Rainbow Mountain and Red Valley

After our rest day in Cusco, where we said goodbye to the Salkantay travel group 'Speedy Gonzales' at dinner, we went on a trip to Rainbow Mountain, which was only discovered or uncovered about four years ago, as it was completely covered with ice before the start of global warming. In the midst of an overwhelmingly beautiful landscape is the mountain with its colorful stripes, which it owes to various minerals such as copper, iron, or sulfur. Lit up by the sun, the yellow-green-red-blue-brown-white striped mountain with its sharp edge appears completely unreal amidst the snow-covered 5000-meter peaks, with the lush green on one side (thanks to the rainy season!) and the red sand on the other side. You don't even know which side of the viewpoint to look down first....

However, as more and more tourists begin to swarm around the viewpoint who have finally reached the 5080m high point, we continue to the Red Valley. The path leads over colorful sands, whose color changes every few meters in various shades of red and brown, and after a few hundred meters of ascent, we have another breathtaking view! Most other visitors don't bother hiking up there - but they're missing out on something: at the top, we are overwhelmed by the view of red glowing mountains with rugged rocks, interspersed with light orange or dark red sand areas, and again and again bright green oases where llama and alpaca herds peacefully graze; the color combinations resemble the colorful clothes of the locals. While we walk in awe and excitement through the Red Valley, we are thrilled about the great weather and the fantastic day!

On the same evening, after a quick shower, we immediately continue with the night bus to Arequipa, the starting point for our planned tour through the famous Colca Canyon.