Rainbow Mountain: Hiking vs. ATV

Four Plans, One Mountain

In short: Hike if you have acclimatised and want the full experience: about 1h30 of ascent for US$29. Take the quad, from US$70, if altitude, knees or time are a concern: it leaves only a 3 to 5 minute walk to the same viewpoint.

Our Rainbow Mountain tours end at the same place: the Vinicunca viewpoint at 5,090m, facing the Ausangate glacier. All three leave from downtown Cusco, include breakfast in Cusipata, a buffet lunch, a certified bilingual guide, and an oxygen tank on board. What changes is how you cover the last stretch, and how much walking that leaves you. The Classic and + Red Valley plans are hiking tours at US$29; the ATV plan replaces the climb with a quad ride and starts at US$70.

The Classic Hike: The Full Experience

From the Phulawasipata trailhead at 4,650m, the walk to Vinicunca takes around an hour and a half on a wide, clear path. Nothing about the terrain is technical — the difficulty is the air. Most travellers who have spent two or more days in Cusco manage it comfortably, taking it slowly. Along the way you pass alpaca herds and families from the community, and the ridge appears suddenly as you come over the last rise. Trekking poles are included, and local families offer saddle horses along the trail if you need one, arranged directly with them on site.

Choose the hike if you:

• Have acclimatised for two days or more in Cusco
• Want the walk to be part of the experience
• Are looking for the lowest price of the three

The Quad Route: Vinicunca Without the Climb

The ATV plan starts at Kayrahuire Alto (4,450m), where the guides give riding instructions and there is time to practise. The ride takes between 50 minutes and an hour there and back, at a controlled speed, with the Ausangate glacier in view. Near the mountain you park and walk 3 to 5 minutes to the viewpoint, with about 40 minutes to explore. Automatic and manual quads cost the same, and a double quad carries two riders. It is the plan for travellers who have just arrived in Cusco, who would rather not climb, or who simply want a different kind of day.

Choose the quad if you:

• Have little time to acclimatise
• Would rather not hike at 5,000m
• Want a later start — there is an 08:30 departure

Quad Complete: Red Valley + Rainbow Mountain

The fourth plan is the one that does not fit neatly on either side of the comparison. It starts like the Classic quad — same road, same buffet breakfast in Cusipata — but instead of riding straight to Vinicunca, you climb roughly 30 minutes by quad to the Red Valley viewpoint, leave the machines there, and walk 25 to 30 minutes across to Rainbow Mountain. After free time for photographs you walk back and ride down, about 25 minutes, before lunch in Cusipata and the return to Cusco between 16:30 and 17:00.

So it is not the no-walking option: expect around an hour on foot in total, which is why trekking poles are included on this plan and not on the Classic quad. What you get in exchange is the only route that covers both landscapes in a single day without doing the full hike to either. It runs on one departure daily, with pickup between 04:00 and 04:40, and includes a photo report of the day.

Choose the Complete quad if you:

• Want the Red Valley and Vinicunca on the same day
• Can manage an hour of walking at over 4,900m
• Like the idea of driving yourself between the two
• Don’t mind a single fixed departure time