Rainbow Mountain – 5,200m and back to Cusco

Another trek, another early start! We are the first to be picked up by the minibus at the tender hour of 3.45. We rush around the streets of Cusco, surprisingly busy for this hour, to pick up the rest of our group. We are introduced to our guide for the day, Broly, who advises us to try and get some more sleep for the long day ahead, I oblige and pull my recently purchased hat over my eyes.

A couple of hours later we stop for breakfast at the base of the mountain range. Despite being described by the tour operator as “basic breakfast” we are pleasantly surprised to find a good spread of food. I also brave the drink station marked “Inka Power” and sample their hot oat milk with cinnamon, it’s a heart warming drink and I felt it would give me energy for the hike. We introduce ourselves to the other tourists in the group who are mostly Americans over for a short trip and a kind couple from Dubai. After breakfast we’re back in the van for the treacherous and windy journey up the side of the mountain.

The trek starts at an altitude of 4600m! The air is thin and our bags feel heavier. Broly advises us to keep hydrated, take it easy and don’t stay at the top too long as we would likely get a headache or feel nauseas. Most of our group take the easy option and pay for a horse to carry them to near the top of the mountain. Of course, Alex and I would never opt out of a challenge so we begin the ascent on foot.

The weather is cool and cloudy, great for climbing but poor for visibility. We can just make out glimpses of snow covered mountains across the valley when the clouds part. We motivate each other in the high altitude and before too long we can make out the section where the lazy gringos have to get off their horses and hike the last 15 minutes to the top. The last part of the hike is steep but by now the weather has improved and we can see the colours of the Rainbow Mountain inviting us to get up there for a closer look. We pass a couple filming themselves inhaling an oxygen tank and reach the summit. There we find Broly who knows a great spot for a photoshoot, although no photos can do this place justice.

After taking lots of photos we head 5 minutes across the mountain pass to find an open area with very few tourists and spectacular views of an imposing glacier. We are currently at 5200m but this glacier towers above us and it’s hard to tell where it’s snowy peaks end and the clouds begin. It truly reminds us how small we are and the sheer awe of untouched nature. We take some more pictures and head back down, the descent is a breeze in comparison.

We regroup at the minibus and head back down for lunch, unfortunately one of the American girls is hit hard by the altitude and we have to pull over while she sees her breakfast again. We have lunch at the same location as breakfast and again there is a good spread of typically Peruvian food.

After the feast, Broly gives us a brief history lesson on Rainbow Mountain. Up until 2012 it was covered in snow, once the snow melted and the “rainbow” was discovered, thanks to social media, tourists now flock there in the thousands to take pictures. The whole ‘attraction’ is managed by the four villages that live in the region, taking it in turns to offer their equine support without wrecking them, and sharing in the cut of the money the tourists pay to get in and spend along the way. A real collective effort and reward. He also made an interesting point that because of the now enforced limited visitor numbers to Machu Picchu, tourism in the area has taken a hit as that is the main attraction in the region.

Return to Cusco

I wanted to treat Alex to a nice meal as she had been such an excellent tour guide and translator on the trip. There were times where my basic Spanish would have definitely struggled so having Alex around to help was a huge relief. I found a highly rated restaurant just off the Plaza de Armas square and booked a table. On the way there we stopped for some cheap but strong cocktails and played cards. In a surreal experience we had to pass through a marching procession on the square to get to the restaurant.

The food was exquisite, to start we shared a trout ceviche; for main we had alpaca loin and beef steak; for desert we shared Alex’s favorite, tres leches. While in the restaurant, a fellow tourist ordered the local speciality of Cuy (Guinea Pig), it arrived deep fried and whole, from head to tail. Even as an avid carnivore I was slightly disturbed by the presentation!

The next day we headed to San Pedro market to collect supplies for the Inca Trail. We stocked up on snacks and sweets and I had a fresh fruit smoothie served by a very smiley lady. The market was fascinating, each aisle is dedicated to a certain group of products (bread, fruit, meat) etc most of the stall merchants are women who look like they’ve been there their entire lives.

In the afternoon we went to G Adventures to attend our pre-trek briefing. The guide had a good sense of humour and gave us an overview of what we were in for the next four days. It certainly whet the appetite. Tune in next time for an in-depth post all about the Inca Trail..

James

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Adventure – exploring something new (Alex)

Excitement – finding everything you could think of at 5200m, including a full chicharron de alpaca! The clouds clearing and spectacular views not just of the rainbow but the surrounding glacier, amazing food in Cusco with fantastic service

Trauma – uncovering unprocessed feelings of being scammed from my previous travels (Alex) and feeling like a walking dollar bill, rationing soles for toilet stops/gatorade, having the worst leg wax of my life (Alex) due to the girl doing it having no clue, a second one arriving to help who knew little better, and them both working away for an hour trying their best but failing and ending up tweezing much of the hair (thanks to a scathing Google review I at least got it for free).