The alarm clock rings early, indeed very early, it is 2:30 in the night, there are 30 minutes left and the mini-van is waiting for me outside the hostel. The nights of Cusco are not exactly among the hottest.

In Peru, as indeed in all of South America, distances are measured by taking time rather than space as a unit of measurement; this is because everything depends on the conditions of the roads and the road to get to the beginning of the trek is winding and very narrow, the journey takes about 3.5 hours.

The sun is already high but not so much to overcome the mountains that surround us, the landscape is beautiful and the cold is bitter.

We wait for the breakfast that is served to us in a hut of the locals, tea with coca leaves, bread, butter and jam, to be ready and we try to get warm with each other.

At 8 we leave. The path starts quite steep, and then flat, the landscape that surrounds us is incredible, the mountains take on every type of color, we pass through valleys where tender alpacas graze, and the Ausangate glacier looks at us from the top of its 6372 meters.

Steep passages alternate at times a little sweeter, the effort is making itself felt all right and the desire to get to your destination is great. During the journey I make friends with a Brazilian couple, much more organized than me who with great kindness lends me the trekking stick that greatly reduces the effort.

The last piece is the hardest one, here not even the horses, with which you can walk, can help. It is 12:15, I am very tired, but the view, once I reached the top, rewarded all the effort made, an incredible view: the Colored Mountain is before my eyes!

Related Post:  Rainbow Mountain – The Colorful mountain that is from Peru

Mother Nature or the "Pachamama" so dear to the Inka has indulged in colors, painting a rainbow over the mountains.

Trekking information

1. This mountain is associated with several names : Rainbow Mountain, Ausangate, Vinicunca, I have not yet understood which one is the right one; it is a mountain sacred to the Inka where sacrifices were made to the gods
2. The tour can be purchased in all agencies of Cusco , and includes transportation (round trip), guide, breakfast, lunch
3. The tour price is around 120.00
4. The minimum altitude is 4300 m and the maximum 5200 m
5. The complete trek is 16 km
6. The route can also be done on horseback, the price is 60.00 PEN, you will be told that you can rent it only at the beginning of the journey; in reality along the entire route this option will always be available, at a lower price.

Final thoughts

I would recommend this trekking suitable for people who are physically fit or used to high altitude, the main problem is the height and the difficulty of breathing that follows.

The weather during the trek is not particularly cold (I also did some stretch in my shirt), but as soon as you get to the top, the temperature becomes freezing and it often snows.

Mountain-colored-in-peru-1

If you are Rainbow Mountain hike 2 days in Cusco, don't think twice and do this incredible trekking in one of the most suggestive places in the world!

Related Post: Rainbow Mountains in Peru: A Tour Review