Rainbow Mountain
ATV Tour
Vinicunca and the Red Valley, with the long approach done on a machine instead of on foot. About two hours on foot instead of four and a half, or just five minutes on our Express tour, run by the Cusco team that has been taking travelers up this mountain since 2014.
The painted ridge, without the long climb.
The same viewpoint the trekkers reach after three hours of switchbacks — except the quads carry you across the plain, so you arrive with your legs intact. Departures at 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM, a maximum of 18 riders per departure.
And the Red Valley in the same day.
On the walking route the Red Valley is a paid extension and another hour on your feet. Here it is simply the first viewpoint of the day — deep red slopes, almost nobody on them.
From $65 per person.
A quad with one rider is $65; two sharing a machine pay $120, or $60 each. Hold any date with 20% and settle the rest in cash in Cusco.
Vinicunca — the mountain everyone calls Rainbow Mountain — sits about three hours south of Cusco, at 5,030 metres. Almost every tour sold in the city gets you to the trailhead and then asks you to walk up for three hours. This one does not. You ride a quad bike along mountain tracks to a parking area minutes from the viewpoint, look at the thing you came for, then carry on to the Red Valley in the same day.
It is not a shortcut for people who cannot be bothered. It is a different product: the walking route is a physical achievement, and the riding route is a landscape day with an engine under you. Both are worth doing — we operate both — and which one is right for you depends on what you came to Peru for. Since we run both days, the comparison below has no reason to lean one way.
Three acts, in this order, on the same day. Nobody on the walking route gets all three.
30 to 40 minutes on the machines from the Laya community, at a group pace, with the coloured ridge growing in front of you.
The part the trekkers walk
The first viewpoint of the day, 10 to 15 minutes on foot from where the quads park. Oxide-red slopes, and usually almost nobody on them.
A paid add-on on the trekking route
Another 45 minutes to an hour on foot, then 30 to 40 minutes at 5,030 m for the photograph you came for.
The same viewpoint, reached fresherMost ATV days sold on the Plaza de Armas are resold by somebody who will never be on the mountain with you. These are our machines, our guides and our kitchen.
You are buying from the company that runs the departure, not from a desk that takes a commission and passes you on.
Each departure takes up to 18 people. We follow the guide and make stops to keep the group together.
Handling, braking, group rules and a practice loop on flat ground — every departure, no exceptions, however experienced the group says it is.
No marketplace fee sitting on top. Card data goes straight to Izipay, the balance is cash in Cusco, and cancelling 30+ days ahead costs nothing.
We run Rainbow Mountain both ways, so we gain nothing by steering you to the wrong one. This is where the two days differ.
| By ATV — this tour | On foot — the classic trek | |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | About 2 hours in total, on a gradual path | Roughly 3 hours up, 1.5 hours down, from lower |
| Fitness needed | Moderate — you walk the last stretch, not the climb | Moderate to hard — sustained effort from the valley floor |
| Altitude strain | Same height, far less exertion | Same height, and the climb magnifies it |
| Red Valley | Included in the day | Usually a paid add-on and extra walking |
| Adrenaline | A genuine part of the experience | None — the challenge is the effort itself |
| Time at the top | You arrive with energy left to enjoy the view | Many arrive too tired to linger |
| Best for | Short trips, families, anyone unsure about the climb, riders | Trekkers who want the climb to be the point |
| Price from | $65 pp | Lower — but you are buying a different day |
If the climb is the whole reason you came to Peru, take the trek instead — you will feel short-changed on a quad bike, and we would rather tell you now. In that case our sister site rainbowmountainhike.com runs exactly that day. And if you have not spent at least two nights in Cusco, postpone either version: 5,030 m is unforgiving of a fresh arrival, engine or no engine.
Same quads, same team, same 5,030 m viewpoint. One adds the Red Valley and a longer walk; the other keeps walking to five minutes and includes the entrance fee.
$65 per person
$90 per person
| ATV + Red Valley | ATV Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Viewpoints | Red Valley + Vinicunca | Vinicunca |
| Walking | About 2 h in total | 5 min each way + 20 min for photos |
| Entrance fee | S/30 per person, cash | Included |
| Departure | 4:00 AM or 6:00 AM | 6:00 AM, shared group |
| Quad | One each or two sharing | One each or two sharing |
| Price | From $65 pp | $90 pp, or $150 per double quad, all-inclusive |
| Best for | Fuller day, Red Valley, best value for couples | Minimal walking, seniors, families, tight schedules |
Most Rainbow Mountain advice is written for hikers. On a machine other things matter: how firm the track is, how cold the wind feels at speed, and whether the colours will show on the day.
The viewpoint is at 5,030 m. That is higher than any road in the Alps, and roughly half the oxygen you breathe at sea level. The quad removes the exertion, not the altitude — which is exactly why it suits people the trek would flatten, and exactly why it is not a free pass.
Aim for May to September. Firm ground, clear skies, strongest colour. Our quiet pick is September — dry, milder and fewer vehicles on the track.
April and October still work well. November and March are a coin toss — bookable, but pack for rain and manage your expectations about the stripes.
We will still take you, and we will still tell you it is the wrong month. Mud, cloud and muted colour. Consider the Sacred Valley instead on those dates.
Every photograph comes from our own departures to the Red Valley and Vinicunca, in the order you will live them: the ride, the red hills, the short walk and the summit. No stock images.
01Two riders, one quad
02Across the high plain
03The Red Valley
04The walk to the top
05Vinicunca, 5,030 m
06Alpacas at the viewpoint
07A decorated alpaca
08The people of Cusipata
8 photos from our departures · Operating since 2014
See the full itinerary and prices →The six things travelers ask us most before booking, answered the way we would on WhatsApp.
No. Most of our riders have never been on a quad before. The day starts with a 20-minute briefing and a practice loop on flat ground, and the whole route runs at a group pace behind the guide — mountain tracks and rural roads, not an off-road race. If you can ride a bicycle, you can do this.
About two hours in total. From the ATV parking area, walk 10–15 minutes to the Red Valley and then 45–60 minutes to Vinicunca. We spend 30–40 minutes at the viewpoint and return along the same path. Walk slowly: the route is above 4,800 m.
A quad with one rider is $65; a quad carrying two is $120, which works out at $65 each. You choose, machine by machine, so a party of five can take three singles and one double. There are no group discounts and no promotions — these are flat published rates, and ten travelers pay ten times what one pays for the same configuration.
One thing: the entrance fees. Vinicunca and the Red Valley are ticketed by the local communities that own them, and you pay 30 soles per person in cash at the gate — roughly $8. Everything else on the day is already covered: transport, your machine, safety equipment, the guide, breakfast and lunch.
The viewpoint sits at 5,030 m, which is higher than anywhere in the Alps. Spend at least two nights in Cusco first — that is not a sales line, it is the single thing that decides how your day goes. Every departure carries oxygen, and on a quad you are not adding physical effort on top of the altitude, which is why this route suits people the trek would flatten.
Light rain does not stop us; the colours are flatter and you will get wet, but the day runs. We only cancel for genuinely dangerous conditions — snowstorms, electrical storms, a closed road — and when we do, you choose between a free reschedule and a full refund. We decide early enough to tell you before pickup, not at your hotel door.
The full FAQ covers ages, pickup zones, what to wear, group bookings and payment. Or just message us — a person replies, usually within the hour.
You pick the machines, one by one: a quad for one rider, a quad for two, or any mix of both. Two of you can share a machine for $120 or take one each for $130. Flat published rates — no group discounts, no promotions, nothing that changes with party size.
All rates in US dollars, per the configuration shown, and flat regardless of party size — there is no group-discount ladder and no seasonal promotion. Hold any booking with a 20% deposit and settle the balance in cash in Cusco. The only cost not in these figures is the community entrance fee: 30 soles per person, paid in cash at the gate.
Written by the Cusco team that rides this route every week. Only what changes your day on a quad bike — no recycled trekking advice.
Rainbow Mountain by ATV or hiking? Compare walking time, effort, altitude, Red Valley access and price, and see which day fits your trip from Cusco.
Is the Rainbow Mountain ATV tour worth the extra cost over hiking? Real prices, walking time, who it suits, who should hike instead, and when the Express wins.
Rainbow Mountain ATV tour prices for 2026: $65 per quad, $120 for two sharing ($60 each), private from $260, 20% deposit and the S/30 entrance.
No licence, no experience: how the 20-minute briefing and practice loop work, what the track is like and what to do if you prefer not to drive.
Rainbow Mountain entrance fee for ATV riders: S/30 per person in cash, covering the Red Valley and Vinicunca — or included on the Express. How and where to pay.
Rainbow Mountain ATV tours leave Cusco at 4:00 AM or 6:00 AM. Compare arrival at the viewpoint, light, clouds, sleep and return time, and pick the right one.
Pick a date, hold your machine, and we handle the rest — the pickup, the guide, the briefing, the food and the long drive at dawn.
Every departure is run by our own Cusco team: the same guides, drivers and cooks you will meet at 4:00 AM or 6:00 AM in the morning.
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