Booking choice: The premium small-group trip, 12 hours. Book this Tour details
Rainbow Mountain sits on communal land between the Cusipata and Pitumarca districts. There is no national ticket office, no online booking and no card machine. You pay a small fee in cash at the trail, or your tour pays it for you.
Who runs that hut has been argued over for years. In 2026 there is a new, temporary arrangement on the Cusipata side. Here is how it works and what it means for your day.
The quick answer
The Rainbow Mountain entrance fee is collected at the trail by the local community, in cash, in soles. The Red Valley has its own separate fee, and horses are rented from local families for cash. The fee is not part of Cusco's boleto turístico. Some tours on this site include the entry and some do not, so check the booking before you go.
Who collects the Rainbow Mountain entrance fee in 2026?
The local communities. Since mid 2026 a temporary commission from the Chillihuani community and the Llaqto sector collects the fee on the Cusipata side.
On 29 June 2026 Peru's Presidency of the Council of Ministers announced that Chillihuani and the Llaqto sector had agreed that "a commission will temporarily take over the collection of admission fees", until a Transitional Tourism Committee is entered in the public registry. The committee was agreed in March 2026.
The background is a long dispute over who controls access. The Cusipata route was shut from November 2023 to July 2024 and reopened under a truce with free entry, according to Andina. In November 2025 the regional tourism office proposed a single communal company to run the site. None of this changes much for you on the day: someone at a hut asks for the fee, you pay in cash, you walk on.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2023 to Jul 2024 | Cusipata access closed over a community dispute | Andina |
| July 2024 | Route reopens under a truce, entry free for a time | Andina |
| November 2025 | Regional tourism office proposes a communal company | Andina |
| March 2026 | Transitional Tourism Committee agreed | PCM via Andina |
| June 2026 | Temporary commission takes over fee collection | PCM via Andina |
How do you pay the Rainbow Mountain entrance fee?
In cash, in Peruvian soles, at the trail. Bring small notes from Cusco.
There are no ATMs once you leave Cusco, as Rainbow Mountain Travels points out, and the people at the hut and the stalls rarely have change for big notes. Take out soles the day before, break a large note at a shop in Cusco, and keep the fee money separate from the rest.
Dollars and cards are the wrong plan. Even on a tour that includes the entry, carry some soles: you will want them for horses, toilets, a hot drink or a tip.
Is the Red Valley a separate fee?
Yes. The Red Valley has its own fee, on top of the Rainbow Mountain entry, and it is optional.
The Red Valley (Valle Rojo) is the rust-red ridge beside Vinicunca. Tours that offer it as an add-on usually leave its fee to you. The listings for the classic day trip, the premium small group and the Pitumarca small group all list the Red Valley entrance as optional and not included. The quad tour with meals lists both fees as cash, not included.
Horses work the same way. Families at the trailhead rent them for the climb, for cash, and you agree the ride with the handler. If you think you might ride part of the way, carry enough for it. Being short of soles at 4,800 m is a poor reason to walk.
A group of 15 at most with the Rainbow Mountain entry already paid. Bring soles for the Red Valley.
Book thisIs Rainbow Mountain on the Cusco boleto turístico?
No. The boleto turístico covers archaeological sites and museums around Cusco; Rainbow Mountain has its own community fee.
Machu Picchu Travel Guide lists Rainbow Mountain with Machu Picchu, the Maras salt mines and the cathedral as sites the boleto does not cover. In 2022 the regional tourism office and several municipalities proposed adding Vinicunca to it to settle the disputes, according to Andina. That has not happened.
If you bought the boleto for Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley, keep it. It just will not get you up Vinicunca.
Which Rainbow Mountain tours include the entrance fee?
Five of the tours on this site include the Rainbow Mountain entry, two leave it for you to pay on site, and three are unclear enough that you should ask first.
We go by what each listing states. Where a listing puts the entry under "included" but also marks it as payable in cash, we class it as "ask first". Message the operator through the booking before the day, and carry soles either way.
| Tour | Rainbow Mountain entry | Red Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Premium small group | Included | Optional, cash |
| No-hiking ATV | Included | Not listed |
| Entrance-fee-included tour | Included | Optional, ask about the fee |
| Pitumarca small group | Included | Optional, not included |
| Private day | Included | Not listed |
| Classic day trip | Paid on site, cash | Optional, cash |
| Quad tour with meals | Paid on site, cash | Paid on site, cash |
| Red Valley ATV | Ask first | Ask first |
| Late-start small group | Ask first | Not listed |
| Palccoyo day trip | Ask first (different mountain) | n/a |
A plain group day with breakfast, lunch and the Rainbow Mountain entry ticket in the booking.
Book this Tour detailsWhat else should you carry cash for at Rainbow Mountain?
Horses, toilets, snacks and drinks, and a tip for your guide. Some tours also leave the Red Valley fee to you.
- Horse rental for part or all of the climb, paid to the handler.
- Toilets at the trailhead and on the way; one listing names restroom fees in soles under its exclusions.
- Snacks, water and hot drinks from stalls near the start and the top.
- Tips, which some listings exclude and a few include.
- The Red Valley, if your tour stops there and does not include it.
Going on your own instead of with a tour? You pay the same fees, plus the colectivo fares, and you need cash for all of it. Our guide to Rainbow Mountain without a tour covers the transport.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay the Rainbow Mountain entrance fee by card?
Plan on cash. The fee is collected at a community hut at the trail, in soles, and there are no ATMs after you leave Cusco.
Is the Rainbow Mountain entrance fee included in my tour?
It depends on the tour. On this site the premium small group, the no-hiking ATV, the entrance-fee-included tour, the Pitumarca small group and the private day include it. The classic day trip and the quad tour with meals do not. For the others, ask the operator.
Do you pay twice for Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley?
Yes. The Red Valley has its own fee, separate from the Rainbow Mountain entry, and it is optional.
Who gets the Rainbow Mountain entrance fee?
The local communities. In 2026 a temporary commission of the Chillihuani community and the Llaqto sector collects it on the Cusipata side while a new tourism committee is formalised.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on the tours below. Check whether the entrance fee is included before you go.
Premium Rainbow Mountain & Red Valley Trip
- Hotel pickup between 3:00 and 3:30 am
- Rainbow Mountain entrance fee
- Bilingual guide, breakfast and buffet lunch
Rainbow Mountain Tour, Optional Red Valley
A plain group day with the entrance fee in the booking
Full-Day Tour via Pitumarca
The smallest group here, on the Pitumarca road
