The Ultimate Guide to Rainbow Mountain (Montaña Vinicunca) Peru (2025)
Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, Winikunka, Montaña de Siete Colores (Mountain of Seven Colors), or Montaña de Colores, has seen a massive growth in tourism since the glacier covering the area melted in 2015 due to global warming. It has quickly become one of the must-see attractions in Peru.
Table of Contents
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Best time to visit Vinicunca (Winikunka)
- Altitude
- What to Bring
- How to Book a Tour
- How to get to Rainbow Mountain From Cusco Without a Tour
- Hike to the Viewpoint
- Important Travel Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Best time to visit Vinicunca (Winikunka)
The best time to visit Vinicunca (Winikunka) is during the dry season from April – September. For the best weather- and the most tourists- visit in July and August, which is the peak tourist season for Peru. This is also the best time to visit Machu Picchu, so check out my Ultimate Guide to Visiting Machu Picchu and The Best Time of Year to Visit Machu Picchu to fully plan your trip to Peru!
Clear, sunny days reveal the vibrant colors of the landscape. Cloudy days tend to mute the colors, and it’s not uncommon for the whole peak to be shrouded in mist and rain.
The shoulder seasons are in March and October, which offer a good balance between good weather and number of tourists. However, there’s still a chance of clouds, rain, or even snow because of the high altitude.
Avoid visiting during the rainy season from November – February, when the chances of good visibility of the colors are much lower and there is a high likelihood of snow covering the mountain.
Altitude
Vinicunca stands more than 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) above sea level, which is more than half of Mount Everest! It is highly advisable to spend a few days in Cusco (11,152 feet / 3,399 meters) to acclimatize to high altitudes before attempting to visit Rainbow Mountain. Altitude sickness can affect anyone regardless of age or fitness level.
It might be useful to bring some coca leaves to help with the altitude. If you are in Cusco, one of the best places to get it is the San Pedro Market. They are sold in bags of varying sizes for around 3 soles (less than $1 USD). You will also need to buy an alkaline substance to chew with the cocoa leaves known as Llipt’a or Yipta. This can vary between sodium bicarbonate, lime, or quinoa ash, and promotes the extraction of the alkaloids from the coca leaf and thus increases its effect. It is also really cheap and you only need a small amount.
If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, or suffer from diabetes, it’s not recommended to chew coca leaves.
Furthermore, for the first few days you’re in Cusco, take it easy on the alcohol. Drinking will make the altitude symptoms worse. Drink water instead.
What to Bring
The weather conditions at Vinicunca (Winikunka) are unpredictable and change quickly due to the high altitude. Even if it is sunny, it can still be pretty cold up there. Bring several layers including a coat. While rain is common, it’s the fierce wind that makes it really cold, especially on the top of the mountain at the viewpoint.
In addition to a coat, it is recommended to bring a rain jacket, sunglasses, sunscreen, good trekking shoes, and plenty of water. If you have long hair, bring a hair tie because the wind is crazy.
Also bring cash– to pay your taxi driver, tip your tour guide, pay the entrance fee, pay to use the toilet, to buy snacks and water, etc.
- Coat
- Beanie
- Rain jacket
- Sunglasses
- Sunblock
- Hiking shoes
- Hair tie
- Water
- Snacks
- Cash
How to Book a Tour
Every tour agency in Cusco offers a tour to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka), with photos and signs posted on every street corner. There is no reason to book this tour beforehand because unlike Machu Picchu, there are no permits required and no limits to the amount of daily visitors. In fact, booking this tour from some online tour agency will be far more expensive than booking in person when you arrive in Cusco.
The cost of this tour is around 100-120 soles per person, or about $30 – $35. Anything more than this is a rip off. If you search online for a tour, the prices are around $100, which is astronomical. Peru is a cheap place and $100 is a crazy price to pay for really anything in Peru, especially a group day tour. Also, feel free to bargain with the travel agents. Most things in this country run on the barter system.
If you choose to go with a tour, here is a typical schedule for a day trip to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka)
- Hotel pick-up between 4am – 5am (some tours leave a little later, around 6am – 7am)
- Drive for two hours
- Breakfast stop for 30-45 mins
- Drive for 1.5 hours to Rainbow Mountain parking lot
- Walk along trail to the viewpoint (1.5 – 2 hours)
- Stay at viewpoint for 30 minutes
- Walk trail back to tour bus (1 hour)
- Drive for 1.5 hours and have a lunch stop
- Drive back to Cusco
How to get to Rainbow Mountain From Cusco Without a Tour
The easiest way is to get a taxi in Cusco to take you all the way there and back. If you are staying in a hostel, try to get a group together to split the cost of the taxi. This should cost around 300 soles (~$80 USD), which is quite reasonable if you split it among a few people.
Pro tip: Aim to arrive at Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka) around noon, because that is when the tour groups will be leaving, so there will be significantly fewer people on the trail and at the viewpoint.
The cheapest way is to use a combination of colectivos (public transit) and taxis.
Step 1: Get on a colectivo between 8am – 9am towards Ocongate.
Tell the driver you want to get off at Checacupe (2 hours). It will cost 7-8 soles one way ($2). In Cusco, the colectivos hang out just opposite the hospital on Avenida Tomasa Tito Condemayla and leave every hour.
Step 2: Get a taxi in Checacupe
The colectivo will drop you off on the main road where you’ll see a taxi stand. Here you can barter with a taxi to take you to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka). It should cost between 100-120 soles (~$27 – $32 USD). The drive is about 2 hours.
Confirm with the taxi driver that they will drive you there, wait for you while you hike the mountain, and bring you back to Checacupe.
Tip: Checacupe is a little town. You can find a public toilet for 1 sole ($0.27) and some little shops to pick up some snacks. The tour companies also stop by here.
Step 3: Hike Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka)
You should arrive by 12pm – 1pm (if you left Cusco around 8am – 9am). You will see the tour groups heading back down the trail to leave.
The entrance fee is 30 soles (~$8), which you will pay on arrival. There are very basic bathrooms, which cost 1 sole to use.
Additionally, you can pay for a horse to take you up the trail to the viewpoint if needed.
Step 4: Head back to Checacupe
Aim to take your taxi back to Checacupe no later than 4pm so that you’re not hiking down in the dark.
Step 5: Bus back to Cusco
Once the taxi takes you back to the small town of Checacupe, you will get a colectivo back to Cusco. The colectivos will be on the same main road that you arrived on. If in doubt, let your taxi driver know and he’ll tell you where to stand to catch the colectivo to Cusco.
Hike to the Viewpoint
The total length of the hike from the parking area to the viewpoint is only 5-7km, with most of it being relatively flat. However, the final stretch of the hike has a steeper incline, and combined with the altitude, it’s pretty challenging.
The hike will take between 1.5 – 2 hours on the way up, and 45 minutes to an hour on the way back.
The trail is easy to follow and most guides will simply leave their tour members to walk alone at their own pace. There are no trees or vegetation, so you just follow the trail all the way up. You can see the viewpoint from the parking lot.
You can rent a horse for a steep price of 100 soles (~$27 USD) at any point along the way to take you closer to the summit if you are struggling. However, it is important to note that the horses will not take you all the way up – you will still have to hike the steepest portion up to the viewpoint at the end.
If you think that for weight or health reasons that the only way you can physically make it up Rainbow Mountain is with a horse, then I’d strongly encourage you to consider whether it’s safe (or smart) for you to be doing this tour in the first place. 17,000 feet of altitude is no joke. Also, think of the horses- the altitude affects them too, and I can’t imagine doing it with weight on my back.
Important Travel Tips
If you are worried about altitude sickness, you might want to pay for a tour group. Some tour companies are equipped with oxygen masks and first aid kits on hand should anyone need them.
The journey to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca/ Winikunka) takes several hours, so it’s important to choose a day to visit with good, clear weather. Generally speaking, if it’s raining in Cusco, it’s probably snowing in the mountains, and you should go on a different day.
Unlike most other tourist attractions, getting here early in the morning will not be the best time to arrive. Most tours aim to leave by noon, making the afternoon less busy and therefore more enjoyable.
Pro Tip: There’s an incredible place called the Red Valley, which is down a trail away from the main viewpoint. Its about a 30-45 minute hike/walk, but the views are stunning. You will have to pay an extra ~10 soles to the guy waiting at the end of the trail, but it is so worth it.
Check out my video on YouTube of my experience visiting Rainbow Mountain!
