Beautiful and Breathtaking - This excursion was wonderful and the guides definitely worked to accommodate everyone even those that didn't pre-arrange to ride a horse. It is a mix of some people hiking and some people on horses to a point of where you have to hike the rest. However they separate the two groups. We took the horse and then finished the last bit with the hike. This was nice because we had plenty of time to sit at the top to enjoy the views, take pictures, etc. I saw a complaint about the van being cold but we did not experience that at all. I would say bring some warm gloves and a hat with layers because the temperature fluctuates. The place we ate breakfast at was cold in the morning but warm for lunch. However it was wonderful as there was a little shop there with reasonably priced items and I purchased an extra ear covering that was worth every penny and cute. I would definitely take this trek again and would very much recommend it. It was quite beautiful.

BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! - BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!! I was a little worried about this tour because I am not the most physically fit person ever, but I surprisingly had the best time ever. The pickup went super smoothly, we had comfortable transportation, and our breakfast was great. Make sure to bundle up for the morning and you can leave your extra layers in the car. Once you get there, the tour guide will get your horse for you and a local person will guide you to the horse-stopping area. The views are amazing the whole way. You never go too fast or feel uncomfortable on the horse. From there, as a group, you summit the mountain and see the beautiful mountain. Some people in my group needed a little extra time to get to the top (which is okay, go at your own pace) so I got to go at my pace up which was nice. Once at the top, there are alpacas, snacks, picture opportunities, everything!! I really appreciated our guide who was super encouraging and kind to us! He told us the history of the place as well as other cool facts. I chose to hike back down all the way which was nice too. Always remember to go at your own pace no matter what and you will have an amazing and safe time! I would do this tour again in a heartbeat!

AMAZING Mountain - Hi team.When you are in Cusco-Peru----be SURE to take the extra time to do a day trip to Rainbow Mountain.That mountain is absolutely STUNNING!!!!! I got REALLY bad altitude sickness when I was in Peru-so-did NOT do the Inca Trail-although I booked and paid for it.I was a little upset by this----BUT----going to Rainbow Mountain MORE that made up for it.The altitude sickness was still present-so-I did the "walk" to the base of the mountain on horseback-yep-if the altitude is toooo much----take a horse.The horse and its leader dropped me at the base of the mountain-and I managed to climb(very slowly) to the top----AWESOME views.GREAT thing to do....HIGHLY reccomend it

Amazing tour - Hiking the Rainbow Mountain is fantastic experience. Yeah, the walking is hard, but the view is enough to be grateful :) just go! The guides will be supporting you all the time.

NOT EASY, but Beautiful! - First - this is not an easy hike. I'm what I would consider an average ability 42 year old female hiker. I'm fairly active but do not run races or work out daily, but I work out some and enjoy hiking. This was one of the hardest hikes I've ever done (and I've backcountry hiked in Glacier National Park etc.) Second - if it's a yucky day it won't be as stunning as it is on a nice day. We got quite lucky as our guide said in the past couple years of doing this tour the day we were there was one of 3 perfect days he's seen at Rainbow Mountain. It is usually VERY windy and cold. It can be raining. It can be miserable. For our trip it was a beautiful day, we didn't need a jacket, and it was sunny and dry. TIPS: Wear sunscreen including lip balm with sunscreen. Wear layers and pack gloves and hats in case. Bring a rain jacket in case. Bring water. Bring sugar snacks - or money. Some are for sale by locals and once you're done you will want snacks. BRING small bills/change. Candy is about 2-3 Sols. They won't have change for 20 sol bills. Yes, I found this out the hard way and went without candy ;) Biggest Tip: If you do this, and you get to the hard part (you'll know what I mean when you're there,) don't focus on the end goal. Break it into manageable goals such as take 30 steps, then stop and take 10 breaths. Or get to the 2nd post and stop. Breaking it down makes it manageable.

A great walk ending in amazing views - The tour started very early soon after 4 a.m. We stopped for breakfast in a small village which was a nice buffet. We carried onto the starting point for the walk and then began a reasonable ascent. The guide was supposed to keep the group together but was not that successful. I spotted a few Tyrants along the way which I wished to photograph and was hurried along by the guide saying there would be time on the way back. Fortunately I ignored him and took the photos of at least 5 bird species, none of which I saw on the way back. The views of the Rainbow Mountain are impressive and better in full sun but not that disappointing without. The walk back was fairly easy although we were given a tight schedule to make the bus. We stopped again in the village for lunch which was rushed and no time for a coffee as our driver and guide wanted to get back to Cusco which we did mid afternoon. If you don't fancy the walk you can ride a horse for most of the way. All in all impressive nature and scenery spoilt by being rushed by the guide.

Definitely do this while you are here - I did this hike on a day trip with Machu Picchu reservations. It cost around 70 soles. Which is definitely worth it because they provide transportation to and from rainbow mountain. As a plus, they provide a big breakfast before the hike and when you get done they provide a big lunch. As for the hike, tits no walk in the park, but I did find it to be easier than other hikes. During the hike you will see some of the most breathtaking views ever(I’ll post a bunch of pictures) If you get tired at all during the hike you can pay a few soles and ride a horse/donkey up. They are constantly going up and down so there is usually one available. Now once you get to the top, the last thing between you and the view point is the stairs which was the hardest for me. Take your time and you can make it. Once you get to view point there’s people selling food and drinks(which was amazing!) the things I recommend is go on a sunny day, when I went it was cloudy and stared hailing. But over all a good experience! Oh, ps. Bring a couple of soles because they charge to use the restroom!

Pretty... and pretty tough... - As other people have mentioned in their posts, be sure to read about this excursion before signing up. For the group tour, you leave very early from Cusco (I was told to be at the meeting point at 4 am, but we actually left around 5). Then, or is a 1.5 hr drive to breakfast (about 30 min to eat, bread, eggs, fruit, coffee) and then it was another 2 hrs to the start of the hike. Our guide gave our group (about 38 people divided into 2 smaller vans) and then we were off. As other people have mentioned, they do carry oxygen with them, but that means you'd have to hike kind of near them if you think you might need it, as once the hike gets past the first meeting point (bathrooms - 1 sol to enter, and I was told that it was really just a hole in the ground, so your call I guess), you are "let loose" to walk on your own and at your own pace, but you do have to be back at the vans by a certain time. In my group, we were given about 2.5 hrs to go up and back down. We were also given walking poles to help us out. I will admit that I am not the most athletically inclined person, but I am not completely out of shape either, as I got to Cusco almost a week before this tour and was averaging about 5-6 miles of walking per day, and this hike was TOUGH! I had to stop several times, and even though I was sucking on the coca candies and had coca tea before leaving Cusco, the altitude really was a factor. I found myself stopping several times and by the time I got to the top, I stayed long enough for a few pictures, and then started back down. I felt like the way down was just as tough as the way up in some ways, and I definitely had symptoms of altitude sickness, and had to have one of the guides mix some sort of liquid (coca?) with alcohol so I wouldn't get sick at the end. So, I strongly recommend that you go with someone if you even have ANY doubts (or perhaps skip this activity for something else). Once I reached the summit, it was cool to see Rainbow mountain, but as others have said, it wasn't as shockingly colorful as the many posters around Cusco will lead you to believe. I can now say I have been there, but I am not planning on going on any more high altitude treks due to this experience. There are also a few things that I haven't seen mentioned specifically in posts, so I am going to write what I can now. For clothes, I wore jeans, smart wool socks, a cami, a t- shirt, a long sleeve shirt and the inside lining of a ski jacket as my main coat, as will as sunglasses, a hat and previously applied sunscreen. (Remember, I am from NH, so perhaps might have a slightly better tolerance for cold weather) Going up, I was sweating a bit, and took off my jacket until I reached the summit, where it was a bit windy and colder. As I descended, I was somewhat cold because the wind picked up, and I had to pull out my ski hat and fleece gloves. I had lots of extra junk in my backpack that I should have left in the van (like a rain pocho and sweatshirt). So, I would recommend going through your backpack for stuff you don't think you will need BEFORE hiking, and leave it in the van so you're not carrying all that extra weight). Also, when I went, the path was dirt (dry season), so EVERYTHING got dusted with the fine dust powder from the horses going by, other people walking, etc. So, I guess I am recommending that you wear clothes that are either a little dirty to begin with, or at least stuff that you won't care if it is coated in dust from the path. Also, although people will sit and rest almost wherever, there really isn't any designated resting place. And, if you're needing a snack, there are some people along the way who can sell you something. (Including the horse ride up and back...although you should know that horses can only go so far, so you still have to walk a ways...price was 80 soles round trip or 60 going up). All in all, it was interesting, but I feel as though I probably could have spent my money and time doing something a little less strenuous and had more fun, while not over exerting myself.

Rainbow mountain is beautiful but beware of this tour company - Rainbow mountain is beautiful but I was really unimpressed with this tour company for multiple reasons. 1. The tour van did not have heat or A/C so we were freezing all the way there (3 hours) and hot on the way back. They don't seem to be concerned with customers comfort. 2. The additional expenses listed on the excursion is inaccurate. It says 10 soles but is actually 25 soles. 3. They book horseback riders and hikers on the same trip. So, if you ride a horse like me, you will be waiting hours for the hikers to catch up. It's extremely frustrating and inefficient. They should have two separate excursions instead of combining the two groups. I gave two stars because rainbow mountain is worth seeing, but I'd never use this tour company again.

DO YOUR RESEARCH! - I dropped the ball on this one. Since Rainbow Mountain was offered through our hotel (Antigua Casonas), I thought it would be fun to do. We had spent the beginning of our trip in Urubamba (4 days) to get acclimated and then spent 2 days in Cusco before our trip to Rainbow (we were also taking meds to help with altitude). I think that we were very lucky to have made the climb without getting seriously hurt. We left Cusco at 4AM in a packed, cold and uncomfortable van. We stopped for breakfast (not so great and restaurant was colder than what it was outside...van didn't have heat). Once we got to Rainbow Mountain, the race was on. I had no idea that our tour company would be rushing us to get to the top. We would have been better off if we had been able to go at our own pace but that was not an option with this group tour. I finally got a horse for the last 30 minutes before hitting the last climb to the summit. While walking up (I am 63) I saw 2 young girls on the ground getting O2. On the way down, we watched as they took a gentleman all the way down on a stretcher (an ambulance was waiting at the bottom). If you are going to take this hike, check everything very carefully and consider getting a private tour so that you can go at your own pace. I had my son and his girlfriend along on the trip and I was scared to death that they were going to have serious health concerns. Both got very ill that night. My son got to the summit but left quickly because he was feeling so bad. Oh...did I mention that the trail is filled with thick mud? My son slipped and fell twice on the way down. People were going off the trail to get around the mud...doing harm to the moss and surrounding plants. This place is an environmental disaster happening. And the poor horses! Yes, I took one for about half an hour but I felt very guilty about doing this. These animals, when not hauling people up the mountain, are standing around in deep mud. Oh...and the road up and down in the van??? lots of washouts...road is not in good shape. I don't think it is very safe. All in all, I don't think this was worth the risk to family members.