I Drove Up The Rainbow Mountain In Peru With A Rental Car

I drove to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), Peru, by myself, and it was the greatest adventure ever. Here’s everything you need to know.

Most people travelling to Peru don’t want to struggle with the hassle of renting a car, so they often opt for day trips to explore some of the most popular spots in the country.

But that’s not me. And if you’re also not a tour type of traveller, then this post is for you.

I rented a car in Cusco, Peru, which allowed me to go on an epic 7-day road trip around Cusco. I loved every second of it. 

One of the highlights was getting to the famous Rainbow Mountain, also called Vinicunca Mountain. 

Why is it called Rainbow Mountain?

Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca or Montaña de Siete Colores (Mountain of Seven Colors), gets its name from its vibrant, multicoloured appearance. 

The mountain is rich in minerals that are displayed as stripes which resemble the stripes of a rainbow when looked at from afar. 

For these beautiful views and colours, we have to thank Mother Nature, which blessed Peru with plenty of mineral deposits, and then natural erosion exposed these to the surface of the mountain.

The name “Rainbow Mountain” is mostly used by tourists to describe this stunning visual effect. However, there isn’t just one mountain that has these features.

As I was driving around Cusco and up to Lake Titicaca, I noticed several mountains with beautiful colours. 

But the one true Rainbow Mountain that you see in all pictures and all over the internet is actually called the Vinicunca Mountain, and most tourists choose to visit this place on a day trip from Cusco, Peru. 

Can you visit Rainbow Mountain on your own?

Yes, you can visit Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) on your own. 

There is no public transport (from what I saw) to take you to the mountain, but it’s not like the mountain is only open for guided tours. 

In fact, anyone with a car can visit Rainbow Mountain in Peru. The challenge is that this mountain is located well above 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) in altitude, and roads are narrow and steep. 

The real reason most people choose to visit Rainbow Mountain with a tour agency is that they don’t want to deal with any issues that might happen during such an extreme drive (it depends on the driver) or the hassle of renting a car in the first place. 

The reality is that booking a day trip from Cusco to Rainbow Mountain is easy, and you don’t have to worry about anything. 

But I have also seen tourists renting cars in Cusco and doing a lot of exploration on their own, just like I did. And it’s actually not as complicated as it seems. 

For me, the best part of visiting Rainbow Mountain by myself was that I wasn’t stuck with hundreds of tourists on the mountain at the same time. I was also not on a tight schedule, which is my preferred type of travelling. 

How to get to Rainbow Mountain?

The Rainbow Mountain, also called Vinicunca, is located 139 kilometres from Cusco and 330 kilometres from Puno. 

So, if you plan to do this drive to visit Lake Titicaca, then you can easily add another day to your itinerary to visit Rainbow Mountain on the way to Puno or on the return trip to Cusco if you’re planning on going back. 

There are three trails that you can take to get to Vinicunca – Cusipata, Pitumarca, and Ausangate trails. For each one, you will have to take a different drive, which will take you to a different parking lot. 

However, the Ausangate route is a multi-day hiking trail, much more remote, that goes up to 20 900 ft / 6373 meters. This is probably a bit extreme for most people. 

So, if you’re looking for a day trip to Vinicunca, you should choose between the Cusipata and Pitumarca routes. 

But know that regardless of which one you choose, you’ll still have to hike from the parking lot to the Vinicunca Peak. 

The Pitumarca route is the old route, and it takes longer to reach, coming from Cusco.

The Cusipata route gets you from Cusco to the trailhead for Vinicunca in under 3 hours. But this is the most popular route, and it’s full of minivans and tourists all day long. 

The names of the trails are actually the names of the last villages from where these drives go up the mountain. 

Pitumarca trail to Vinicunca 

I took the Pitumarca trail. To get on this road to Vinicunca Peak, you need to get off the national road at Checacupe. 

This route is now less crowded due to the Cusipata route, on the other side of the mountain, which serves tourists better. 

But I think this option is better if you want to stay away from the crowds.

Also, the road is much closer to the mountain peak, and there are workers building the road in April 2024. In fact, the Pitumarca route will get the closest to the Rainbow Mountain, as the trailhead is now much closer to the Rainbow Mountain than it was some years ago. 

The downside is that the drive is longer (coming from Cusco). 

I visited Vinicunca as I was driving back from Puno, which is a bit further away. That meant that I arrived later in the afternoon at the mountain. 

As I was leaving behind the last villages and starting the actual drive up the mountain, I saw the last private tours (tourists with private drivers) driving off the mountain. 

The advantage of arriving later in the day was that there wasn’t anyone on the road or up the mountain.

This is great since the road is narrow, and it would be difficult to constantly stop to allow traffic from both directions to pass. 

The Pitumarca hiking trail is steeper than the one from Cusipata, about 4 kilometres round trip, and you can hike from motos to ATVs to get you up the mountain.

I’d say the Pitumarca hiking trail from the trailhead (last parking lot) to Vinicunca Peak is moderate hiking, but it should not present any issues if you’re used to mountain hikes. 

Driving to Rainbow Mountain by myself, what to expect?

From the moment you leave the national road behind, the road to Vinicunca is a dirt mountain road. Remember, this is the Pitumarca route to Vinicunca Mountain. 

It gets very narrow and a bit steep at the end. Driving conditions considerably decrease when it rains, so it’s a good idea to take a look at the weather forecast. 

I believe that any experienced driver should be able to drive on that road and make it to the top. 

I rented a Toyota Yaris XLI, which is the American Sedan (not the European tiny version) with an automatic transmission. This is a popular car with all rental companies.

Usually, when driving on dirt roads, it might be a better option to drive a manual transmission car, but here, I had no issues. However, I must add that the road was mostly dry.

So if the weather is dry, any kind of car should be able to drive up to the parking lot, which is about 4,500 meters (14,700 feet) altitude.

For the last part of the road, to get to that spot where you see the actual mountain, the one that’s in all the pictures, you have to hike. 

Road conditions up to Rainbow Mountain (via Pitumarca route)

I drove up to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) at the beginning of April, which was the beginning of the dry season. 

Remember that around Cusco, the dry season is between April and October, and the rainy season is between November and March. 

Because it was the first week of April, the road wasn’t completely dry, but it was manageable for any type of car. 

The road from Pitumarca village is simply a dirt road, unpaved, and it doesn’t have any road safety accessories. 

It was evident that the road administration was maintaining the road, as it had been recently flattened to avoid forming any holes or ditches on the road. 

However, as you start climbing up the road, there are no safety barricades, and those who are afraid of heights might feel overwhelmed by the steep road on one side and the canyon on the other side. 

I also had to cross a few small streams that were flowing over the road. It wasn’t dangerous, and these kinds of streets are present on a lot of other roads in Peru. 

Drive slowly, and you will be fine. 

I saw motorcycles driving over them, so you should have no issues. 

Parking at Rainbow Mountain (Pitumarca trail)

As you approach the end of the road, you will first find a huge parking lot. It was empty at 5 PM, and I followed the road that continued further on the mountain. 

Two local ladies came to ask me to pay the entrance fee, which was 5 Soles per person in April 2024. 

After that point, the road became muddy and narrower. 

At this point, it was more like driving in a valley, as mountains were raining on all sides. 

From that first parking, there must be about two kilometres (a bit more than a mile) to the second and final parking. 

When I visited, as it was late in the afternoon, almost all the tourists were gone, and there were workers on the road, actively building and enlarging this part of the road. 

That made it difficult for me to drive as the huge wheels of those vehicles were also leaving huge holes in the road. 

As it was a tiny road tucked between the mountains, it was wetter, and mud was forming. 

However, the workers were kind and moved their vehicles to allow me to drive further on the road. 

After about 1.5 kilometres, I gave up and parked on the side of the road, which resembled more like an off-road expedition at that point. 

My reasoning was that it was getting too muddy, and I would risk getting stuck there. Also, the sun was setting, and I didn’t want to miss out on the experience. 

Once the sun was setting, there was no light, and I couldn’t see the mountain anymore. 

And from the second park, you will have to hike for about 1 hour up the mountain. 

Pitumarca trail hike to the Vinicunca Peak (Rainbow Mountain) 

There is no way to avoid hiking up the mountain. 

Even if you visit with a tour agency, after they park the minibus, you are on your own two feet. 

But I discovered that at that very last parking lot, which seemed like the end of the world during that late afternoon, there were locals with ATVs and Motorcycles that offered rides up the mountain. 

Because I was probably too late on the mountain to have enough time to hike up to the peak, I talked to the locals, and we agreed on the motorcycle ride. 

Motorbike ride from the parking lot to Vinicunca mountain

The first moto driver asked for 90 soles, for each, to get us up the mountain. 

The second guy asked for 70 Soles (50 soles to go up and 20 soles to get down) per person. So I agreed on that price, and he called another friend who had a motorbike for my boyfriend. 

The ride up the mountain on the motorcycle is crazy, and if adventure is your thing, then you’ll love it. 

The drivers dropped us off right at the photo spot of the mountain, so it got us super close in just a few minutes. 

Then, in the last stretch, from the photo point to the actual mountain peak, you have to climb by yourself.

It isn’t much of a climb; the altitude sickness starts to kick in, and the last steps feel like your soul is leaving your body. 

The Vinicunca Peak, famous for its Rainbow Mountain, stands at 5,036 meters (16,522 feet).

I encourage you to go up to the peak and soak in the beautiful 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. 

Being there without anyone else was worth all this effort. But since I could hardly breathe, I only spent a few minutes there before I felt the need to go down. 

Because it is such a popular attraction in Peru, these last few steps on Vinicunca are built like small stairs to help you climb.

But even so, I had to sit down in the middle of my ascent to catch my breath. I consider myself young; I go hiking, do yoga, and occasionally go running, but at that point, climbing that mountain felt like an extreme sport. 

Because it was almost dark, the two drivers were calling us to return so we could drive off the mountain before the night settled in. 

Getting on the moto to get off the mountain was even more terrifying, but the driver constantly assured me that he was a professional and that he did this every day. 

In the end, we were dropped safely at our car, and I thanked him for his help and paid for the service in cash. 

Where to stay if you’re visiting the Rainbow Mountain?

You can do this road trip to Rainbow Mountain if you’re based in Cusco. 

However, if you’re driving there by yourself, you can also choose to stay at a hotel closer to the mountain, and you’ll save about two hours (the drive back to Cusco). 

The closest accommodation to Rainbow Mountain is a local hostel in the first village, where you’ll arrive after driving back from the mountain.

If you’re doing the same route as I did (the Pitumarca route) to visit Rainbow Mountain, then consider staying at:

• Pachamama Hospedaje (this is the closest hostel, in the first village as you drive back down)
• Casona Checacupe (This is an overpriced hotel in the next village, which is a bit bigger. I tried to stay here, but the owner asked for a much higher price than on Booking, so I didn’t stay here and ended up driving back to Cusco at night and only spent 32 Euros in Cusco as opposed to 80 Euros, which is what this lady was asking. 

Unfortunately, there aren’t many other options around, so plan accordingly. If you’re not fancy, then the hostel is the best option, as it’s affordable and locals are always nice. 

If you’re doing the Cusipata route, the closest route to Cusco, to visit Rainbow Mountain, then consider staying at:

• Qali Samanawasi – a bit further from the end of the trail as you’re driving back to Cusco. 
• Casona Buenavista Andahuaylillas – closer to Cusco, but great option with private parking

There might be other hotels that you can’t find online and only see signs on the street, but you need to remember that this is a tourist area, and it gets busy all year round.

And there aren’t that many great choices, especially if you’re looking for a certain comfort and private parking if you’re driving here yourself. 

Can you do Rainbow Mountain without a guide?

Yes, you can, and you should. 

If driving in Peru is something you can handle, then I strongly encourage you to rent a car in Cusco and drive to all these attractions around Cusco, and even further, by yourself. 

After doing that myself, I feel that half of the charm of exploring Peru is exploring it at your own pace (may it be more agitated or more chill), having the option to stop on the side of the road whenever you feel like it, to taste and learn more about the local culture. 

While driving in Peru felt challenging at times, especially during the drive to Machu Picchu village, I believe that this experience made my entire trip to Peru even more special. 

When I go back to Peru (it isn’t a question of “If” but “when”), I’ll surely rent a car to explore this gorgeous country more. 

So not only can you do Rainbow Mountain without a guide, but you can do most of Peru without a guide.

If you reach some attraction that’s really important, you will find guides at the entrance offering their services, and you can then decide to hire a guide on the spot. 

In that case, you might even negotiate, and it might be more affordable than hiring a guide online, where prices are through the roof. 

I’m thrilled that you are considering making this trip by yourself, and I hope you follow my advice. Because I know for sure you’ll have the best of times in Peru. 

If you want to see exactly what this entire experience of driving to the Rainbow Mountain in Peru looks like, check out my video on YouTube: