21 Feb Hiking and Horseback Riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

When I visited Peru with a friend, hiking Rainbow Mountain and visiting Machu Picchu were at the top of both of our lists. We were only in the country for one week, which included traveling days. Therefore, we only had about five full days to experience as much as we could. We thus booked our Rainbow Mountain tour the day after we visited Machu Picchu. However, what we did not think about for even a second was that maybe, just maybe, we would be a bit tired. Or that our legs would be sore from hiking around the Machu Picchu ruins. I can honestly say that I was overjoyed, elated, and beyond excited to pay for horseback riding on a portion of the Rainbow Mountain trail in Peru to give my legs a break. 

Contents:

1) Booking the Rainbow Mountain Hike

2) Preparing for the Rainbow Mountain Hike

3) Deciding to Pay for Horseback Riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

4) Would I Do It Again? 

1) Booking the Rainbow Mountain Hike

First, let me say that the Rainbow Mountain hike in Peru is quite popular, and with good reason. The mountains themselves are gorgeous, as the colors seem to pop out of them. Moreover, the entire hike is through beautiful scenery. There are trickling streams, bright green grass blowing in the wind, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the occasional herd of sheep grazing nearby. How could we not be sold after looking at just a few pictures? 

We knew we wanted to hike Rainbow Mountain and that booking a tour was our best option. We did not rent a car or anything like that while visiting Peru. Our transportation options were thus a bit limited. Additionally, we had never been in this area let alone the country of Peru. We were thus not confident in our directional abilities. Moreover, I was tagging along with a friend who planned the trip, so I was mostly following their lead. Therefore, a guided hike with a tour company was the best option for us. 

View from the Rainbow Mountain Trail

Booking a Rainbow Mountain Hiking Tour

We did not book a tour in advance of our trip. Instead, we walked around the city of Cusco to find a tour company offering guided hikes. We did this approximately three days before we wanted to hike Rainbow Mountain. Moreover, we did not go with the first company we found. We entered a few shops and chatted with them before deciding.

Honestly, all of the tour companies were fairly similar. We simply chose the tour that fit our needs the best. For example, we booked a tour that included transportation to Rainbow Mountain, a stop for lunch, and transportation back to Cusco. However, there were a few tour groups that offered this same kind of tour. We thus just ended up picking the one that had the best price, departure time, and transportation combo. 

Starting to get a glimpse of the colors near Rainbow Mountain

2) Preparing for the Rainbow Mountain Hike

I am going to be honest and say that we were not prepared for the Rainbow Mountain hike in a number of ways.

Clothing

First, we did not bring appropriate clothing. Well, we had clothing, but it was just not accessible. We visited Peru after a semester abroad in Ecuador. Therefore, we had extra luggage that we stored in a hostel in Lima due to the fact it was close to the airport. We then only traveled around Peru with a backpack. Unfortunately, we did not pack enough extra layers.

The tour bus for the Rainbow Mountain hike picked us up in Cusco at approximately 3:00am, and it was freezing. For reference, we were there in the beginning of May. Reminder: always look up the temperature of the cities you plan to visit beforehand. 

I was wearing normal athletic socks, tennis shoes, leggings, a tank top, sweatshirt, and rain jacket. However, I felt like I needed an additional layer on the top as well as the bottom of my body to keep me warm. I was shivering as we waited for the tour bus and also on the entire bus ride, which was a few hours long. 

Nevertheless, the hike itself was not too bad in terms of the clothing I had. I tend to heat up pretty quickly while hiking. I thus appreciated the fact I did not have too many layers and could remove a few if I felt overheated at any time. 

View of a near snow capped mountain from the Rainbow Mountain Trail

Hiking Machu Picchu the Day Before

Second, we visited Machu Picchu the day before we hiked Rainbow Mountain. Furthermore, we even hiked Machu Picchu mountain in addition to climbing around Machu Picchu to see all of the ruins. What we did not think about for even a second was that maybe we would be tired or that our legs would be sore. Well, both of those things turned out to be true. I can still remember the pain I felt in my legs with every step up Rainbow Mountain.

To put this in perspective, we hiked over 2,000 feet (over ~600 meters) for two and a half hours to the top of Machu Picchu mountain the day before. Additionally, we also hiked around the ruins for approximately nine additional hours since we arrived as early as possible in the morning. For reference, the gate to Machu Picchu opened at 6:00am, and we arrived at the gate a little bit before then. This meant we were waiting in line in the town of Aguas Calientes for a bus to the entrance around 4:00am. We wanted to be there as soon as the gate opened, and I am glad we were.

However, all of this also meant that our day at Machu Picchu was looonngggg with a lot of hiking. Moreover, it did not help that we had to be up and ready for the tour bus to pick us up at 3:00am the next morning for Rainbow Mountain.  Who could have guessed that we would be tired and our legs would be sore the next day? 

All I can say is that it was an absolute blessing they offered horseback riding options along the Rainbow Mountain trail in Peru. I will go into more detail about that in a bit. 

Tip of Rainbow Mountain

The Rainbow Mountain Hike Itself

Third, we were not mentally prepared for the Rainbow Mountain hike. To be honest, I did not look up details of the hike beforehand. Why? That is a great question. Nowadays, I never go on a hike without researching it. 

When we were talking with a tour shop about the hike as we were looking to book a tour, one person told us that it was “more like a walk” than a hike. I thought to myself, oh this will be easy. I did not give it a second thought. 

However, the Rainbow Mountain hike is approximately 6.2 miles (~10 kilometers) out and back with over 1,600 feet (~488 meters) in elevation gain. An average hiker can complete the trail in about three and a half hours. That is definitely a hike, if you ask me. I went into the day thinking I would be completing a nice, leisurely walk with maybe a hill or two. Was I wrong or what?! Again, I was counting my blessings when I paid for horseback riding along part of the Rainbow Mountain trail in Peru since it saved me some pain. 

Surrounding landscape visible from Rainbow Mountain

3) Deciding to Pay for Horseback Riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

As you can imagine from some of my explanations in the previous sections, I was hurting while hiking Rainbow Mountain. My legs were sore from hiking around Machu Picchu the previous day. Additionally, I was just tired from having to catch the tour bus for Rainbow Mountain at 3:00am, traveling back and forth from Cusco and Aguas Calientes over the past two days, and arriving at the bus line for Machu Picchu around 4:00am the previous day. Nevertheless, I would do it all again to experience the wonders of Peru. 

Discovering the Possibility of Horseback Riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

As my friend and I hiked along, we saw people standing with a group of horses every now and then. We soon realized that you could pay to ride a horse along the trail. We talked it over and decided at first that we would just keep hiking along. However, we kept hiking…and hiking…and hiking some more. We were hiking up and down hills, and our legs were getting more tired by the minute. 

Standing on Rainbow Mountain in Peru

Deciding to Pay for Horseback Riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

Then we talked it over again and decided that at the next group of horses we saw, we would ask if we could pay to ride them to the end. While it would have been cool to say I hiked the entire trail to the Rainbow Mountain in Peru, I also think it is pretty cool to say that I got to experience horseback riding on the trail as well. 

However, we had a bit of bad luck in that we did not encounter another group of horses for a while. We had to hike about another 20 to 30 minutes before we saw horses in the distance and started to feel excitement bubbling up.  We walked up to the people holding the horses, and we paid them to ride the horses to the end. They walked with us and guided the horses the entire way. Honestly, I do not even remember how much money I paid them. Nevertheless, I can tell you that it was worth it.

Paying for horseback riding on Rainbow Mountain in Peru, even though we did it near the end of the trail, saved us about 30 minutes of walking. Additionally, it was the break we both desperately needed. We had a bit more pep in our step after that. 

We got off the horses once we reached Rainbow Mountain, and then we hiked up a short hill for a beautiful view. After snapping some photographs and appreciating the scenery, we had to start the hike back to the trailhead. However, we hiked the entire way back without any horseback riding as it was a bit easier. 

Enjoying horseback riding to Rainbow Mountain in Peru

4) Would I Do It Again? 

I will not keep you in suspense, for the answer is a resounding YES. In terms of hiking Rainbow Mountain in Peru, I would definitely do that again. The scenery is stunning, and I would love to share that experience with other friends and family if possible. In terms of horseback riding on Rainbow Mountain in Peru, I would definitely do that again as well. Riding a horse through the beauty of Peru is another experience in and of itself, and I would gladly pay a bit of money to do it again. 

That being said, hiking and/or horseback riding to the Rainbow Mountain in Peru is a great experience. You can truly not choose a wrong path in this case, for each will leave with unforgettable memories. If you are like me and happen to visit Machu Picchu + hike Rainbow Mountain on back to back days, you might be a bit more inclined to opt for some horseback riding. Trust me, it is worth it. 

Giving my legs a break and enjoying the view at Rainbow Mountain

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After you end your travels in Peru, visit the neighboring country of Ecuador: Middle of the World – Inti Ńan Museum.

Why not add an adventurous activity to your itinerary: Swing at the End of the World in Baños, Ecuador.