Our Peru Adventure - Rainbow Mountain

As most of you have been following along.. we started our Peru adventure in the lovely village of Ollantaytambo, from there we took a day trip to Machu Picchu. On day four we left Ollantaytambo to tour the Sacred Valley of Peru which we ended in the city of Cusco.                  

On the fifth day we headed out on our most challenging trip.. Rainbow Mountain aka Vinicunca, a mountain in the Andes of Peru with an altitude of 5,036 metres above sea level. Meaning in one day we were going to jump a whole 1500 meters in elevation. 

M and I were most on the fence about this hike. Many many people complained about altitude sickness, very few people brought their kids along but many people also did perfectly fine.. a handful did bring their kids and well we would never know if we didn't try.. right? We could always stop mid way if it got too much also the guides carried oxygen tanks if needed..  you could also rent a horse to take you 3/4 of the way.

In the end we decided to go for it. We booked a tour with Rainbow Mountain Travels

We had a 3am wake up call.. we slept on the bus for the hour and a half drive to Cusipata where we stopped and had breakfast. And then back on the bus for another hour to the base of Rainbow Mountain. 

We decided against the horse and see how it went. 

The Rainbow Mountain became known to the world in 2015. The melting of the snow due to climate change played a crucial role in exposing the mountain's vibrant colors to the world.

Tourists were trekking the Ausangate snow-capped mountain behind us when they spotted the colors of the mountain and took pictures. The photos became so popular tourists came to Peru photos in hand asking to be taken there.

This was not possible as it was a challenging 9 mile hike with no paved roads or trail markers. A possibility of severe altitude sickness and no guides with the training to take them.   

So in 2015 Peru set out to locate able bodied English speaking natives to train in order for them to conduct tours. There are only 3 official tours companies allowed to operate tours to the Rainbow Mountain. Our tour guide Andy was one of those first guides.

The government created a better infrastructure around the mountain shortening it to a 4 mile hike with bathrooms and snack shops.  

Our early morning wake up call gave us the advantage making us the only group on the mountain. It was so peaceful. At the halfway point a thick fog rolled in making it hard to see..

The climb was also getting harder.. every ten steps and we had to stop to catch our breath. The fact that we couldn't see the mountain.. couldn't see our goal made it frustrating. But to see these local woman marching up and down the mountain with a horse.. wearing sandals on top of it.. 

There were alpacas that made it all a little better.. our guide was also so kind. We had two. Flora and Andy.

There is a tea and a mint that helps with the altitude sickness.. it is made with cocaine leaves. Yup.. you heard right. While everyone around us were popping these candies into their mouths we refrained.. 

Also a little funny bit about the bathrooms. You have to pay a sole to get in, for your sole they hand you a small wad of toilet paper. Many of the public bathrooms in Peru were like this. Mostly all required payment. We saw some people carry their own toilet paper rolls and in the more urban cities rolls were sold on street corners as well.. lol. 

We huffed and puffed our way to the base of the rainbow mountain..  a few of the 7 colors barely visible through the still very thick clouds which would be dissipating soon Andy assured us. He did this hike 5 times a week. Ahead us were a large number of steps before we finally reached the top. 

But we did it. There were vendors up there and more alpacas.. dressed up in sunglasses.. I felt a little bad for them.

the corn is huge.

 

We hung around waiting for the fog to clear and then it did. 

Each color in this chromatic spectacle has a unique story:

The delicate and subtle pink comes from red clay, mud, and sand.

The white originates from substances rich in calcium carbonate, such as quartzite, sandstone, and marl.
The intense red is composed of clays and shale.
The greens and blues comes from a combination of phyllite and clay rich in ferro magnesium.
And the earthy brown originates in rocks and magnesium.
While the yellow is a canvas of iron sulfide layers.

Just last year tourism to the Rainbow Mountain had been restricted. Conflicts between local communities, primarily due to disputes over control of tourist access and the economic benefits derived from tourism. These conflicts had escalated to violence, including casualties. Things have settled down and agreements were reached but our guide Andy said the locals were still not entirely happy. 

At 9:30 am more people were starting to arrive just as we started to head down.

That red circle is where we started.. Once we made it down 1/4 of the way Andy asked if we would like to visit the Red Valley just another short hike away but with an addition entry fee of $8. My head was starting to pound but we had made it this far and Andy said it was worth it.. so we agreed.

We are very happy we did.. 

Can you say WOW. No photoshop.. these were the real colors..

 

Around 10 am we started to make the trek back to our bus. The hike took less time on the way down. By 11:30 am we were in the bus on our way back to Cusipata. 

We returned to the same restaurant we had breakfast at for lunch. By this point H had thrown up once and I had a really bad headache. But a light lunch and some chamomile tea plus painkillers were already starting to work their magic. By the time we got to Cusco everyone felt better.. we even stopped for ice cream and took the long way to back to the hotel. 

Was it worth it.. hell ya. In fact it showed us all what we could do and maybe we could be up for more challenging hikes in the future. Maybe. 

          

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