Climbing 16,300 ft to Vinicunca (aka: Rainbow Mountain)

Vinicunca Pass : 16,300 ft

Peru! Country #9 on this trip and our kid's 5th continent (mine and Parker's 6th continent).

It was no small feet to travel from northern Japan to Peru. After 5 flights and over 36 hours of travel: We arrived in Lima, checked into our room near the airport, and slept for 14 hours straight. The next morning, we went back to the airport and flew to Cuzco, our 6th flight from Sapporo, Japan.

Lima is at 528 ft. of elevation while Cuzco is at 11,152 ft. We gave ourselves five days in Cuzco to acclimatize ourselves and the kids. With mad jetlag and the elevation gain, our sleep schedule was wild to say the least. We would "take a nap" in the afternoon and end up sleeping for 10-12 hours. Then we would all be wide awake around 2am/3am and start chatting, drawing, or reading. It took us 4-5 days to adjust.

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Vinicunca was a much anticipated hike on our Peru itinerary. The Montana de Siete Colores (Mountain of Seven Colors) is also referred to as Rainbow Mountain. 

In 2013, the glacier that once covered Vinicunca melted, reveling it's unique geographical colors. It has only been the past ten years that this day hike has become a major destination. It is now the second most visited site in Peru.

To avoid the crowds, we decided to arrange a 3am pick up. This sounded crazy to us at first but after some research, it made the most sense. We read that with 1,000-1,500 visitors a day, it can be hard to enjoy the hike when the mountain is crowded. Vinicunca is three hours away from Cuzco so to be one of the first tours there, we had to leave early. 

We shared the van with nine others: two girls from Canada, a girl from Germany, and six young dudes from Chicago. We were off by 3:20 am. Our driver suggested that we get some sleep until we stop for breakfast around 4:30 am. After breakfast. it was another hour and a half to get to the trail head.

The drive up the valley was windy and stomach churning. Kaia, Cruz, and I took Dramamine which was helpful because our driver drove fast (running through red lights and passing people on narrow roads). It was just past 6am when we arrived at the trail head.

We were the third vehicle to arrive. It was chilly so we all got going right away. Although this was just a day trip, Parker and I carried a lot in our packs for emergencies. We were climbing to over 16,000 ft where the weather can change in an instant. We wanted to make sure that our kids would be as comfortable as possible in any condition so we carried extra layers, full raingear, liters of water, and of course, snacks.

Horses for hire, stylish alpacas, and the cutest little hiker.

It's only an 8km round-trip walk to the pass but it's the altitude that makes this hike challenging. We had given our selves plenty of time to acclimatize in Cuzco (11.000ft). This was our fourth day and we felt the kids were acclimatized. Within ten minutes, we could all feel the altitude. Along the way, were bathrooms, vendors, and adorable alpacas for photo ops. The villagers of the area also offered horses to take you up almost to the top. For 70 Peruvian Soles ($19) you could hire a horse to take you up and for $100 Soles ($27) the horse will take you back down too.  

We came to hike, so we hiked. The kids did great, we just had to keep slowing them down, make them take little breaks, and drink plenty of water. For some reason, Parker has never really been affected by altitude. Altitude hits me hard like most people but I know all I have to do is move forward slowly.

Two of the guys in our group hired a horse shortly after we started walking. They had flown into Cuzco  the night before and did not give themselves time to acclimatize. No Bueno. There were two very steep parts on the way up. Our guide told us that one stretch was called "Gringo Killer". Right before that climb, two more guys in our group opted for horses.

The coolest kids we know! And pretty cool alpacas too.

The Richardson Kids made it up to 16,300 ft. like champs! We are so proud of them! 

The early wake up call was totally worth it when we arrived at the pass with only a few people around. It was windy and cold at the pass so we layered the kids up. We enjoyed the view, ate snacks, and hydrated. As we snacked, we watched the influencers take their photos. One of the guides said that many women change out of their hiking clothes and into dresses or cute outfits once they make it up to the top. That's definitely how Rainbow Mountain went viral.

We learned that the two towns on either side of the mountain made a pact to switch off working the route every other week, tending the small stores, offering horses, etc. Tourism has been great for the economy, however, the locals are also working hard to preserve the natural beauty of the land. 

On our way down, we passed hundreds of people going up "Gringo Killer". We can easily see how it could be a mess on the pass when you start later in the day and end up on top with hundreds/thousands of people. 

Parker and I have been at altitude many times pre-kids. In the Everest and Annapurna region in Nepal, we went up over 18,000ft three separate times. Altitude is no joke and we are so proud of our kids for their effort. We made sure they were acclimatized, carried all the necessary gear for emergencies, and did everything we could to make the hike enjoyable for them. 

It has been incredible to watch them grow into strong, capable hikers on this trip. Vinicunca is unlike any mountain or landscape we've seen. People complemented our kids on how strong they are, we learned most kids need assistance to the top. It was a challenge and they loved it. Rainbow Mountain was a great experience for our family.