Best Time to Go to the Rainbow Mountain

Welcome to this blog today I am going to tell you what you need to know about the mountain of seven colors or rainbow mountain located in Cusco, Peru so now stay with us. It is important to know that the mountain of seven colors does not bear that name originally, the name of this mountain is Wini Kunka even the inhabitants call it Cerro Colorado, however, this mountain has become so famous that it has adopted the name of the mountain of seven colors due to the colors it wears and wonder why the mountain has these colors? the mountain has these colors due to the minerals that it possesses in the first stages of earth this mountain was covered by the sea and when the mountain range was formed it was covered by snow when the snow melted as a result of climate change is where they began colors appear in this mountain because it is composed of layers of clay, iron, magnesium, calcium, sulfur and if we add the height of 5200 meters above sea level, it makes this mountain unique in the world.
Currently, there are two routes to do this walk, the first is through the town of Pitumarca and the second is through the town of Cusipata, any of the routes you choose will have the option of doing it on your own or with an agency. I particularly recommend that you take the route through Cusipata, the walking time is shorter than 2 hours on average.
To go to the mountain of colors, the first thing that must be done is to acclimatize the body, for which it is advisable to be in the city of Cusco at least 1 day before.

Best Season to Climb the Mountain of 7 Colors

In Cusco there are two very marked seasons: the dry season and the rainy season, these two seasons are typical of the highlands of Peru because they are located in the Andes mountain range, which means that there are marked climates throughout the southern part of Peru. Between the months of April to November is the dry season, however, it does not mean that there are not some eventual fluvial precipitations at this time. The rainy season usually starts from November to March, for which we ask that if you have a trip planned between these months, take the appropriate precautions.

How to climb Rainbow Mountain

Then we can in both cases climb the mountain of colors

Vinicunca Mountain on your own

To go to Vinicunca on your own, the first thing you have to do is put together your own itinerary, for which the first thing is to know the transportation and the places to have breakfast and lunch. Well, let’s start very early.
You will have to wake up between 3:00 am to 3:30 am and you will go to the Sicuani bus station, which is located on Av Huayruropata, here you will board the bus to the town of Cusipata, the travel time is approximately 1 hour and a half, in this place you can have breakfast and stock up on some things for the road as well as go to the toilets, in Cusipata you will have to take a collective car to the town of Phulawasipata, which is where the walk begins, in this place you will have to buy the entrance ticket to the mountain of colors that has a cost of 15 for national tourists and 20 soles for foreigners, if you have some inconveniences to make the walk you can rent a horse and muleteer for the cost is 30 soles however the muleteer and the horse will leave you about 20 minutes from the mountain of colors, it is important to know that you cannot enter the mountain of colors but you will be able to appreciate it from the front of said mountain for which you will have to We had to keep going up to be able to appreciate all the beauty of Rainbow Mountain. At the top, you can also see part of the Vilcanota mountain range and the Ausangate mountain, one of the highest mountains in Peru and in fact highly revered by the locals. After contemplating the Vinicunca mountain you will have to return by the same path. I recommend that you return before 3 in the afternoon so that you can find lunch in Cusipata.

Vinicunca Mountain by Agency

If you don’t have a lot of time to organize your itinerary, buying a tour is a good option, an agency will save you a lot of time on your trip to the mountain of colors. The agency tour starts around 3:00 a.m. or 3:30 a.m. until you arrive at Cusipáta around 7:30 in the morning to have breakfast and stock up on some things once you have finished breakfast the mobility takes you to a town of Phulawasipata it is there where the trek will begin on the return also the tour will take you to take to Cusipata for lunch, the tour will cost you between 80 and 90 soles which includes breakfast, lunch, mobility, and guidance throughout the walk.

Recommendations for Climbing the Mountain of Colors

First of all, you must carry a backpack and I did not think much about it and in this one, you have to carry them and a bottle of water, candy, sunglasses, sunscreen, nuts or chocolate.
Bring waterproof clothing in case it rains and obviously, your camera or your cell phone, your shoes have to be mud, water, rock and slip-proof, that is, they have to be trekking shoes, do not wear those flat-soled shoes, try to dress in layers now that during the walk you will get warm but there are also times when it will be cold especially when you are at the top it is very cold the air is really cold all of a sudden in the face so you have to wear a scarf that covers your expenses, also wear a hat or a chullo that keeps your head warm on the way to the vinicunca mountain.
The walk has three well-marked ascents, the first will occur in the first hour, the second in the middle and the last half an hour from reaching the top, however, the strongest will be the first and the last, so it is also recommended that you bring trekking poles to help you weigh all that effort the most beautiful thing about this walk is that you are going to run into a beautiful green landscape even in the background you can see the snow-capped mountains you can see the vicuñas the llamas grazing actually it is to enjoy it, rest a little every so often in this way you can oxygenate your body, take a garbage bag with you and deposit all the waste in it so that you can take it and deposit it in the indicated places
I hope you have a great time on your next trip to Cusco and good luck if you have any questions, write us in our comments.