Rainbow Mountain Treks & Hiking Tours
Experience Pristine Wilderness at its Finest!
GOING ON YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE IS AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3, 4!
Step 1
Choose Your Adventure!
Step 2
Book your Trek or Tour
Step 3
Prepare for your trip
Step 4
Take the trip of a lifetime!
SELECT A TRIP
The RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREKS & TOURS do not require permits and is one of our most popular alternative treks for good reason. We offer several trek lengths both with and without Machu Picchu and even a day hike! Don’t miss the opportunity to explore pristine wilderness, Cusco and Machu Picchu – a once in a lifetime experience! Contact us if you need some guidance in choosing which trek is best for you!
Killa Expeditions is dedicated to excellent customer service and adventure experiences. We are also proud of the fact we do not charge extra to “upgrade” as we offer the best option included in the price already. There are no hidden meal costs and best of all no booking fees!
Rainbow Mountain Trek & Machu Picchu Package
6 Days 5 Nights
Rainbow Mountains Trek
4 Days 3 Nights
Extended Ausangate Rainbow & Machu Picchu Package
9 Days/8 Nights
Short Rainbow Mountain Trek
2 Days 1 Night
Rainbow Mountain Day Hike
1 Full Day
Extended Ausangate Rainbow Trek
7 Days/6 Nights
Palcoyo Three Rainbow Mountain Day Tour
1 Full Day
View All Our Treks
Explore all our stunning multi-day treks through the Andes
THE INCREDIBLE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREKS & TOURS
The RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREKS hike along a stunning route past snow-capped mountains, turquoise lakes, glacial peaks, colorful striated mountains, and relaxing hot springs! This beautiful multi-day hike is tucked away in a well-hidden section of the Vilcanota Mountain range. Surrounded by glacial mountains, this route treks in the shadow of the highest mountain in the Cusco Region, Ausangate (6300m/21,000ft). This is a true off the beaten path wilderness trek – above the tree line with incredible views of the Andes and glacial peaks. The Rainbow Mountains or Vinicunca Mountains are composed of stratified layers of sandstone. These fine-grained rock layers contain large amounts of iron and other minerals which give the mountains the pigments for the various colored stripes. Along your journey you will see turquoise lakes, glacial mountains, llamas, alpacas, chinchillas, and maybe even a wild vicuña.
Our most popular Rainbow Mountain Trek is the 6 Day Rainbow + Machu Picchu Package which includes 4 days of high altitude wilderness hiking and 3 nights of camping, a tour of Maras, Moray & Salineras on Day 5 and magical Machu Picchu on Day 6! We also offer the 4 Day Rainbow Trek without the two tours, which includes 4 days of high altitude wilderness hiking and 3 nights of camping. Both of these treks are moderate to strenuous due to lengthy mileage (52km/32.3 miles) and very high altitude passes (up to 5050m/16,568ft). We can also customize this tour to be a 5 Day trek with hiking, camping and Machu Picchu for those who want to do both but don’t have 6 full days. This trek can be combined with the Ausangate Trail and be extended further into the Rainbow Mountains to create an itinerary of 8-10 days of trekking! Heavenly!
Got more time? Go on our incredible 9 Day Extended Ausangate-Rainbow Mountain Trek & Machu Picchu Package! Enjoy 7 days of trekking along the entire Ausangate Circuit as well as the Rainbow Mountains, seeing them at sunrise and sunset (when the colors are most vivid), without all the crowds! Don’t fancy seeing Machu Picchu or have seen it before? Hike this epic combined trail without it on our 7 Day Extended Ausangate-Rainbow Mountain Trek!
Don’t have much time? Then join our short 2 Day Rainbow Mountain Trek – a great way to beat the crowds and still see the mountain at its most vivid! We have two Day Tours to the Rainbow Mountains for those who don’t have a lot of time or don’t want the fuss of camping but still want to experience the breathtaking beauty of these striated mountains! The 1 Day Rainbow Mountain Hike is a moderate-strenuous hike up to the Rainbow Pass where you will have breathtaking views of the Rainbow Valley. The Three Rainbow Mountain Palcoyo Day Tour is for all ages and fitness levels with only a short walk to the Palcoyo Pass and views of the Rainbow Mountains and a side trip to see the last remaining Inca Rope Bridge!
It is essential to be properly acclimatized for these trips, spending at least two or three days in Cusco (or equivalent altitude) before starting. The campsites are at high elevations and therefore will be quite cold, below freezing, in the evenings. Minimum passengers necessary for trek departure: 2 people (1 person or private/custom treks possible with extra fee). Maximum trekkers per group: 10 people (special, private party groups can exceed maximum).
CHECK OUR OPEN TREKS
Know which trek or tour you want to go on? Awesome! Check our open, guaranteed group departures!
REQUEST A TREK/TOUR
Don't see your dream trek or tour listed? No worries, we offer daily departures for any trek or tour. Request the trek and date you want here!
CONTACT US
Have questions before you book? Get in touch! We are here to help you realize your adventure dreams!
The Good Old Fine Print
Itinerary and Price Changes
Itinerary is subject to change. Peru is a developing country and because of this the company cannot guarantee that everything will go according to plan. Events may occur that are beyond our control and could force us to change the itinerary (examples: strikes, road blocks, road work, landslides, natural disasters, inclement weather, flight cancellations, train problems, etc). The company accepts no liability for these problems but we will do our best to change the itinerary and ensure the smoothest trip possible. Additionally, sometimes service providers in Peru increase their prices with little or no notice (example: train, flights, entry fees to ruin sites). When this happens will we notify you of the price increase and tour cost change. Please see our terms and conditions for full details.
Travel/Medical Insurance for your trip
Travel Medical Insurance: is required to depart on any trek (including emergency evacuation coverage and high altitude hiking). We also suggest personal travel interruption insurance in the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances that may arise. Please be sure you have adequate travel/medical insurance to deal with any health emergencies or travel interruption, and associated costs, that might occur. Killa Expeditions is not responsible for losses incurred due to any travel interruption (ex: weather/natural phenomena, missed/delayed/canceled flight, acts of war/terrorism, strikes, pandemics/epidemics, site or trail closures, etc.), passport, visa, family emergency, or illness/medical issues.
Please keep track of all of your personal items at all times. The company is not responsible for loss of personal effects. All trekkers will be required to sign an accident waiver and medical status form prior to departure.
Pre-Trek Briefing
All treks have a briefing the night before departure and all questions can be answered at that time by your guide or office staff. However, any questions you have about the treks before or after booking please feel free to contact us. We also have a lot of information about Cusco that we can provide, hotels and restaurants we can recommend and offer discounts to, and we can also arrange any special, custom travel needs you may have - just ask!
We hold most of our briefings the night before at 7pm (for treks and day hikes) in our office. We will confirm this with you a few weeks prior to departure.
Post-Trek Reports
After each trip or tour, your guide will provide you with a survey report to fill out about your overall satisfaction. Please be honest and make suggestions where you feel they are warranted, but please do be realistic and keep in mind you are in a foreign, developing country with different cultural values and not everything you have grown accustomed to and expect in your country is available here. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Terms and Conditions
SUMMARY: Highlights of the key points, please see below for full terms and conditions
Multi-day treks & Train Tours: A deposit is required to secure your spot and is non-refundable. It is used to purchase non-refundable items such as train tickets, Machu Picchu entrance tickets, etc. The balance of the trek/train tour is due within 60 days prior. If you book your trek within 60 days the full amount is due. If you pay the deposit only upon booking, please note that our system will auto-debit the card on file the next day.
Day Tours & Day Hikes: The full cost of the tour/day hike is required at time of booking. 50% of this is non-refundable. The balance of the tour (if any) is due within 60 days prior
Cancellations: Initial deposit is non-refundable. You may cancel your booking by notifying Killa Expeditions or Agent used and the applicable cancellation fees shall be determined based on when the request is received by Killa Expeditions or Agent. (a) Cancellation received 60 days or more before departure of the first Product to depart in relevant booking: 60% of the Product total shall be refunded to you (Inca Trail excepted where 25% of the Inca Trail product total shall be refunded to you). (b) Cancellation received 59-30 days before departure of first Product to depart in relevant booking: an amount equal to 25% of the total Product shall be refunded to you. (Inca Trail excepted where no refund is payable). (c) Cancellation less than 30 days before departure of first Product to depart in relevant booking: no refund shall be payable to you.
The minimum number of trekkers required for departure is 6 (7 for the 4 Day Classic Inca Trail) for the price quoted online. If the minimum is not met within 2 weeks of departure, Killa Expeditions reserves the right to offer the 1-2 paid trekkers the option of 1) paying the difference to take a private trek, 2) transferring their payment to another trek with more trekkers booked, or 3) cancel the trek and provide a full refund. Please contact us with questions.
Please note itineraries are subject to change for a variety of reasons (safety, weather, natural phenomena, strikes, etc). For example: if the weather is very poor the trail could be dangerous and we may have to cancel or alter the itinerary and may be able to substitute another trek/tour instead, depending on the circumstances.
Travel Medical Insurance: is required to depart on any trek (including emergency evacuation coverage and high altitude hiking). We also suggest personal travel interruption insurance in the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances that may arise. Please be sure you have adequate travel/medical insurance to deal with any health emergencies or travel interruption, and associated costs, that might occur. Killa Expeditions is not responsible for losses incurred due to any travel interruption (ex: weather/natural phenomena, missed/delayed/canceled flight, acts of war/terrorism, strikes, pandemics/epidemics, site or trail closures, etc.), passport, visa, family emergency, or illness/medical issues.
Please be advised that due to COVID19 pandemic and any subsequent variants - there may be border closures, quarantine measures, changes in entry requirements, etc. We will do our best to change your trek to a different date if issues arise that are outside of our control on our end. Please note you may also be required to show proof of a negative COVID19 test within 72 hours of departure and potentially a vaccination card once vaccines are widely available. As these terms change we will alert travelers to the new regulations.
For Full Terms & Conditions please see the policy linked at the bottom of our website in the footer. It is also available here: https://killaexpeditions.com/terms-conditions-peru/
COVID 19 Practices
We take your health and that of our staff very seriously. We adhere to the recommended rules as outlined by the Peruvian Government, including border closures, trail closures, face-covering orders, quarantine orders, negative COVID19 test results, and the eventual need for proof of COVID19 vaccination. We have instituted a number of increased hygiene precautions for food preparation and treks/tours outlined below. Face coverings will be worn at all times by the guide/staff and are required of guests in towns and ruin sites and anywhere else it is mandated per Peruvian rules. Social distancing will be observed to the best of our ability, especially along the trail if you wish to remove face coverings while hiking. Increased hand hygiene will be practiced and temperatures checked daily. Anyone exhibiting COVID19 symptoms will need to self-quarantine.
Machu Picchu has been declared a Safe Travels destination. In line with the good news that Peru is opening to a wider range of international visitors, we have updated our safety protocols to help keep you safe while you are travelling with us.
Trips will take place in small groups (8 people per group, including guide), and according to the instructions we receive from the Ministry of Tourism. All of our transport will continue to be private services.
Our guides, drivers, and representatives:
- Will wear masks and use antibacterial gel at all times
- Will be monitored continuously with temperature and symptom checks. If anyone has symptoms, they will be obliged to rest and recover, and substituted with other staff members
We will ensure social distancing by:
- Keeping 1-meter distance between passengers when boarding vehicles.
- Restricting physical contact between our staff and customers.
To add to your packing list:
- Cloth or medical face masks
- Face shields
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol)
- Disinfectant wipes (at least 70% alcohol) for surfaces
- Digital thermometer
We recommend the following steps to protect yourself and others when you travel:
- Always maintain a distance of 6 feet (2 meters) between you and others
- Avoid crowds
- Wear a face mask and a face shield
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Do not travel if you are feeling sick
- Disinfect your hands often. It’s especially important after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 30 seconds
- If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub your hands together until they feel dry
With our updated protocol, we hope to offer you a safe stay without compromising on our excellent service. We will continue adapting our standards according to the recommendations of health experts.
The Inca Trail 2D is open again as of Nov 2020 with a capacity of 150 people per day (down from 500).
We do not have confirmation as yet for the Classic Inca Trail 4D but we will keep you posted. There are vulnerable communities along this trail and they are being closely monitored by the Peruvian Government.
The minister has informed that only 675 people will be allowed inside Machu Picchu per day, which is 30% of its capacity pre-pandemic.
Visitors will enter in groups of 8, with a tour guide, and will need to maintain a distance of 1.5-2 meters apart. Visitors will only be permitted entry when accompanied by a professional guide and have their tickets booked through a registered travel agent, such as Killa Expeditions.
All of the above information is subject to change. Right now Peru has opened its borders to most countries but we recommend checking specifics for your country as these are updated regularly.
Wishing you happy and safe travels!
Blog Post: https://killaexpeditions.com/covid-19-travel-safety-protocols-with-killa-expeditions/
WE MAKE BOOKING YOUR ADVENTURE EASY!
How to Book: once you choose a trek or tour there are several easy ways to book with us!
Check the Calendars: view the Calendar for each trek/tour above by clicking the book it now button for your selected adventure. Select the date that works for you and book using our seamless, secure online system. Also, see some of our open group treks listed above for guaranteed departures.
Request a Trek or Tour: If your adventure or desired date is not listed on the calendar - request it via our online system or by contacting us. For the Inca Trail - please email us to request this trek at least 7 months in advance as permits need to be checked prior to booking. We can depart on any trek on any date with a minimum of 2 people!
Contact us: Don't want to book online? Have a private group or want to build your own adventure? We can help you book over the phone. Give us a call at +1 (619) 736-TREK or drop us a line at info@killaexpeditions.com and leave your number and we will call you back!
Specialty Trips - got a group that needs something special? Want a vegan menu? Need a Sign Language interpreter? Want a Doctor on your trek? Have a corporate or charity event to plan? Looking to go on a specialized Photography tour? Want a taste of Peru customized all-inclusive holiday? Hankering to do some charity work? Want to build your own trek and tour adventure to see the best of Cusco? Want to do yoga or meditation on the trail? We specialize in alternative and custom trips and can arrange all this and more, just ask!
Book it! - In order to secure your spot on one of our adventures we require a 400 USD deposit (to cover permits, train tickets, entrance fees, hotels, etc) and a copy of your passport bio page for any trek. Please note that this is non-refundable.
Confirmation email - will be sent out after you've booked your trek/tour.
Trek/tour details- will be sent to you via email (itinerary, things to bring, terms and conditions, waivers to sign)
Phone call or video chat - we like to connect with each and every one of our guests to ensure all questions have been answered and that you have an incredible experience! Let us know if you'd like to schedule a call or video chat? If you're local (San Diego) we are happy to give an in-person talk to your group!
Reminder email and Trip payment - will be sent to you prior to your trek/tour date and the balance of the trip cost will be auto-debited via the reservation system 60 days prior to departure.
Pre-Trek Briefing - Once you are in Cusco, prior to your trek departure date, your guide will provide a pre-trek briefing to explain the ins and outs of the trek and answer any questions you may have.
Prices/Payment - Prices listed on the website are valid for 2021 and are per person for groups of 6-10 guests for alternative treks or 7-10 guests for Inca Trail treks. Prices for smaller groups, private or custom trips differ. Please see each trek/tour webpage or contact us for details. To reserve your spot on one of our treks we require a non-refundable 400 USD deposit, with the balance due 60 days prior to departure. The balance will be auto-debited via our system using the card on file. You are able to log into your invoice via your original confirmation email at any time and make payments, change payment card, etc. If you would like to pay another way just let us know!
Don't Be Shy
If we didn’t answer all of your questions, feel free to drop us a line anytime.