The Hiking World

Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)

Curated schematic — not walking distance. Pin-to-pin OSM named-waypoint line Phulawasipata → Vinicunca viewpoint. Cited itinerary ~7 km round (provisional, secondary). Community trailhead fee (reported secondary). High 5,036 m is the Vinicunca landmark.

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Distance 7 km Reported · Ascent provisional (DEM sample) · High point Reported · T2 · schematic

Itinerary not published

Last checked 2026-09-21

Cite this record

The Hiking World, Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), read 2026-09-21, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/rainbow-mountain-vinicunca

How we verify · last checked 2026-09-21

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial team · author
Vinicunca rainbow mountain ridge, Cusco, Peru

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

Forecast at page generation, 2026-11-06T01:53:52.043Z

Representative point on Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca): -13.868°, -71.303°, about 5036 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.

At generation: -2°C, Overcast.

  • 2026-11-05 -4–8°C, 2 mm
  • 2026-11-06 -5–7°C, 4 mm
  • 2026-11-07 -4–8°C, 3 mm

Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.

Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.

Stored line for Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca), from -13.870°, -71.332° to -13.868°, -71.303°. The drawing is the simplified record, not a surveyed GPS track.

Map loads when this section is on screen.

GeoJSON

This line is a schematic. The files are not a GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON

Facts-13.870, -71.332
Distance7 km*
operator itinerary (cited ~7 km round; schematic — not walking distance) · read 2026-09-21 · editorial
Ascentnot published

Cumulative ascent not published — stored line geometry is too coarse for a reliable DEM figure.

Descentnot published
High point5,036 m*
cited Vinicunca viewpoint landmark ~5,036 m (Wave P evidence; not DEM at pin) · read 2026-09-21 · editorial
Low point4,620 m*
Copernicus GLO-30 (Phulawasipata pin) · read 2026-09-21 · provisional
Routeout-and-back
Daysnot published
SeasonDry season Apr–Nov (Wikipedia / Wave P evidence, reported secondary, 2026-09-21)
GradeUngraded — schematic, no OSM sac_scale line

Catalog entry

DifficultyUngraded — schematic, no OSM sac_scale line
SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
YDS Class 1
Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Elevation
4620481450083.2 km profile length (DEM sample)

Stored distance is 7 km. The chart axis follows the DEM sample (3.2 km), not the published line length.

Curated schematic from named OpenStreetMap nodes (ODbL). The line is pin-to-pin, not a surveyed walking path. Pin-to-pin 2-D length 3.20 km is schematic — not walking distance and is not this figure. The published distance is the cited ~7 km round (operator itinerary, secondary, provisional). Return retraces; the stored line is not doubled. Ascent and descent are Copernicus GLO-30 samples at those two pins only, not a walking profile, and remain provisional. The elevation-profile km axis follows the schematic pins, not the cited itinerary.

No Peru Rainbow Mountain hiking relation resolved on 2026-09-21. Same-name waymarked trails on other continents were not used. Pins: Phulawasipata → Vinicunca viewpoint. osmRelationId is unset. Never graduate to verified without a connected OSM hiking relation.

typicalDays 1 is the cited itinerary window (secondary), not a figure.

High 5,036 m is the cited Vinicunca viewpoint landmark (Wave P evidence, lastVerified 2026-09-21) — not the GLO-30 sample at the viewpoint pin (5,008 m). Low 4,620 m is Copernicus GLO-30 at the Phulawasipata pin (lastVerified 2026-09-21), still provisional. Ascent 388 m / descent 0 m are pin-sample DEM on the one-way schematic, not a walking profile.

Permit is a local community entrance fee at the trailhead (Wikipedia / Wave P evidence, reported secondary, 2026-09-21). No government walking permit is asserted. Amount was not copied as a statute this pass.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Permits & fees

Conditions, fees and rules change. Confirm with the issuer and local authorities before you go. This is a reference, not a substitute for local advice. Terms

Permit
Local community entrance fee (trailhead)

Permits and fees

We are not the issuer. Fees and rules change — confirm with the issuer before you pay.

PermitCostQuota / restrictionIssuerSourceChecked
Local community entrance fee (trailhead)Unverified — not officially sourcedNot recorded—Not recordedNot recordedUnverified

Report a fee change or correction

Hazards

  • Altitude / AMS: cited Vinicunca landmark 5,036 m (GLO-30 at the viewpoint pin 5,008 m). This is a high-altitude day walk, not a casual hike.

Getting there

No sourced gateway chain yet.

Getting there car-free

  • Phulawasipata (schematic start): car-free flag unknown.
  • Vinicunca viewpoint (schematic end): car-free flag unknown.

Trailheads

  • Phulawasipata (schematic start) car-free: unknown
  • Vinicunca viewpoint (schematic end) car-free: unknown

Questions

Do I need a permit for Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)?

A permit is listed as required for Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca): Local community entrance fee (trailhead). Status: Unverified. This desk does not treat that as an official ruling.

When is the best time to hike Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)?

On this record the best season is: Dry season Apr–Nov (Wikipedia / Wave P evidence, reported secondary, 2026-09-21).

How difficult is Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)?

Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) is graded SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Altitude / AMS: cited Vinicunca landmark 5,036 m (GLO-30 at the viewpoint pin 5,008 m). This is a high-altitude day walk, not a casual hike.

How long is Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)?

This figure is 7 km (reported): a schematic straight-line estimate between waypoints — not a measured walking distance; published figures are the better guide. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

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