Today we visited Vinicunca Mountain, better known as Rainbow Mountain or Seven Colors Mountain.
Vinicunca
Vinicunca Mountain is the second most visited destination in Peru after Machu Picchu. It takes about three hours to get there by van. This 5,036-meter-high mountain is located next to the Red Valley and the 6,384-meter-high Ausangate snow-capped mountain.
Although more than twenty different shades can be seen, it owes its name to the seven colors of the Cuzco flag.
At 4:20 a.m., we are picked up. We booked the excursion at our accommodation. We have the same guide who accompanied us to Soraypampa.
Vinicunca
We stopped for breakfast at 8 a.m. at the same restaurant where we would later have lunch. Breakfast and lunch are included in the tour price.
Both are buffet style and the food is very tasty.
When you arrive at the Vinicunca mountain parking lot, you have to pay the community entrance fees, which are 20 soles per person for foreigners.
There are four options for climbing Vinicunca Mountain: the first is on foot (which is what we did), on horseback (50 soles), by motorbike (70 soles), or by quad bike, or “cuatrimoto” as they call it here.
As always, we recommend that you do it on foot. Yes, it takes more effort, but your body will thank you for it, and you will be less likely to suffer from altitude sickness, or “soroche” as they call it in Peru.
You may be interested in how to prevent altitude sickness
Vinicunca
There is a small market in the parking lot where you can buy water, snacks, and souvenirs. There are also restrooms.
We begin our hike at a slow pace. It is a sunny day and even hot despite the altitude. We have about two and a half hours to enjoy this wonderful environment.
It takes us about 40 minutes to reach the viewpoint at the top of Vinicunca Mountain. The views are spectacular, the colors of the layered minerals are amazing, it looks like a movie set. The colors are quite vivid.
The views of the snow-capped Ausangate are also impressive.
Ausangate
There are many tourists at the viewpoint. There are also locals selling food and drinks, and even llamas dressed up in costumes so you can take a photo with them for a donation.
If you've reached the top in less than an hour and you're feeling well, we recommend you also visit the Red Valley.
Red Valley
Red Valley
To enter, you have to descend a few metres down Vinicunca Mountain until you reach a checkpoint where you have to pay a fee of 30 soles per person for foreigners. This additional fee is paid because the community that manages that part of the valley is different from the one that manages Vinicunca.
The path up is much flatter and easier than that of Vinicunca Mountain. To appreciate the Red Valley, you have to climb up to the hill. The views are once again breathtaking.
Red Valley
The route is circular, so you don't have to return to Vinicunca Mountain to get back to the car park. In total, it is 9 km and 450 metres of elevation gain.
Map
We return to the car park and go for lunch. The food is delicious.
We arrive in Cuzco at 5 pm and are dropped off at San Francisco Square. In San Francisco Square itself, there is a courtyard with a craft market. You can also use the toilet for 1 sol.
Our friends Eva and Rubén have recommended a vegan restaurant in Cuzco, and we go there for dinner. It's called Green Point.
Green Point
The restaurant is located in a beautiful courtyard decorated down to the last detail, as if it were a garden in the middle of the city. We ordered Andean quinoa cake and roasted leeks with garlic and pistachio béchamel sauce, which were amazing. For dessert, we had a pisco sour, which we had been meaning to try for a while. Pisco is a typical Peruvian drink made from pisco, lime and egg white. All for 163 soles.
Accommodation: Big Vacation Hostel, double room with bathroom and breakfast, $19/night
Excursion to Seven Colours Mountain: $18/person, including breakfast and lunch
Dinner at Green Point restaurant: Andean quinoa and roasted leeks with garlic and pistachio béchamel sauce and pisco sour: 163 soles
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