Rainbow Mountain – Peru

The most spectacular thing to know about this place is that it was first discovered in 2015. The mountain have, of course, always existed but it was covered by Andean ice and snow. And then, most likely due to the climate change, appeared under the melted ice. The first guided tour was held in January 2016. 

Pick-up at 4 am in the morning to drive (read sleep) around 3 hours before we could start our 7 km long hike up to Rainbow Mountain. We started the hike on an altitude of 4650 m and ended up at 5100 m. The first 5-6 km was really enjoyable (with a beautiful view) on a quite flat surface, and the last kilometers were not that joyful. I would say that the main reason for this is the altitude and the heavy breathing. But when you climb the final steps and turn around to look at the mountain, it is worth every heavy breath.