Instagram and other social media platforms have certainly led us to act in certain ways during the last decades from their inception in our day-to-day rutines, the influence of the social media encompasses things like our tastes or behavior when deciding for one thing or another that compete for our preference.
One case that could reflect this fact is related to the raising interest that people that enjoy hiking have for Vinicunca or as it’s called coloquially when talking tourism in Peru, the “Cusco rainbow mountain“.
Challenging Altitude
One of the most important things to know when hiking rainbow mountain is the difference in altitude. The hike ends at an elevation of 5200 meters above sea level so if you are not used to such environments, you will struggle a lot at Rainbow Mountain.
It won’t be a pleasant experience with all the altitude sickness symptoms like headaches, nausea, dizziness etc. What you can do is stay 1-2 days in the Cusco area to adjust your body to the high altitudes. You can also take altitude sickness medications or chew on cocoa leaves before the Rainbow Mountain hike.
You should pack lightly but conveniently.
Because the weather can change drastically, it is good to pack conveniently when hiking Rainbow Mountain. Make sure to carry warm and comfy clothing such as t-shirts, sweaters, waterproof jackets, raincoats and hats. Sunglasses are also a must along with good sunscreen to protect yourself from the strong sun rays at the summit of Rainbow Mountain.
Don’t forget to take good hiking shoes and hiking gear too! It is important to eat well and stay hydrated throughout the Rainbow Mountain hike, so make sure to take plenty of water and snacks like chocolate, protein bars etc.
You should take an organized tour of Rainbow Mountain.
Travelling alone to Rainbow Mountain might not be practical if you are in Cusco because you have to go for long distances. You have to get up early in the morning and take a bus from Cusco too. So the best thing is to take an organized tour to Rainbow Mountain, in that way you will get access to all the facilities like transportation, meals, and even hotel pickup.
You should get early to Rainbow Mountain.
Sure the weather can be too chilly in the early mornings, but that’s when the Rainbow Mountain tours start. So, if you want to avoid the crowds, hike peacefully with all the hiking trails to yourself and take nice photographs at the top, you should get early to Rainbow Mountain.
And by early, it doesn’t mean tours that leave at 7.00 am, do some more research and surely you will find ones that leave much earlier!
You should have good physical fitness.
If you’re visiting the Andes from a place that’s at the sea level, you should be aware of the difficulties that altitude could represent not necessarily for the desire of reaching this destination but for the limitations that an unaccustomed body to the conditions of such a high place could represent.
The hike may me of a moderate difficulty, but for you to be completely sound for the tour, you should prioritize your acclimation process beforehand.
If you feel a bit limited by the demanding physical activity that the tour could represent, you shouldn’t feel obliged to walk your way through since there are several horse-rides service providers from the beginning checkpoint to the end and backwards, however, no agency will cover this cost for you if you don’t precise the need for this previously.
Conclusion
Visiting Vinicunca is one of the many complementary activities that one can run while visiting Cusco, so it should always be something to consider for your Cusco trip.
Contact us for more info and have a nice one till’ we meet here!
