RAINBOW MOUNTAIN

Rainbow mountain or Vinicunca by its correct name sits in the middle of the Vilcanota mountain range rising up 5200m above sea level. This is almost as high as the pass when we hiked the Annapurna circuit at 5400m. Having been in Cusco for almost a week at 3300m with a quick three day trip to Machu Picchu at 2200m then back to Cusco for a night we thought we would be pretty well acclimatised. However this was not the case...

Almost every travel agent in Cusco offers cheap one day tours, even though Vinicunca is relatively unknown outside of Peru. After shopping around we found a deal for 60soles (£15) this included hostel pick up, three hours drive there and back, breakfast, lunch and guides with oxygen if needed (it was). You could spend a bit more on this hike but we quickly realised every tour had the same itinerary and we were all walking the same way. We booked our trip the night before, set our alarms for ridiculous o'clock and went to sleep.

Today was always going to be a day of ups and downs. We were up and out by 3am and drowsily flopped into the waiting mini bus. We picked up a few more hikers around town then headed three hours out of Cusco to the small remote village of Quesiuno, 4300m meters above sea level. This was already a massive accent of 1000m and we hadn't even put our boots on. The narrow roads twisted and turned through the mountains like a water slide. I was a tad nervous we were going to slide off looking at the state of some of the roads.

We arrived in one piece round 7am to a light breakfast as you aren't really supposed to eat much when at high altitude. There were 15 in our minibus, three other busses joined us for brekkie and when we reached the start of the hike there were at least 15 minibuses from other tour operators. We were now glad we didn't pay more for a smaller group as there is only one path. Still this was nothing compared to the morning crowds at Machu Picchu. 

We set off climbing a small hillside that had become a small waterfall due to rainy season. This revealed a beautiful wide valley. The vivid green grasslands, red soil and purply blue rock was a great support act to what was to follow.

We were now maybe 100m higher than when we started and although a bit out of breath I was feeling fine. As prevention is better than cure I bunged a load of coca leaves in my mouth as is the done thing here to prevent altitude sickness, they taste horrid. Helen spat hers away and instead opted to take them in tea form.

We were about fifteen minutes in to the hike when H started to feel dizzy. This was not good news, she deteriorated a tad more, then lost all the colour in her cheeks and fainted. A similar thing happened to her in Annapurna. In the Himalayas we were hours from anywhere so we just stayed put for a hour so H could acclimatise, re-hydrate, munch on chocolate and asses the situation. However being part of an organised tour means that you don't have the luxury to doze for an hour eating snickers bars. The guide brought her some sort of sniffing alcohol that brought her back to her senses almost immediately. We debated going down, however the guide suggested hiring some hoofs. There must be many folk who suffer from the massive ascent on this trip as there were many horses for rent along the route. A small smiley man appeared with more wrinkles than face towing a little white horse behind him. He was one of those folk who could have been anything from 40 to 70. He introduced himself as Alejandro and his horse was imaginatively called Blanco (White) H decided to continue on horse back as we felt the mix of exercise and altitude was the main cause of her nausea and eliminating one would vastly improve the situation. So off we trotted. We carried on through the valley chatting away and drinking coca tea (only slightly better than chewing the leaves).

Behind the valley walls was a glacier partly covered by cloud and one of Peru's highest mountains Ausangate at 6384m peered down at us. Luckily the sun was out... for now... but we were still battling the cold glacier winds. It was a lovely valley to walk / trot through. Hundreds of alpacas stared at us from the hillside, scruffy dogs followed looking for crumbs from energy bars and locals in traditional attire went about their daily life in the little farms we passed. It took roughly two and a half to three hours to reach the final ascent to the Mirrador (look out) at 5275m. Like a few earlier steep inclines H had to get off her high (ish) horse and walk with us peasants. It was a hard slog up the slippery path but we made it.

The mountain was like nothing we have see before and probably will see again. It's slopes were painted with stripes of different coloured rock stretching from the summit down both sides, like the blanket bundles many of the locals carry on their backs. Unfortunately one side of the mountain was covered in a light snow making the postcard shot of a triangular rainbow impossible. Still it was a stunning site. Apparently this area was a glacier for thousands of years. When it retreated it left many different mineral deposits in the rock giving the slopes their unique colouring. This phenomenon is very uncommon, apparently only found in Peru, Argentina and China. The sky had clouded a tad by the time we reached the summit muting the colours slightly which on a sunny day really pop.

H unsurprisingly wasn't feeling great again, so we descended back to trusty Blanco and Alejandro who clip-clopped back down the valley. A little way down Helen started feeling sick. She wasn't dizzy and didn't have a head ache. Plus she was dosed up on Diamox (altitude sickness pills) and coca tea. We decided she had swapped altitude sickness for travel sickness due to the jerky movements of Blanco. This wasn't her day.

Very dark clouds were gathering and after a loud clap of thunder that shook the valley the crowd atop of the view point dispersed instantly. A powerful lightening storm rolled over the ridge bringing with it super heavy hail showers. This quickly turned the multicoloured landscape into a white one. It was like being fired at from all angles with a BB machine gun. With the unstable weather came unstable footwork. Many folk were slipping and sliding all over the place. I kept my head down partly not to slip over partly not to get shot in the face. I knew when someone had fallen over as I could hear Helen chuckling from atop her steed.

We dived into the bus relived to be out of the storm. Helen was pretty glad it was all over even though she had loved seeing the view from the top. Then just when she thought she was safe the colour drained from her face and she passed out again. I called the guide who ran over with oxygen. A few deep breaths and some coca candy put her right again. It's crazy how unpredictable altitude sickness can be and how one minute you can be up then the next you're down. You could be a super fit marathon runner and be on your back, just as likely as someone who has never done any exercise in their life can be fine. It can also suddenly effect you even if you have been at high altitude before and had no problems. The key is ascending slowly which is something this tour overlooks if you leave from Cusco. I would recommend acclimatising in Cusco for at least 4 days before attempting this hike, and to think twice if you have had a bad reaction to altitude before. Take plenty of water, bring a thermos for coca tea, wear a sun hat and be prepared for extreme changes in the weather and temperature. This is a pretty serious trek and shouldn't be taken lightly. Check that your guides know what they are doing and have the right medical supplies if you should feel ill.

The bumpy bus took us back to our breakfast spot for a lunch of soup chicken and rice. Then it was back to Cusco. It had been quite an adventure for sure. We had seen some unbelievable views, summated a rainbow, H had her first taste of being a gaucho (cowgirl), survived a crazy storm and enjoyed watching many folk go splat in the mud. It was just a shame about the altitude sickness and the saddle sore bum which Helen endured on the bumpy road back to Cusco.