Rainbow Mountain And Red Valley 2 Days

DAY 1, Cusco – Pitumarca – Quesiuno – Anantapata – Surine Qocha

To start this Adventure of Rainbow Mountain 2 Days, our team will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 5:00am, then, we will drive to Pitumarca where we’ll stop for our breakfast, you will also be available to buy some items for your trek. Afterwards we continue our drive to the trailhead for another hour, there we’ll have enough time to pack our stuff before begin our hike, also we’ll meet our team.

We will start our hike with an incredible view of the Ausangate, this is one of the highest mountains around the Vilcanota range and considerate as a deity for the local people. After a few hours hike on the green valley surrounded by Lamas, Alpacas, and other while animals we will reach the Anantapata where we will enjoy our lunch, after a rest we continue ascending to the first pas of this day to reach Warmisaya pass 5020m / 16,469 ft. From this point, we will have a splendid view of the Apu Ausangate again and the spectacular colors of the Rainbow Mountain in the distance. A view that seems to have been taken from a dream!

After enjoying the views at the pass, we’ll start walking down for 45 minutes to our camp located next to the Surine Qocha Lagoon. Upon your arrival, our staff will greet you and show you their tents so you can rest and relax. Later, you’ll enjoy happy hour and dinner before a well-deserved night of rest. — As this is a high-altitude campsite, it is important that you’ve had at least 2-3 days of acclimatization at altitude before starting this hike. It can also get very chilly, so we recommend layers of warm clothing and a -15˚C

Hiking distance: 14 km / 8.45 miles
Minimum altitude: 4,380 masl / 14,370 fasl
Maximum altitude: 5,020 masl / 16,469fasl
Hiking time: 8 – 9 hours

DAY 2, Surina Qocha – Rainbow Mountain – Red Vallley – Cusco

Today is the most awaited day, as we’ll soon discover the beautiful Rainbow Mountain and the spectacular Red Valley! Our trekking team will wake you up very early with a hot coca leaf tea delivered in your tent. Then you’ll pack up your belongings and enjoy a delicious breakfast prepared by our chef.

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll ascent for about 45-1 hours to the viewpoint of the Rainbow Mountain. You’ll have time to explore on your own and dive into mind-blowing views not only of the Rainbow Mountain itself, but also of the snow-capped Apu Ausangate and the other snowy peaks and Andes Mountains that dominate the area. It’s a truly fantastic place that you’ll be able to enjoy before the crowds of tourists arrive. The advantage of our Rainbow Mountain 2-day trek is, we’ll arrive earlier than other companies so you get the 7-Color Mountain or Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain all to yourself!

After some time to rest and take photos of the amazing Rainbow mountain, with its colorful layers of rock sediment: turquoise, orange, brown, and red. In addition to enjoying the gem of the Peruvian Andes, we’ll begin our trek towards the spectacular Red Valley. As mentioned, this is a lesser known, lesser travelled area and you will be amazed not only by the beauty, but also by the tranquility. It only takes 30 minutes of walking to reach the Red Valley lookout point from where we will have views right across the valley.

Finally, we’ll make a 3-3.5 hours descent between ancient Andean communities and herds of llamas. If you’re lucky, you may even spot some vicuñas, a beautiful non-domesticated animal that has coexisted with the inhabitants of Peru since pre-Inca times. Along the way, there will be plenty of beautiful scenery to feast our eyes.

After the delicious final lunch, we’ll say goodbye to our local crew, and then head back to Cusco in our private transport. After Rainbow Mountain 2 Day Trek, we’ll drop you off to the doors of your hotel in the city of Cusco. We should arrive back in Cusco at approximately 4-5 pm.

Hiking distance: 8 km / 4.97 miles
Minimum altitude: 4,250 masl / 13,943 fasl
Maximum altitude: 5,120 masl / 16,830fasl
Hiking time: 5 – 6 hours

We are transparent and provide the specific details of what is included and excluded in our tours. We know this is very important so that you know what exactly to bring and you don’t miss anything. We provide this information to ensure that you have an incredible experience during your trek.

WE INCLUDE

• Pre-Departure briefing :Once you book the tour with us, you will get a notification about the pre-departure briefing, where you will meet with your trekking guide and the tour group in our office the night before your Rainbow mountain and Red Valley trek departure. During this briefing, you will receive important details of the trek. After this time, you will receive your duffle bag for your extra luggage, which will be carried by the horses while you are hiking
• Professional Cultural Guide:All our tour guides have a great reputation in customer service, our tour guide have graduated with tourism career from National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco, they have also studied English in a private language institute. Through to their patience, responsibility, knowledge, passion for trekking and proud to have been born in the land of the Incas, we ensure our guides provide an excellent experience for you when you explore the amazing Rainbow mountain.
• Entrance Fees: Once we receive your details and the deposit for your tour, we purchase all the necessary tickets for your trek it will be for a specific date and will be in your name.
• Accommodations: We include accommodations 1 night along the Rainbow mountain trek, with a suitable camping equipment to make sure your trek is an experience of the life time. Our tents are Mountain gear or Doite pro Aconcagua for 4 people, which will be shared only for 2 people to ensure you comfort and enough place for your luggage. The same way we include Inflatable mattress. There will also be a spacious dining tent for you to enjoy each meal along this tour.
• Private Transport : We included all the transportations during your tour, we will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and take you to the beginning of the trail, the bus returning from the Red Valley to Cusco will drop off you at your hotel.
• Horses : We include horses to transport all the duffle bags and equipment during this tour also will be a horse man. We know safety is first is for that we include an emergency horse in case someone feels tired or get altitude sickness.
• Personal Duffle bag : We included a personal duffle bag for your 2 days Rainbow mountain trek. You will get this duffle bag in our office during your pre-departure briefing the night before of your trek. This bag will be carried by horses during the trek. You will find it in your tent every afternoon you arrive to the campsite. It can be filled with your personal items, sleeping bag and mattress but the maximum allowable weight is 7kg/17lb. The duffle bag must be returned to our office no later than one day after your trek.
• Toilet Tents :During our trek to Rainbow mountain, we bring our own portable toilet tent because we know how important is to protect our environment and we are trained to don’t leave no traces along the route.

     WE NOT INCLUDED

• Water bottle:  Every customer need water during this tour, we will stop in a shop where you can purchase some water bottles and snacks
• Travel Insurance:  We recommend to buy a travel insurance before to leave your country in case something happen along your visit to Peru.
• Tips for our team : Tips are not included. Tipping the team is usual on any excursion to Rainbow mountain, although we pay good salaries to our entire team, tips are welcome as a token of your appreciation for the team hard work.

your personal items. This must include your sleeping bag and air matt (if you bring/rent one). From us these two items weigh 3 kg.

• 1-2 wicking t-shirts
• 1-2 hiking pants
• 2 sets of undergarments.
• 1 Fleece
• 1 Warm, down jacket: gets very cold at night
• 1 Rain jacket and pants
• 1 sun hat
• 1 wool hat
• Bathers / swimsuit for the hot spring
• Small towel
• Headlamp: essential
• Waterproof gloves
• Comfortable shoes for camp or flip flops
• Walking boots
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho

Battery Charger: There is no place to plug in while trekking!

Large plastic bags: to help organize and keep clean from dirty.

Sleeping bag: Recommend down bags for -10C at least

INSIDE YOUR DAY BACKPACK:

Daypack can be any size for hiking, but we always say the smaller, the better. If it is larger try to bring it as lighter as possible.

Water: we supply clean water at each meal. You are responsible for your first morning of water only as we won’t have time to filter water until your first lunch.

• Sun hat
• Rain gear
• Fleece
• Camera
• Music (iPhone)
• Hand sanitizer
• Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
• Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
• Earplugs
• Snacks (chocolate, energy bars, fruits, etc.)

TOILETRIES:

• Sunscreen
• Face moisturizer
• Bug spray
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Toothbrush and paste
• Toilet paper
• Personal medication
• First aid kit: band aids, moleskin, etc.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREK

On the Ausangate trek tour, don’t forget water! Drinking lots of water will help with the elevation. We advise bringing at least 2 liters per person on the hike with you. Also, you will have chance to buy water at the beginning of the trek.

We skip the crowds! Everybody else goes Ausangate trek tour at the same time. That means they’re all want to take the best camping spots on this route.  Since we leave from Cusco at 05:00 am.  You will get to the view point and the camp site before the crowd, and enjoy this fantastic landscape.

Our guide always brings oxygen tank which are important as you get over 4620 meters/15,255feet above sea level! Not all travel agencies offer this, so this is definitely something to look out for when choosing the best Ausangate tour operator.

The best time to visit the Ausangate is going to be in the from April to October before the rainy season begins

The hike on this tour is very demanding. And the constantly changing weather conditions, combined with high altitude, can be a challenge for experienced hikers. But if done right it’s manageable even for those who don’t hike much.

We Recommend

Make sure that you have been a few days in Cusco to acclimatize to the elevation before you set off on your hike to Ausangate Tour. This is by far the best insurance for a smooth and enjoyable trip.

Go to sleep early and try to avoid drinking or partying the night before, because We will pick you up at 05:00 am and the physically challenging trek will be much more bearable without a hangover.

If you have altitude sickness symptoms, descend as quickly as you can. It’s nothing to mess around with.

Try to go all the way to the viewpoint. You get a 360° view not just the Ausangate trek but of the nearby glacier and a gorgeous valley in the other direction. We think most people didn’t realize what they were missing by not going all the way up.

If you are going to Machu Picchu the day before your trip to the Ausangate, tell your travel company to book your return train ticket early.

Higher elevation also means colder, nearly freezing temperatures, so be prepared. Whether you decide to take a one-day tour, make sure to wear very warm clothes. Also bring coca leaves to fight off altitude sickness and carry the minimum gear possible to ease the hike.

• From $180.00 per person
• Price for group of 4 people: $690.00 

Online Payment

To book any tour/trek through with Ausangate Tours, we do require a 50% deposit per person. PayPal does charge us a fee of 8% which we ask the client to cover. This taxes is just for deposits, the remaining, you will pay in cash(briefing day) without taxes