From Cusco: Rainbow Mountain Guided Hike With Hotel Pickup, Breakfast and Lunch

Guided day trip to Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley with pick-up, meals, and an expert bilingual guide.

This is a full-day experience with transport, meals, and guided support provided throughout the day.

Getting started

Begin your day with pick-up from your accommodation in Cusco and board the private, comfortable bus that will take you toward Rainbow Mountain. On the way, you stop for a local breakfast to prepare for the high-altitude trek. Your professional English and Spanish-speaking Rainbow Mountain expert guide outlines the plan for the day as you continue by bus toward the main trailhead.

What to expect

Rainbow Mountain area

Your main destination is the famous Rainbow Mountain area in the Peruvian Andes, where mineral-rich layers create the mountain’s striped appearance. This is where you complete the guided trek up to the main viewpoint.

Features

• With entrance to the main Rainbow Mountain Area included, you follow your expert English and Spanish-speaking guide along the established trail to the top of Rainbow Mountain, taking in views of the surrounding Andes as you gain altitude.
• A local breakfast and later a local buffet lunch are provided during the outing, so you can focus on the trek itself rather than arranging meals in remote villages.
• Private, comfortable bus transport throughout the day connects Cusco, the breakfast stop, the trailhead, and lunch location, and oxygen tanks are carried for any emergencies at altitude.
• If you prefer extra support, optional horseback assistance is available from local handlers for S/70–S/90, paid in cash and subject to a weight limit of approximately 80 kg or 176 lb.

Red Valley

Red Valley is an adjoining Andean valley known for its iron-rich red terrain, which many travelers visit after Rainbow Mountain as an additional hike and viewpoint.

Features

• Your Rainbow Mountain expert guide, fluent in English and Spanish, can lead those who opt in along the Red Valley paths so you can see the contrast between the red slopes and the surrounding peaks.
• Entry to Red Valley is not included in the base tour; if you choose to add it, the optional Red Valley entrance is paid in cash at the gate for S/30, which is about 8 US dollars per person.
• The same private bus transport used for Rainbow Mountain is your base for storing extra layers and meeting the group again after the Red Valley extension, keeping the logistics straightforward.
• Oxygen tanks for emergencies remain available with the guiding team throughout the high-altitude portion of the experience, including the optional Red Valley section.