Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain…WOW!  It has been on my bucket list ever since I saw a picture of it on Instagram.  I couldn’t believe it was so close to Cusco, and I didn’t know about it when I hiked to Machu Picchu. 

Well, when I hiked to Machu Picchu fifteen years ago, the Rainbow Mountain was capped in snow, so no one knew of the magnificent colors that lay below.  Now, however, the mountain with 14 different color minerals attracts thousands of tourists.

Thousands of tourists in an awe-inspiring place was not my idea of fun, so I did some research and found a four day backpacking trip to Rainbow Mountain with Salkantay Trekking that allows you to see the sunrise and sunset on the mountain without the masses.

Unfortunately for me, I ended up with Salmonella poisoning in high altitude.  With a bad pancreas to boot, I spent a night in the clinic getting fluids and had to cancel my trek.  Fortunately for me, I at least got to see Rainbow Mountain by joining a dreaded day tour with the masses.  It is amazing how much my perspective changed due to my intense desire to see Rainbow Mountain, as I really enjoyed it, people and all!

HAPPY HIKING!
Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley Day Tour

The last time I visited Peru was in 2009 to hike to Machu Picchu. In typical American fashion, I had limited vacation.  As a result, I only had time to do the amazing Salkantay trek with Mountain Lodges of Peru, but had to skip the Sacred Valley as well as many other attractions near Cusco.

While I don’t generally return to the same places because there is too much to discover in the world, I returned to Cusco to see Rainbow Mountain (which was covered in ice in 2009) and tacked on a few other tours in the area. The first being, the Sacred Valley.

I was worried about tours filling up in the summer, so I prebooked everything with Salktantay Trekking.  This was unnecessary.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 100 different tour companies lining Cusco’s Plaza Mayor and surrounding cobblestone streets.  As long as you have a few days of flexibility, it is easy to book day tours on arrival. Cusco has really exploded with tourism over the last 15 years!

EXPLORE!