Take Cash With You
It’s worth taking some extra cash with you just in case. I was told that I would have to pay 20-25 Soles at the start of the trail, but this wasn’t the case for me when I started the hike.
There are also locals with Llamas wearing sunglasses (super cute!), and you may be tempted to take a photo with the Llamas, so you’ll need to tip.
Take Your Time
With altitude sickness a real issue for many people when hiking the trail to Rainbow Mountain, my advice is to take your time.
There is no point in rushing your hike; the natural scenery along the way is stunning and you’ll want to take your time appreciating every second of it.
This is another drawback of visiting Rainbow Mountain as part of a tour – you’ll be under time constraints.
However, if you visit the site by yourself, you can take as long as you want in theory. Just make sure to agree with your drive a rough estimate of when you’ll return to the start of the trail.
Hike To The Red Mountain
One of my biggest regrets about my visit to Rainbow Mountain is not hiking to the Red Mountain.
You’ll see a signpost that reads: ‘Roja Montana‘ when you get close to reaching Rainbow Mountain, and you’ll see a trail that goes to your right that leads to the Red Mountain, while the trail to your left continues to Rainbow Mountain.
From the signpost, the trail to Red Mountain is just over 1 kilometre away, and the views there are supposed to be stunning.
Whether you decide to hike to Red Mountain before or after hiking to Rainbow Mountain depends on your fitness.
I was too tired from my hike to Rainbow Mountain and decided to skip Red Mountain, knowing that I had to hike all the way back down the trail once again.
Get Your Passport Stamped
If, like me, you enjoy collecting random passport stamps, then make sure to take your passport with you when visiting Rainbow Mountain.
You’ll see a few locals during the hike with passport stamp signs who will happily stamp your passport in return for a small tip.
Rainbow Mountain FAQs
Still not sure about visiting Rainbow Mountain? That’s completely understandable! Allow me to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about this unique sight in Peru:
How far is Rainbow Mountain from Cusco?
From Cusco, the start of the trail to Rainbow Mountain is over 130 kilometres away (roughly 80-85 miles). and takes around 3 hours by car.
It is possible to get there quicker, but expect traffic when leaving and returning to Cusco, which can slow down the journey.
How long does it take to hike to Rainbow Mountain?
With a total distance of seven kilometres, you can expect the hike to take around 1-2 hours each way, depending on your fitness level and how well you cope with the high altitude.
As mentioned earlier, I found the hike to be surprisingly difficult at times, and I recommend taking as much time as possible to reach the mountain and then returning down the trail.
Are there toilet facilities on the Rainbow Mountain trail?
Yes, there are very basic toilet facilities just after the start of the trail at Rainbow Mountain, which are free to use.
Don’t expect good conditions, however – I had to wash my hands in a bucket outside the toilet, the sanitation system isn’t great to say the least.
Can you buy food at Rainbow Mountain?
Yes, there are one or two food stalls at the start of the trail, but don’t expect much – just snacks, drinks, and basic sandwiches.
There were also one or two locals selling snacks at the first viewing point of Rainbow Mountain, including items like Snickers bars, Pringles, and drinks.
I advise bringing plenty of your own snacks and water the day before your trip, and take them with you.
Can you get Altitude Sickness at Rainbow Mountain?
Yes, you can! I saw several people suffering from altitude sickness at Rainbow Mountain and even suffered with it myself at times during the hike.
With Rainbow Mountain being over 5,00 metres above sea level, it is very common to get altitude sickness.
My advice is to take your time during the hike, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and spend several days acclimatising to the altitude in Cusco before attempting to hike Rainbow Mountain.
How bright are the colours of Rainbow Mountain?
This all depends on how sunny it is when you visit! If it’s a really bright and sunny day, then the colours of Rainbow Mountain will really shine and look magnificent.
However, if it’s an overcast, cloudy day, then the mountain colours will look somewhat dull and disappointing – another reason to visit later in the day!
Conclusion: Is Rainbow Mountain Worth It?
Despite the long day of travel, the possibility of altitude sickness and poor visibility, Rainbow Mountain should most definitely be on your Peru itinerary – it is simply unmissable!
Definitely make sure to save one day for hiking there, along with all the other must-see places in Peru, including Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo in my opinion.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post and that it has helped answer all your queries about this magnificent site. Is Rainbow Mountain worth it? Absolutely!
➡️ Planning your trip? Here are my favourite resources:
🏨 Accommodation: I recommend using Booking.com
🚙 Rental Car: Use Discover Cars for the best car rental prices
❤️ Travel Insurance: I recommend using Visitors Coverage
✈️ Flights: Use Kiwi.com for the best prices on flights
