Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) is a stunning geological wonder in the Peruvian Andes that has become famous as a popular Instagram spot. The hike to Rainbow Mountain’s viewing area is a spectacular 2 mile (3.2 km) trek to a 16,522 ft (5,036 meter) summit. While the trail itself is gradual, the extreme high altitude and the 1,400 feet (436 meter) climb makes this a challenging hike. The trip is typically done as a full-day guided tour from Cusco, starting early in the morning. After you’ve reached the summit, you will have the option of adding the short hike (45-60 minutes) to the neighboring Red Valley. The Red Valley offers a striking contrast to Rainbow Mountain and contains bright crimson, Mars-like canyons, and rolling multi-colored hills. This hike adds an extra 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to 2.5 miles (4 km) round-trip, depending on the specific loop or lookout points chosen, and adds approximately 300 to 500 feet (90 to 150 meters) of additional climbing from the Rainbow Mountain ridge.

Remember when preparing for this hike that it’s at a very high altitude. Even if the weather forecast is favorable, you should plan for possible rain or cold weather, wear plenty of sun protection, and ensure you acclimate sufficiently before you start.

The hike up to Rainbow Mountain is through a valley that is also extremely scenic. The valley has rolling green hills on both sides with mountains behind them, and we were lucky enough that the mountains had recent snow on them. The guide told us that the snow was unusual in the dry season and would likely be gone by the end of the day.

View along the trail to Rainbow Mountain

Famous for its naturally striped mineral colors, Rainbow Mountain is made up of layers of 14 different, colorful minerals. Millions of years ago, the area was submerged beneath shallow oceans and rivers. Sediment containing different minerals settled in distinct, compressed layers. When the Nazca geologic plate lifted and tilted these horizontal layers turned into angled stripes. Over millennia, weather exposed a cross-section of the mountain. Finally, in the mid-2010s, seasonal snow and patchy ice melted due to climate change, fully revealing the multicolored strata and establishing the wonder we see today.

When you reach the top there is a kind of false summit first, which you will recognize as the site of many Instagram posts.

Rainbow Mountain Instagram spot

Just slightly past that is the actual Rainbow Mountain summit, which has a sign post notating that fact.

Rainbow Mountain peak

You’ll also see several vendors selling souvenirs and photos with Alpacas at the summit.

The marked peak of Red Valley is at 17,060 feet (5,200 meters). This is some serious altitude, so make sure you’re well acclimated to the Andes before attempting this hike. Several people on our hike had a had time, even on the first part up to Rainbow Mountain. The scenery after you cross the ridge line into Red Valley is simply amazing. The mountains of the Andes above 17,000 feet are so striking and memorable, especially contrasted with the bright red and green of Red Valley. One of the highlights of Red Valley is that you can see the peak of Mount Ausangate from several places along the trail. Mount Ausangate, standing at 20,945 feet (6,384 meters) in the Cordillera Vilcanota mountain range, is the fifth highest peak in Peru and the most sacred Apu (mountain spirit) in Cusco.

Mount Ausungate in the Cordillera Vilcanota

When I hiked both Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley my total distance was 6.18 miles (10 km) and total ascent was 1,736 ft (530 meters). I believe I covered most of the major overlooks and areas of interest. The trail over to Red Valley was some of the most scenic of the day.

Red Valley also has two peak markers. There is a sign marking the peak just after you cross the ridge to Red Valley, and then there’s a side trail over to another peak (which seemed higher to me) that has a flag posted on the top. I hiked to both observation points and took photos at both.

Second Red Valley viewpoint

Looking back at the first viewpoint along the side trail

I booked this hike with Rainbow Mountain Travels, a highly rated Cusco tour company. Our guide Flor was really great, and did a very good job of keeping us all together and informing us about the key points of the two different areas of interest.