Rainbow Mountain Tour from Cusco
$35 Full Day
Overview
5 days
Cusco airport, there and back
1st bus
At the gate before the day trippers
Day 4
Rainbow Mountain or Humantay
$702
Per person, hotels and tickets in
Most people who fly to Cusco have Machu Picchu written down and nothing else. Five days is what it takes to do that properly and still see the region it sits in. This package covers the city, the valley, the citadel and one day in the high Andes. Hotels booked, train held, and a guide waiting on each touring morning.
The shape is deliberate. Day one is light because you have just arrived at 3,400 metres. The morning stays empty and the city tour runs after lunch. Day two drops into the Sacred Valley, then onto the train down to Aguas Calientes at 2,040 metres. Day three is Machu Picchu at 2,430 metres and back to Cusco. By day four you have had three nights at altitude, which is exactly what you want before a mountain.
Day four is the part that makes this package different. Instead of a filler day we give you a real one, and you choose which. Rainbow Mountain is 5,200 metres, two to three hours of uphill walking, and the striped ridge everyone has seen. Humantay Lake is 4,200 metres, a shorter climb, and a glacial lake that tends to stop conversation. We set the two side by side in our post on Rainbow Mountain against Humantay Lake. A blunter one asks whether Rainbow Mountain is worth it and does not sell you anything.
What you give up is the lake and the depth. Five days does not reach Titicaca, and the valley is Maras and Moray rather than the full run of sites. If you want both great sights, the six day package carries on south instead of turning back. If you want the valley done end to end, our Sacred Valley day tour covers six stops in one go. Our budget guide prices the pieces so you can see what the package saves.
The first morning is empty, and that is the plan.
You land at 3,400 metres and the city tour does not start until the afternoon. That gap is the most useful thing in the itinerary. Coca tea, water, a light lunch and a slow walk are the whole of it. Fill it with a market and a climb up to San Blas, and the valley will punish you tomorrow. If your flight lands in the afternoon instead, tell us and we move the city tour to day five.
Tour Highlights
- ✓ Sleeping in Aguas Calientes puts you on the first buses. Anyone driving up from Cusco reaches the gate two hours behind you.
- ✓ Rainbow Mountain if you feel strong by day four, Humantay if you would rather not test it. The price is the same either way.
- ✓ An empty first morning, a lower second and third day, and the highest walk only after three nights up here.
- ✓ The two valley sites people actually remember. Lunch is a sit down affair in Urubamba, not a packet on the bus.
- ✓ The citadel, the train, the buses and the site entrances. Whatever sells out fastest is what we secure first.
- ✓ A private car in on day one and out on day five. Both are timed to your flights.
What to Expect
Day one is arrival and the city. Someone from our team is at Alejandro Velasco Astete airport to drive you in. The afternoon tour starts at Qorikancha. The Inca Temple of the Sun and the colonial church built over it stand in the same walls. Then the old streets down to the Plaza de Armas. Two hours on your feet, no more, and you are back at the hotel before dark.
Day two is the valley and the train. Maras first, three thousand salt pans stepping down a hillside. Then Moray, its ringed terraces sunk into a natural bowl. What you are looking at is explained in our post on Moray and the salt mines. Lunch happens in Urubamba, and then the guide hands you to the train at Ollantaytambo. Ninety minutes down the gorge, and Aguas Calientes in the evening. Our post on the train to Machu Picchu covers that ride.
Day three is the one you came for. First buses up the mountain in the dark, through the gate as the light arrives. Two to three hours with a guide, taking in the terraces, the sun temple and the view everyone knows. [CONFIRM: circuit.] Free time follows. Then the ride down, an unhurried lunch in town, and the train and car back to Cusco. Why we avoid the day trip version is set out in our post on staying over in Aguas Calientes.
Day four is yours to choose and starts very early either way. Rainbow Mountain means a three hour drive, a two to three hour walk and 5,200 metres at the top. Humantay means a shorter drive, ninety minutes of climbing and a lake under a glacier at 4,200. Both include breakfast and lunch on the road. Day five is a slow morning in Cusco and a private transfer to the airport, timed to your flight.
Best Time to Go
Green is the season we recommend Red is July and August, when Machu Picchu tickets and trains sell out weeks ahead
May to October
Best
What to expect
Dry at the citadel, cold clear mornings, firm trails on day four
Our view
Pick these if you can. Clear skies over the ruins more often than not, and dry ground on the mountain. Cusco nights bite.
November to March
What to expect
Afternoon rain, mist in the citadel, mud on the mountain trails
Our view
Mornings usually hold and the dawn visit still works. Rainbow Mountain can be snowbound. Humantay is the safer pick in these months.
July and August
What to expect
Peak season. Citadel tickets and trains gone weeks ahead
Our view
Reserve well ahead. Send dates two or three months out so the entry slot and the train can be held.
i
Machu Picchu sets the calendar
Dry months for the citadel and the trail, shoulder months for fewer people.
The citadel sets the calendar and day four confirms it. Between May and October the mornings are clearest above Aguas Calientes and the mountain ground is firm. July and August add the crowds and the highest prices to that. Wet months run green and quiet, and mist in the ruins has a character of its own. The risk then is snow on the Rainbow Mountain trail, which makes Humantay the sensible pick. May and September sit between the two, and they are the months we book most often. For the citadel end, read what we wrote on the best time to visit Machu Picchu. For the mountain end, our guide to the best time for Rainbow Mountain.
Tour Itinerary
1
Arrival in Cusco and the city tour
- Morning · Cusco airport, 3,400 m. Your driver is waiting inside arrivals and drives you straight to the hotel. The rest of the morning stays free on purpose. Coca tea, water, a slow start.
- Afternoon · Qorikancha and the old centre. An Inca sun temple with a colonial church sitting on its walls. Then the lanes running down to the Plaza de Armas. Roughly two hours, guided.
Overnight: Casa Andina or similar, Cusco. Meals: None today.
Altitude 3,400 m
2
Maras, Moray and the train to Aguas Calientes
3
The citadel at first light, then Cusco
4
Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake
5
Cusco Airport Transfer
✓
Inclusions
- ✓ Four hotel nights: three in Cusco and one in Aguas Calientes, Casa Andina or similar
- ✓ Breakfast every morning, lunch in the Sacred Valley, breakfast and lunch on the mountain day
- ✓ Private airport transfers in Cusco on day one and day five
- ✓ Guided city tour of Cusco with all site entrances
- ✓ Maras and Moray day with a guide, transport and entrance tickets
- ✓ Return tourist train between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes
- ✓ Return bus between Aguas Calientes and the Machu Picchu gate
- ✓ Citadel entrance ticket, with a guide inside
- ✓ Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake with a guide, transport and entrance
- ✓ Bilingual guides on every touring day and our team on call throughout
X
Not Included
- X Flights to and from Cusco
- X Dinners, and lunch on days one, three and five
- X Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain, both ticketed separately
- X Travel insurance, which we would urge you to buy
- X Tips for the guides and drivers
Departure Information
Available: Daily departures
Group Size: Up to 9 people
Start Time: 11:00 AM
Pickup: Cusco Airport Transfer
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need to visit Machu Picchu from Cusco?
One day is technically possible, but most travelers who do it in one day wish they had taken longer. Five days gives you time to acclimatize properly in Cusco, spend a full day in the Sacred Valley, enjoy an overnight in Aguas Calientes so you are at the Machu Picchu gate early the next morning, and still have an entire day for Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake. The pace feels right, and you leave having actually experienced the region rather than passed through it.
What is the difference between Machu Picchu vacation packages?
What time should I arrive in Cusco for the tour?
Why isn't the Cusco Cathedral included in the city tour?
Is Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake better for tourists?
Is accommodation included in the Machu Picchu tour package?
How physically demanding is the 5-day Machu Picchu Package Tour?
Can I book this as a private tour?
What is the best time of year for a Machu Picchu tour package?
How much does a 5-day Machu Picchu tour package from Cusco cost?
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