Peru Archives • Her Life Adventures

The magical mountains of rainbow are located in Cusco, Peru high up in the Andes. The peak of rainbow mountains has an altitude of 17,060 ft / 5,200 m above sea level. The city of Cusco sits at an altitude of (11,152 ft / 3,399 m). The rainbow mountains are called Vinicunca, Winikunka, or Montaña de Siete Colores by Peruvians. If you’re asking yourself “is it worth going to Peru rainbow mountains?” the answer is YES.

Her Life Adventures Rainbow Mountain Peru Trek

Rainbows and mountains are both beautiful. And I’m obsessed with anything colorful/shiny/that sparkles. So when I heard you could hike to a RAINBOW MOUNTAINS in Peru (rainbows + mountains = Chelsea’s favorite things) I knew I had to go.

Visiting Peru’s Rainbow Colored Mountains

I was nervous for the ascent up the mountain- Instead of acclimating like most people I had been sick for a good majority of the trip from the altitude in Cusco (for whatever reason my body absolutely HATES altitude, and anything over 9,000 ft makes me nauseous and uncomfortable). This trek would be pushing my body to limits i’d never pushed it to before- and I worried these beautiful mountains could very well be the death of me.

How do I get to the rainbow mountains?

The morning of the hike starts EARLY, or late if you want to look at it that way- the van picked us up from our Airbnb in Cusco at 2:30 a.m. We all instantly regretted not bringing a pillow for the 3 hour ride ahead of us. Blankets were provided for us, so we attempted to sleep on each other and catch up on some zzz’s (we didn’t get to sleep till 10 p.m after the Machu Picchu trip ). The rough ride made that difficult, and nobody got much sleep. I’m pretty sure there are more speed bumps in Peru than the entire continent of South America…

We arrived at a village 15 minutes from the trailhead where we were fed a light breakfast by the locals. Breakfast consisted of breads, jams/butter, a plate of scrambled eggs, and some tea (it’s highly recommended you drink the coca tea- it will help with the altitude sickness). I was nauseous from the van ride and/or altitude so I skipped breakfast.

When we arrived at the trail head around 6:30 a.m. we were at 14,000 ft and it was cold! Layers on layers was key to this trek. There were locals selling wool gloves, hats, scarves, parkas and other souvenirs- a couple people from the group bought some hats and gloves. We still had 2000 ft in elevation to gain and it was already cold…

You Can Ride Horses to Rainbow Mountains Peak

There were horses for rent that you could ride up the mountain for 60 soles (about $18 USD). SOLD. And that was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Half our group decided to rent horses, while the other half decided to brave the mountain on foot.

Horseback Riding Rainbow Mountain Peru Trek

The horse came with a local guide who led the horse up the mountain for you- these guides were the real heros. They were wearing sandals on their feet- and made the trip up and down the mountain MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, sometimes running past other hikers on the way down.

It was impressive and made me feel like a whimp on my horse- but then I’d try to take a deep breath, and considering I was having a hard time breathing just sitting there, I knew the horse was a wise decision.

Wildlife Along the Vinicunca Trail

Riding the horse up the mountain allowed me to relax, and enjoy all the incredible views along the way. These views included cuteness overload, with thousands of alpaca, llama, and farm animals.

Reaching the Peak

The horses do not go up the last quarter mile of the hike- the mountain is too steep, and the air is too thin- so you know what that meant? It was up to us to make it through the hardest part of the hike. Since we had left at 2:30 in the morning- we were the first tour group to arrive to the mountain.

There was only 4 people in sight, and we had the opportunity to be some of the first people up the mountain that day. So I moved as fast as I could before the other tour groups started arriving to summit. The key was slow and steady, I would take 5 steps and be panting and out of breath.

Is hiking up Peru’s rainbow mountains difficult?

The photo above doesn’t make it look very daunting, does it? I remember being so frustrated I couldn’t breathe, my stomach was rolling with nausea, and I was in tears just 10 feet away from reaching the top. I didn’t think I was going to make it, I thought for sure I was going to die by asphyxiation right there on that mountain in Peru.

When I finally took my last step to the top- I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, trying to catch my breath for a couple minutes. I felt like a fish out of water. Finally my breathing slowed- and as I lifted my head to look up at what I had just worked for- a smile of pure joy spread across my face, and I knew instantly it was all worth it.

**This hike is extremely difficult for all levels of fitness, due to the high altitude and low oxygen levels. Please consult with your physician if you have any questions. It is recommended that hikers do not spend more than 30 minutes at the peak (the air is too thin)**

Arriving at the Peak

Making it to the top of the peak was a huge accomplishment for me. I fought through physical and mental exhaustion not allowing myself to give up (believe me, I wanted to) Everyone cheers each other on at the top, those that’ve reached it, know that it’s those last few steps where people hit their wall and almost give up, and they NEED that encouragement.

We were offered the horses again on the way down. I was confident enough that I could make it down on my own, so I declined the assistance. The trip down as always- was easier than the trip up.

Homemade Peruvian Lunch

When we got to the bottom we were served a homemade authentic Peruvian lunch, and I had no issues stuffing my face this time around. It was after all, Thanksgiving 🦃

The rainbow mountains in Peru is one of the most beautiful places I've visited. The rainbow mountains photography I captured on our 1 day trek will inspire, and make it worth visiting the mountains. My itinerary provides what to wear, outfits, food, how to get there and more. | Her Life Adventures | #rainbow #mountains #peru #photography #outfit #beautiful #places #trek #travel #destinations #food #itinerary

My Peru Crew!

Helpful Hints for Visiting Rainbow Mountains

Our group of 6 did a tour package with Flashpacker Connect- they were awesome, and our guide Johnathon was extremely knowledgeable. Our package was for the 2 day inca trail hike, 1 day Machu Picchu, and 1 day in the rainbow mountains. They provided transportation to and from each expedition, an over night stay after the inca trail in the town aquas calientes, and a good majority of our meals.

If you are concerned with the altitude, please consult with your doctor before your trek

The mountain trek takes place above 4000 meters; the terrain is challenging, and weather is unpredictable ranging from hot and humid to rain and wind. Hikers should be in reasonable shape, and healthy. Ensure you have proper gear and be prepared for variable weather conditions throughout the day.

Wondering what to bring on your rainbow mountains hike?

Checklist for what to bring on Rainbow Mountain Peru Trek — **Sign up to my email list to receive your FREE Rainbow Mountain Packing Checklist!**

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One Day Guide to Lima, Peru
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When we arrived in Peru- it was late, it was dark, and we’d been traveling for over 14 hours. Fortunately for me, I had slept the entire flight like I do most flights, so I was awake and ready to take on this new city! We made our way through the crowd (I say crowd but it was more like a sea of sweaty humans) of cab drivers to the exit.

Lima is the capital of Peru, and the airport was bustling at 9:30 p.m. like you would expect to see at 7:00 a.m. back in the states. We were immediately approached by several men screaming TAXI! My travel partner spoke about 3 words of spanish- but looks like he could be of Latin American decent- so as I responded to them in broken but decent spanish- they answered back in spanish… to my partner, completely ignoring me, despite his attempt at “no hablo espanol”. The whole interaction was frustrating and humorous at the same time. Eventually we “bargained a deal” (we totally got hosed) and we were loading our backpacks into the cab to check in at our AirBnb in Miraflores (along with a Swedish backpacker hitching a cab with us). Take it from a couple travelers that learned the hard way- DO NOT pay more than 50 soles for a cab from the airport, I’m not even going to tell you how much we paid because it will just upset me. Thank goodness we had an incredible AirBnb waiting for us to do some cheering up 🙂

You can do A LOT in 24 hours, and when you’re traveling on a roundtrip ticket-you make sure you do as much as you can in the time that you have. So whether you’re in Lima as a stopover until you head to Macchu Picchu like we were, or this is your final destination … here’s how I spent MY 24 hours in Lima.

PAN DE LA CHOLA

Starting my morning with coffee is a must, so the first stop of the day is almost always somewhere with coffee. This adorable shop was a perfect first stop to fuel up for the day. From tasty treats to savory sandwiches, Pan de la Chola of Miraflores is said to be Lima’s best panaderia. The sandwich breads are baked from local grown grains like kiwicha and my personal favorite- quinoa! Get anything with avocado- you can’t go wrong, I’m pretty sure the avocados in Peru are all magical. I had this sugary, soft croissant type pastry and a Peruvian latte (I also sampled off my friends plates) everything I had was delicious.

EL MALECON

This is a six mile stretch of parks that winds along the coastline with breathtaking views the entire way. The parks are so pretty, and the fitness vibes of the city are abundant along here- there’s paved running and biking paths surrounded by beautiful flower gardens and built in workout equipment. People everywhere were either working out or walking their dogs (the dog watching of pure breds is more fun then people watching). We watched locals playing soccer in one park, while we made our way to the lighthouse. As we passed through the parque del amor i’m not sure what I liked more, the colorful mosaic walls, or the romantic love quotes they were covered in?

Logan lost his mind when he got to pet his dream dog for the first time

MAC MUSEO DE ARTE CONTEMPORANEO

My love for contemporary art grows with each new museum I visit. Located just at the entrance of the Barranco district, MAC was my first international contemporary art museum visit. It was a little on the small side- with bright, colorful pieces, the artists were all Peruvian or Latin American. I’m an amateur photographer, and i’m always looking for unique opportunities to practice, this was a perfect opportunity! For 10 soles ($3 USD) it was time to take a break from the crazy city and better yet- support the local community.

AMORAMAR

Barranco was my favorite district for many reasons, and the food was just one of them. Amoramar has an outdoor bar and dining area with a mix of peruvian and mediterranean type dishes (yes they have Ceviche and pisco sours). Dine like royalty, for an affordable price. We went family style- and just ordered a ton of random dishes to pass around the table so everyone could try a little bit of everything. It’s a little on the fancier side so I wouldn’t recommend showing up in your yoga pants (even though you’ll eat so much you’ll wish you had). In the order in which we ate them, check out all the deliciousness we ate.

OCEAN SUNSETS

What better way to wrap up your day then a stunning oceanfront sunset? There’s really no bad spot along the coast to watch the day come to an end. We walked off our food babies down to the beach a little early and watched the surfers catch the waves as the sun went down behind them for a 2 for 1 show. And I gave Dan a new photo tradition of me running away from the waves before they get me (which puts me up to 3 total photos (all different trips)).