Here at Terra Explorer —a luxury travel agency in Peru, if you were wondering— know a thing or two about today’s voyagers. And one commonality about them is how they chart themselves to specific vacation destinations according to how well the vistas perform under a camera lens.
That is, without negating, of course, other aspects contributing to the election of certain places over the others. Things like weather, cuisine, the overall aura (feeling, if you have a particular dislike for the Angelino-esque wording), and accounts by friends and family.
And so, among the myriad of camera-ready locales, Rainbow Mountain in Peru has skyrocketed into the social media ether. Legions of tourists armed with lenses have documented their odysseys to Vinicunca (this is the aboriginal name for this natural wonder). After all, the motley-colored mountain is the perfect background for an Instagram picture, vlog, and especially drone films.
You might be interested in: Trek to Rainbow Mountain and The Red Valley
But right behind this now famed photographer’s hub, there is another more discrete but more powerful gem: The Red Valley. As the name succinctly states, it is a collection of reddish mountains. Strings of towering terracotta hills and peaks stun the eyes with an otherworldly aesthetic, one that seems ripped right out of Mars. The valley is a mere thirty-minute walk from Vinicunca.
The views, though, are not trapped in just one direction. There are three-sixty scenic vistas. The valley itself covers hundreds of acres, and glaciers in the background make this what could be one of the most sublime places on the phase of Earth.
The terracotta mountain sides are interrupted by green and yellow stripes. And one can simply walk over the color-changing pebbles blanketing the ground, which, at times, shift abruptly without any gradation.
Most visitors conform to a visit a couple of hours long, primarily because of strained itineraries. If you are a more advanced trekker or alpinist, this is the perfect site for a two-day hike venturing through the Red Valley, The Rainbow Mountain, and the previously mentioned glaciers.
You might be interested in: Trekking Tours and Outdoor Adventures in Peru
The Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley are not welcoming all year round. It is wise to go during the dry season (April to October) to avoid snow, hail, and rain. And even if you are a snow fanatic, we’re sure you won’t be delighted to face Rainbow Mountain hiding behind inches of snow.
After all, this used to be all white. Just recently, as one rare “gift” from global warming, the once white-capped mountain became multicolored. As the ice turned to water, minerals trapped for millennia revealed a multitude of hues.
Now you know more about Rainbow Mountain and the neighboring Red Valley. Maybe add those two to your next adventure trip to Peru; we’ll be happy to take you on the perfect trek near Cusco through these impressive geological wonders with a superb crew of private chefs, porters, expert guides, and photographers. We’re the specialist when it comes to luxury adventure travel in Peru. Contact us.
To ensure the well-being and safety of our travelers and staff throughout our operational chain, Terra Explorer will comply with the health and safety measures and protocols established by the Peruvian Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism (APTAE), and implement the Covid-19 health and safety guidelines for adventure tourism developed by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Our experiences are designed considering the least possible exposure, where the final destinations are usually remote places. By their very nature, our adventure activities are considered to be low risk, mainly because they are performed outdoors where ventilation is constant and making it easy to achieve social distancing.
During these times we are working together with a small staff of honorable people who have been part of the Terra Explorer family for many years. They and their families are aligned with the established health and safety measures. Employing these staff members also seeks to reactivate the local economy.
We guarantee a safe, soul-fulfilling trip to all our travelers for whom we make these adventures possible.
Terra Explorer will strictly comply with the safety, cleaning, and hygiene protocols during our internal processes, third parties, and throughout your trip. This involves:
Follow the instructions related to health and safety given by the Terra Explorer team and your guide, before and during your trip.
Stay home if:
With the intention of delivering the most flexibility at the time of confirming your trip, we will determine the amount of the initial deposit individually and according to your itinerary characteristics.
Secure your trip with a deposit and pay the rest in one or more payments, at a time that suits you best. Please make sure you adhere to our policy and pay in full at least 31 days prior to your trip date.
If you need to cancel your trip, we will apply the following flexible policies.
For more detailed information on our terms and conditions and Covid-19 policies, please contact us at [email protected]
