Vinicunca Mountain and Waqrapukara Trek – 2 Days

The Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain and Waqrapukara Trek – 2 Days is designed for those looking for new alternative treks around Cusco. Explore Peru’s Rainbow Mountains and its most scenic and stunning landscapes on the first day. Enjoy the natural and fascinating colors of the Vinicunca Mountain with your private local guide by your side.

During this hike, you will also discover the majestic Inca construction of Waqrapukara or “horn-shaped fortress”, located in the canyon of the mighty Apurimac river, will be an unforgettable experience since it is a hidden treasure for travelers who are looking for something different and with few people. This beautiful sacred place combines an incredible work in stone with spectacular natural formations and small lagoons around.

Vinicunca Mountain and Waqrapukara Trek – 2 Days highlights:

• Avoid the massive crowds with our exclusive itinerary on a private or semi-private experience.
• Instagram-worthy views of the colorful Rainbow Mountain, we know the best spots for photos.
• Explore the incredible Red Valley viewpoint.
• Enjoy a personal and flexible private guided tour to the Rainbow Mountains conducted by a friendly and Knowledgeable Tour Guide.
• Get off the beaten path and explore cute villages and mountains and get close up to the local people

Acclimatization:
We recommend you be in Cusco at least 2 days before your trek to be acclimatized to Cusco’s altitude so that you won’t have a problem during the tour.

About us:
We are Huaynas Expeditions, a direct local tour operator in Cusco; we do not share service with any other agency, as most of them do. We will make the Vinicunca Mountain and Waqrapukara Trek – 2 Days tour even if you are 2 people. We won’t cancel your trip! We are a responsible company with vast experience in the tourism industry; we have the best professional team to make your journey unforgettable.

You will be picked up from your hotel around 03:00 am. We drive nearly 3 hours in a private van to the trailhead, where we will provide you box breakfast upon arrival to fuel up for the trek ahead of you. After enjoying our breakfast, we start hiking. We will walk for around 2 hours roughly until the top of the RAINBOW MOUNTAIN. We will have time to explore the area and take pictures. you will spend approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your trekking speed and weather conditions).

After completing our tour of the Vinicunca Rainbow mountain, we will return to the starting point where our Chef will be waiting for us with a delicious Buffet lunch. Then we will go to the Pomacanchi Lagoon. We will set up our camp next to the lagoon of Pomacanchi, the first lagoon that we will visit on this tour.

The Pomacanchi lagoon has a maximum depth of 140 meters, where you can see trout, pejerreyes, huitas, ccarachis, ch’iñis. We will have a free afternoon to go through this lagoon and have our delicious dinner at night and spend the night in our tents next to the Pomacanchi lagoon.

Today we will hike to the Waqrapukara incan site; after breakfast at around 6 am, we continue in our mobility for 30 more minutes through a zigzagging unpaved road to the place called Punta Carretera. Place where we will stop for about 10 minutes to make the final preparations before walking towards Waqrapukara. We will start our walk along a flat road slightly stretched with small climbs and descents for the first 2 hours; we will also pass through beautiful landscapes, such as high Andean lakes (Cochas).

Once we reach the top, we will descend until we get the Waqrapukara viewpoint. We will stop to take the first pictures of the Archaeological Complex of Waqrapukara. Then we will continue descending for about 40 minutes until we reach the same ceremonial center. We will observe gigantic rock formations that give depth to the Apurímac River Valley as we approach.

We will explore the ceremonial center of Waqrapukara for an hour and a half. After contemplating so much beauty and taking a photo session, we will keep hiking down for 2 hours to Huayqui Comunity; the views here are out of this world! In addition to these breathtaking vistas, we will be treated to fascinating ancient rock paintings along the way. Some of these cave paintings are in an excellent state of preservation.

We will take our transport back to Pomacanchi lake, where our fantastic cook will be waiting for us with lunch; after lunch, we will drive to Cusco, arriving at your hotel at approximately 6:00 pm.

• Pre orientation one night before your departure.
• Pick up from your hotel.
• Roundtrip transportation.
• Professional guide with Spanish / English / Quechua speaking.
• Second guide for groups with over 12 people.
• Tents – 2 people in a 4 person tent, which allows for greater comfort and storage of backpacks.
• Thermarest air-inflate Comfortable sleeping Mattress.
• Cook and assistance of the Cook.
• Cooking equipment.
• Dining equipment, including chairs and tables.
• Portable environmental Biodegradable toilet (The Pett).
• Foodservice (2 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 2 snacks) – nutritionally balanced menu.
• Vegetarian and free gluten food for no extra cost.
• Camping spots fees.
• First-aid kit.
• Emergency oxygen bottle.

• Entrance ticket to Rainbow Mountain (10.00 Soles).
• Entrance ticket to Red Valley (10 Soles)
• Entrance ticket to Waqrapukara (10.00 Soles).
• Extra expenses.
• Travel and health insurance (bring copies with you).
• Sleeping bags (it can be rented from us for US$ 10 for the entire trip).
• Walking sticks (it can be rented from us for US$ 10 for the entire trip).

• A travel insurance card is essential.
• Sleeping bag.
• Rain gear (jacket and pants) or poncho. Plastic ponchos can be purchased for about $ 2 in Cusco.
• Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots are recommended. Extra socks are a must.
• Sandals or plastic slip thongs are also good to give your feet a chance to breathe at night if you want to take them.
• Warm clothes, including jacket, fleeces, gloves, scarf, and knit / tour beanie. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping.
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Camera, films, and batteries.
• Hat or cap to protect you from sun, rain, and cold.
• Sunblock.
• Toilet paper.
• Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.
• Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning.
• Your own special medicines you may need, paracetamol, second skin blisters, etc.
• Cash – sufficient for snacks, tips, and souvenirs.
• Eager and adventurous spirit to enjoy your hike.

We also offer a special service only for you or your group, you have the power to choose the size of your group and the date of departure, we will never add other people since it will be organized only for you.

Our Vinicunca Mountain and Waqrapukara Trek – 2 Days private service includes additional items such as:

• North Face 4 season tents.
• Sleeping bag / Silk Liner included.
• 02 Waking Poles per person.
• 1 Duffel Bag to carry all your sleeping bags, self-inflating pad, as well as your clothes.
• Private round trip transportation.
• Ticket to Vinicunca rainbow mountain.
• Ticket to Red Valley.
• Ticket to Waqrapukara.
• Tour Guide, Cook, and driver only for you. And of course, we pay a little more for our Staff and Guide.

We offer 3 kinds of service, each with different price ranges and you can book in any of these services according to your convenience, we just need you to be a minimum of 02 people to organize your trip on the date that suits you, all our services are 100 % guaranteed.

We are a direct TOUR OPERATOR that never passes clients to other agencies as most agencies do it here in Cusco to save operating costs with poor quality.

We will make the trip even if there are only 02 people in your group.

What if I suffer from altitude sickness?
Our tour guide is professional; he will treat you accordingly with the oxygen tank; we always provide an oxygen tank for this tour.