How the day runs
The vans leave Cusco between 3 and 5 AM and drive south through the Vilcanota valley to Cusipata, where most groups stop for breakfast. From there a dirt road climbs to the trailhead. Inka Altitude describes the walk as 3.5 km to the top, over flat ground first and then uphill; Day Trips Peru gives 1 hour 45 minutes up and 1 hour down. Lunch is back in Cusipata, and you are in Cusco by mid or late afternoon. Day Trips Peru, with the earliest pickup, drops you on Avenida El Sol in front of Qorikancha at about 3 PM.
Peru Private Tours turns the schedule around: pickup at 8 AM, about 3 hours on the road, and the viewpoint once the early groups have gone down. Lunch is a picnic, and the day is 10 hours.
The Red Valley
The valley lies just behind the viewpoint and is a side walk, not a separate trip. Inka Altitude, Chullos Travel Peru and Day Trips Peru offer it as an option on the day; with Chullos you have to tell the guide before the climb starts. None of them includes the Red Valley entry, which is paid in cash in soles at the site, like the Rainbow Mountain fee itself. The Viagens Machu Picchu and Peru Private Tours listings do not mention the Red Valley at all. If you want the Red Valley as the main part of the day, the ATV tour of World Explorer Peru rides there before the walk to the viewpoint (by ATV to the Red Valley).
Palccoyo instead of Vinicunca
Palccoyo is a separate range of colored hills further south, also reached via Cusipata. The walk is much shorter: about 30 to 40 minutes from the village to the ridge, which the listing puts at about 4,900 m, plus an optional 10 minutes on foot to the Stone Forest. Tour Machu Picchu Best notes that well-acclimatized children and teenagers can take part. The return to Cusco takes about as long as from Vinicunca, so the day is still 11 to 12 hours. Two of the Palccoyo options include the entry fee; with the others you pay it in cash.
Altitude
The listings put the viewpoint at Vinicunca at 5,010 to 5,036 m, and the trailhead between 4,326 m (Chullos) and 4,850 m (Inka Altitude). Peru's state news agency Andina gives 5,200 m for the summit. Viagens Machu Picchu writes 4,800 m for the start of the hike in its schedule and about 5,000 m in its notes. Inka Altitude warns that even the drive on the dirt road can bring on altitude sickness. Day Trips Peru recommends at least two days in Cusco first. Horses can be hired on the trail from local owners for part or all of the way up; the tour operators do not manage these rentals. More on planning the first days: altitude and acclimatization.
Who should not book these tours
Every listing advises against the hike when pregnant or with heart problems. Inka Altitude and Day Trips Peru exclude travelers over 65, Inka Altitude also people over 100 kg and those with vertigo or breathing problems, Day Trips Peru children under 10. Viagens Machu Picchu takes travelers from age 12 and asks for a high level of fitness. If a short time at altitude is all you can manage, Palccoyo is the tour to look at, or a lower day such as Humantay Lake, which still reaches over 4,000 m.
What to bring
Warm layers for the morning, hat and gloves, sunscreen, rain gear and hiking shoes. Inka Altitude makes sunglasses mandatory on the trail. Carry cash in soles for the entry fees and any horse rental; card payment is not possible at the sites, according to the listings. Water and snacks can be bought in Cusipata at breakfast.
Season and weather
The tours run all year. In the rainy season, which Peru's weather service SENAMHI says lasts until April, cloud can hide the colored bands and the path turns to mud. Tour Machu Picchu Best names rain, fog, hail, snow and low temperatures as reasons for changes to the schedule at Palccoyo; Inka Altitude says it cannot be held responsible for the weather and suggests checking the forecast before choosing a date. Since all tours here can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before, you can move the date if the forecast turns. Details month by month.
Longer option: the Ausangate trek of three days of Salkantay Trekking crosses three passes and finishes at Rainbow Mountain from the far side.
