Most tours take visitors to the Rainbow Mountain (Vinincunca) on foot but on this small-group tour from Cusco you'll save time by driving up in an ATV. That means that you'll arrive earlier than most and beat the crowds—perfect for taking photos. Your tour includes hotel pickup and breakfast and lunch in the town of Japura.

ATV tour to the Rainbow Mountain: A unique way to travel
Save time: Get there before the crowds arrive
Small-group tour (maximum 10): A more personalized experience
Includes breakfast, lunch and round-trip Cusco hotel transfers

What's Included

Round Trip Transport from hotel in Cusco to Quad Bike base- back to Cusco main square
Professional three-lingual Guide (English , Spanish and portugues)
Breakfast
Buffet Lunch
Kawasaki Brute Force 300 Quad Bike
Fuel for Quad Bikes
Helmet
Oxygen
First Aid Kit
Plastic Rain Poncho

Entrance Ticket to Rainbow Mountain.
Extras
Breakfast 8:00am departure

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

03:30 AM

Pickup details

We will be picking you up from your hotel of Cusco. Please Note: This service include pick up in private residencies, example; Airbnb

What To Expect

Your Rainbow Mountain ATV tour begins with convenient pickup from your Cusco hotel or residence for a ride to Japura.

After a filling breakfast buffet, hop on your ATV for your ride up the mountain. Riding an ATV cuts down on time and allows you to reach the top before the crowds. This option is also suitable for those who find it too difficult to hike at high altitudes.

After an hour-long ride, walk the rest of the way—one mile (1.5 kilometers)—to the viewpoint, arriving before the crowds since you skipped the hike. Here, you can take in the views of the colorful mountain and snap photos to your heart’s content.

Ride back down to the ATV pickup point where a delicious lunch awaits. Then, enjoy the scenery on your ride back to Cusco, where you are dropped off at your original departure point.

Cerro Colorado Vinicunca

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Operated by Inka Explorer Viajes

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Sultana_K

Omg...wow. I never thought I'd be able to have the privilege to visit such a beautiful mystical magical moutain. It was an extremely fulfilling experience that you feel in your heart and soul. It's emotional seeing such a massive beautiful geological place. There's a lot involved with getting to Rainbow Moutain but the tour guides were amazingly helpful each step. There is a long bus ride to the ATV area but the views are gorgeous. I didn't have too much difficulty hiking back down but going up I ended up paying for the motorcycle ride up (optional). It helped b.c. the elevation is higher up so I saved my energy for the down hike. The clouds intermittenly roll in so be prepared. Bring gloves for ATV, fingers will get cold. The tour guides were both awesome!! They took perfect pictures that will last a lifetime. Get your passport stamped at the top, take pics with llamas/alpacas, and enjoy the view. Peru is sooo beautiful, peaceful, and vibrant. This tour is highly recommended, please do it! You will not regret it! Thank you tour team for taking us safely! It was organized very well! See you next time for sure. I'm hoping you all get to see this in real to feel how amazing it really is.

Reviews

4.5

196 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 196 reviews

Great fun, rainbow mountain is NOT easy

Marcdonald_R, Apr 2024

I wanted to write my review to give people a different version of this tour we experienced. The night before we read the review of an unhappy traveller that kinda frightened us and made us question our choice of tour. However our experience was very different in many ways and I think the other traveller had set her expectation around something other than the tour she chose. This is an ATV tour. ATV’s are back country transport and not for everyone. You are riding open air on a dirt road on a mountain. Wear gloves. We bought a pair in Cusco the night before and it was perfect. We found the tour exactly as advertised and really enjoyed it. The ATV’s were in good condition we recieved training on how to operate them test drove them and had two guides one at the front and one at the back of the pack of drivers. You acend the switchback roads, the same ones as those used by the small tour buses. The roads are small and i would not have enjoyed being in a bus trying to navigate the curves and cliff sides. Getting to rainbow mountain is not for the faint at heart or for people with issues of sick sickness, fear of heights on skinny unguarded roadways. All that said we were both and survived. Use the motorcycle option to get quickly to the top. The horse is also an option but they do not go all the way to the too. DO NOT BOOK RAINBOW MOUNTAIN UNTIL YOU HAVE ACLIMATIZED SEVERAL DAYS. Here you are 17,000 feet above sea level. Moving just to tie your shoe is hard. The guide are very attentive to your needs. One of my fellow travellers needed special attention and they stayed close by to assure his safety. This place is hard on you and you may question if you can even move to the peak look out because of how you feel there. No joke. My friend a very healthy 35 year old how would have loved to just could not and stayed at the lower look out. DO NOT THINK YOU WILL HIKE UP FROM BASE UNLESS YOU ARE WELL ACLIMATIZED! It was well worth it. Food stops were surprisingly good. Great Peru dishes and fruits. Lots of selections. We were home at 5 pm if that helps with your planning. You can sleep a little I saw you could not. Maybe bring a neck pillow which you can leave with anything else in the van/bus.

Amazing view

JoAnnCohen, Apr 2024

The views were amazing! And going up on ATV really let you appreciate the views. Only downside is crammed van for long trip. Still glad we did it though.

Amazing quad ride!

Lauren_M, Apr 2024

The quad ride was amazing, the views were incredible!! Photos don’t even do it justice. The food provide was good but the restaurant serving breakfast in the morning doesn’t appear to have heat (wear warm layers). Ronald our guide was helpful and patient. Translating in both Spanish and English. The only surprise was the hike to rainbow was way more challenging than expected. Think at least 45mins to hike. Overall, highly recommend, the quad ride alone was worth it!

No atv please

Antonio_S, Apr 2024

Riding the ATVs is a wasted time you will be freezing and literally only eat dirt. Whatever you’re wearing will be ruined. It’s best to do a normal tour and then pay to ride the motorcycle up to the mountain. You can’t even use the ATVs. You have to park them and walk an hour.

The truth

Nathalia_A, Apr 2024

I just want to make it clear that this review in no form is supposed to diminish the tour guides credibility. They are experts and have plenty of knowledge but.. from my experience there were a lot of miscommunications and I unfortunately, created expectations and assumptions on how this trip would be like. Therefore, this is NOT the tour guides fault. Firstly, the Quad Bikes were amazing to ride. I felt very safe riding them and they really take the time to make sure everyone feels comfortable before taking off. Now, talking about the hike itself. We were told we had 3 options, either hike up to the Rainbow Mountain which the guide said takes about 45min to 1 hour, ride a motorcycle with a local (extra cost) or horse ride (extra cost). Now, its safe to say I consider myself extremely healthy and very active. I haven’t felt altitude sickness during the whole trip and was feeling pretty confident that I could do the hike up. Only 5 of us decided to do the hike up since the rest of the group was feeling sick already and opted for the motorcycle. When all 5 of us started walking, the tour guide said he had to leave to check up on the others and said he would catch up to us. (Which I aasumed meant on the trail) but what actually happened was the guide met with us only on the top! This hike is NOT 45 min to 1 hour. All 5 of us ( different ages, genders, ethnicities) minimum took 2 HOURS. For me and my brother it took 2 hours and 30 minutes. From my personal experience, this was the WORST experience I ever had. I started half of the trail perfectly fine, then slowly came the minor headaches, then all I could feel was my heart racing rapidly, suddenly I couldn’t breathe! Every breath I took my heart ached and my head was pounding it was INSANE. I had to stop and I thought to myself, this isn’t right! I waited to see if the guide was going to catch up with us with the oxygen tank (like mentioned in the BIO). No one came, no oxygen tank was ever provided even on the top of the mountain. I was persistent and pushed through to make to the top and there was the tour guide telling me “go slow, walk slow” with no oxygen tank! I got to the top I could not even STAND. I took pictures and sat right back down. I couldn’t think properly my head was spinning. After that, the nausea hit me so hard. I couldn’t go back down, I told the guide I felt like fainting. He took me down on his quad bike and once we got to the bottom I couldn’t stop vomiting! Multiple people on this trip were sick but with different symptoms, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Everyone was for themselves at this point. I am so thankful I had my brother to help me through it all. Altitude sickness is REAL, do NOT underestimate it even if you consider your self healthy and very active. Maybe best to bring your own portable oxygen tank if you decide to go with them just to be safe, I believe this would have helped me tremendously! We also weren’t told any information regarding these beautiful mountains. Due to this experience, I will never be returning to the Rainbow Mountain ever again. It was a one time experience for me and stated by multiple people that were with us on this trip.

An adventure

JoseLuis_V, Apr 2024

The tour guides were great. The trip to get there is too long but just because it is in a remote place so if you really want to experience the mountain then you have to do it. The ATVs were a highlight. Made the experience a real adventure. While others were arriving in a big bus to the base you get there in style riding your way up. The views are amazing. Were ended up exhausted but worth it.

Beautiful Magical Mystical Rainbow Mtn - Soul Changing...

Sultana_K, Apr 2024

Amazing trip. Arturo our...

Tia_M, Apr 2024

Amazing trip. Arturo our guide was in contact before the trip, giving tips on what to bring and options available if the climb was too much (horse or motorcycle). Pick up was on time 3:30am (whew). Arturo and his compadres took good care of us. From getting ATV ready and being safe as we rode up the mountain, to providing liquid coco (smells wonderful and opens your bronchials). Once we made it to the top of Rainbow Mountain they were also AMAZING photographers. Great trip. Highly recommend

Amazing, do yourself a favour and do this TOUR!

Jason_B, Apr 2024

Amazing 10/10. Highly recommend, if your on the fence about whether you should do rainbow mountain. It's worth it. This is your sign to do it and these guys do an amazing job. They catered to english and Spanish speaking people on our tour and was perfectly fluent and understandable. You can't get better bang for buck on this trip, breakfast and lunch included. Buffet style so eat as much as you want. And it's all delicious. Transfer there and back from your hotel, and atv, everything is all inclusive. 25 soles for an "entry fee" that is for the local villages there. Perfectly fine imo. And they have victory beers and fresh Chichirron on top of the mountain once you complete your journey! It is worth the extra cash for those luxuries as well. Also for anyone that isn't up to the challenge of the hike, which don't feel bad, it is super tough, the locals will take you right up to the summit on the back of a motorcycle for a fee. 70 soles I think it was. This is a great option if you want more time on the mountain. Again can't give these guys enough of a good wrap, they do a great job! (Be prepared for bumps on your journey, once you leave the main road you are travelling up a mountain. It's not going to be a feather lounge trip)

Trip to Vinicunca

Cesar_A, Mar 2024

This was an amazing experience. From the moment we got the four wheelers until the moment we got back in the van to head back to Cusco. Enjoyed every minute of it. Our guide Arturo was awesome and very knowledgeable.

Magical, Majestic, Motor Mountaineering

damian_a, Mar 2024

I'm not always keen on ATV riding, but this was amazing. The views were so spectacular, I felt super safe, and altogether, it was just an amazing ride. The guides were very focused on safety and wanted us to have a great experience. I enjoyed doing this too because I was worried of how stressful the hike would be due to the elevation. I can't tell you enough, how gorgeous the views were and I feel like we woulda missed out if we only hiked. Food was top notch and communication was on point.

Great experience ! Loved this tour

Ciara_D, Mar 2024

Great experience with awesome tour guides. I would highly suggest taking ATVs bc the roads are very narrow on high cliffs. I felt better and had more fun on the ATVs. You don’t take ATVs all the way up bc it’s does congest the bike trail so I understand why this company doesn’t allow it. It’s only 50 soles to have a local take you up the rest of way (horse too but you get up further with bike). The altitude is no joke but the guide had oxygen handy for me to use. I felt safe and reassured with them there, very helpful and accommodating. Bring soles for alpaca pictures, banos and drinks. Very happy I chose this company. Only con that had nothing to do with the tour guides to experience was that in viator does say that the entrance for rainbow mountain is included and it is not. So site does need to be updated.

Beautiful and breath taking view

Janice_B, Mar 2024

Our tour guide Jose was great!! We were notified the night before on what we needed to bring and what time we were expected to be picked up. On the day of, he explained the itinerary to everyone. Our tour was delayed quite a bit because the previous group with ATVs was taking awhile doing pictures. But Jose was very diligent in radioing the other guide to hurry it up as the weather can change dramatically. He did his best to get us up there in a timely manner. It was perfect and clear when we saw Rainbow Mountain. Jose was also efficient in taking our pictures. He took the pics and air dropped it to us later so we didn’t have to waste so much time and delay the next group. I know we all want to take our time, but it’s also good to be mindful others. So I can appreciate what he was trying to do. The only thing I recommend which we weren’t told, was to bring some extra money on the way up to the mountain. There’s a hand sculpture up there that you can take a picture with but need to pay a few soles to do it.

Amazing experience

Jordan_R, Mar 2024

Couldn’t recommend this tour enough. The tour guides were super helpful and easy to communicate with. The ATV tour itself was simply stunning, you will not get an experience like this anywhere else. I enjoyed this more than rainbow mountain itself! The guides also stopped off regularly to take pics of us which was a nice touch. You will take the ATVs to the bottom of the hike for rainbow mountain and from there you can either walk, ride a horse, or go straight up to the peak on a motorbike which takes 10 mins. Everyone in my group apart from me opted for the motorbike which is great if you don’t want the stress of walking up the mountain - it’s very difficult with the lack of oxygen. I went with the horse option which took 25 mins and then a 10 minute walk. I would recommend this option as you get the best of both worlds (partly riding/walking). Worth noting that the horse costs 60 PEN and the motorbike 50 PEN. You will also need to pay an additional 25 PEN to get through the border so make sure to bring cash with you. We went when it was raining and even snowing in March, however we were given ponchos to help keep us dry (as much as possible). Make sure to bring gloves too! Couldn’t recommend highly enough. 5 stars.

So Cool!

Perry_Y, Mar 2024

Rainbow mountain was amazing, and all of the surrounding scenery too! It was so much fun to do something different and drive a 4wheeler up the mountain, would highly recommend if you want a different but fun experience going through the Andes mountains!

Thank you Arturo!

Jessica_T, Mar 2024

Yes, 3:40am pick up was annoying but I understood why. Arturo kept us ahead of schedule so we can beat the crowd. We were one of the first to arrive! Due to last minute cancelation, it was only 3 people so it felt like a private tour. My partner was having mild altitude sickness and it got worst during the day but Arturo stayed right next to him constantly checking to make sure he was OK. We took the motorcycles up for 50 soles (Arturo did all the negotiations) and the ride down was 20 (i think) for my partner. Arturo went down with him and sat next to the ATVs while I walked down with the 3rd member of our tour. Climbing to the peak was amazing, I took my time for the last ascend, stopping every few steps. The altitude was no joke! I never felt rushed. ATVs were so much more fun than watching those packed sprinter vans going up towards the base. Thank you Arturo for an amazing day. Definitely a highlight of our trip.

Amazing

Samuel_M, Mar 2024

Everything is amazing. The experience is unforgettable. The only thing that would improve would be the food.

A great way to see Rainbow Mountain

Samantha_S, Mar 2024

A trip to Rainbow Mountain is not for the faint-hearted – altitude sickness is so real. However, we were really lucky to have been placed with such a great and caring group of tour guides. Riding an ATV to Rainbow Mountain is a great way to breathe in some fresh air, and to enjoy the mountain peaks and lush green valley views on the way up to the mountain (as opposed to sleeping on the drive up in a mini-bus, which is a common alternative!). Our tour guide made sure that less confident riders (me) were at the front of the pack, and I felt really safe riding behind our guide, who made sure to signal out to us when to adjust our speed for road conditions and when to move out of the way for obstacles. You can ride the ATV to the main entrance, where for a fee, you have other options to ride a motorbike to the top, or to ride a horse part way if you do not wish to walk. Our tour guide ensured that we got the best price for a horse ride – thank you! And then made sure that we were okay with the altitude once we were at the top, and escorted us down the mountain. The included breakfast and lunch option was a really nice stop with the option to purchase warmer clothing – however it's recommended that you bring this yourself if you can! For this tour, it would have been nice to have a more official tour introduction and some more historical/scientific information about Rainbow Mountain before ascending to the top, and perhaps a scenic stop to take a photo of the gorgeous valley that we ride through on the way up to or down from Rainbow Mountain. Otherwise, it was a really action-packed and fun day. Thank you!

Is this trip really worth the challenges?

Peter_S, Mar 2024

The trip starts at 3:30am, followed by a 90 min bus ride to a restaurant. Since we do not usually eat at 5am, and our stomachs were not too happy from the bumpy morning ride, we did not eat much. The second part of the journey was another 90 min. The roads got REALLY bumpy, I do not usually get car sick but I was getting sick here. Once we finally arrived at the ATV station, we took off. This was the best part of the trip. Beautiful ride on ATVs! However, this particular tour DOES NOT take you close to the top. It is quite a hike still from where we had to park thr ATVs, so we opted for the recommended 10 min. ride on the back of a motorcycle with locals (50 soles/ ~$17). The bike driver was really inconsiderate, riding with us like he was trying to punish us. There were ATVs from another company that would take you close to the top, exactly where the bike ride ended. Choosing that company would have saved over $50 for 3 ppl and not be disgruntled by the ride. On the way back the super bumpy road got all 3 of us car sick, which hasn't happened to me in decades prior to this trip. Did not eat the lunch due to feeling sick. It was perhaps a combination of the altitude and bad roads, but I couldn't eat. The Rainbow Mountain by itself is nice but is it worth the trip? Starting at 3:30am, coming back at 5pm, super bad roads... I would not do it again. My advise would be that if you really want to see the Rainbow Mountain, go with a company that allows their ATVs go close to the top.

Rainbow!!

Anna_R, Feb 2024

Rainbow mountain is beautiful but please be aware that the breakfast and lunch that is included is the absolute worst. We actually asked our tour guide not to stop back there for lunch. They say oxygen and ponchos are included but they are not and also no helmets. We really enjoyed it but these things are a must know just so you are prepared.

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