Vinicunca, better known as Rainbow Mountain, is a day trip from Cusco: three hours out to the Pitumarca trailhead, then a two-hour hike up to the 5,200-metre viewpoint and back.
Peruways runs it with a small group, breakfast and lunch at a community kitchen, and horses available on the final push for anyone struggling with altitude. The striped bands — red, ochre, turquoise, yellow — come from iron, copper and sulphur in the sedimentary layers.
Book your Vinicunca day with Peruways. Acclimatise in Cusco for two days first; the viewpoint is high enough that it’s not a day-one activity.
