Vinicunca — the Rainbow Mountain — sits at 5,036 m in the Andes about 100 km south of Cusco. The stripes are mineral deposits (iron, sulfur, chlorite, copper) exposed when the glacier that used to cover the ridge retreated between 2013 and 2015.
Day tours from Cusco include a 3-hour drive to the trailhead at Phulawasipata, breakfast, the 5 km round-trip hike, lunch, and the drive back. The hike itself gains 350 m, which doesn’t sound like much until you remember the altitude. Horses are available for the uphill section if you’d rather ride.
Peruways runs the trip with Spanish-English guides and times the departure to reach the viewpoint before the main tour-bus crowd. Book at Peruways and spend 2–3 nights in Cusco first — altitude at Vinicunca will catch anyone who skips acclimatization.
