ATV Tour through the Red Valley and Rainbow Mountain

Posted By : 256soniab
The Rojo Valley is one of the most beautiful things I have seen on my trip through Peru and the experience of traveling through it on an ATV has been great.
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Posted On : 2024-06-13 10:01:53

Posted By : Lefty2003
We were so excited to go on this trip and couldn't have been much more disappointed. I hate to be the one writing a negative review but I think it's important for others to know and for the tour company and the booking company to understand what they should've done instead of what they did do.

For starters the communication from the booking company, Chaska Andina Travel, was poor. I got a call the night before telling me we'd be picked up between 4:10 and 4:30. They didn't arrive until 4:45. Not a big deal--I understand they have other people to pick up. A simple text to let us know would've been reassuring. There were several tour guides, not just the driver, so one of them could've easily done that.

On the drive to Cusipata, the town where we were to get breakfast, the driver kept his window open the whole time. This was 5-7am. It was already cold inside the van. I have no idea why the window needed to be down. If it was personal preference by the driver I personally believe he should've sacrificed his own comfort for the benefit of those paying for the tour. We asked if he could turn on the heater and they said yes. Only later did we learn the heater didn't work in the van. But I still don't understand why they wanted the windows down. Again, not the end of the world, but not comfortable for a paying tourist.

We stopped at Cusipata for breakfast. All the reviews talk about a tasty breakfast. This was actually the worst meal I had on my entire trip to Peru. The only competition was the lunch they served us on the way back. But even still, I didn't expect a gourmet meal and would've been fine with all of these issues so far.

After breakfast they told us we would need gloves, possibly leggings to cover our pants, hats, scarves and other warm clothing. The night before I received a call and was told to bring gloves (which seemed a little last minute). If we were going to ride ATVs I feel like they should provide gloves for that. The TripAdvisor listed that plastic ponchos would be included, but they were selling those too.

Next they wanted us to use some herbal spray in our hands to help us tolerate the higher altitude. They wanted us to buy a bottle. At this point it seemed like they were trying to sell us stuff to be able to tolerate the trip. Still not tipping the scales on the experience. My wife and I bought some leg covers to help our legs stay warm since we were already freezing cold from the car ride with the windows open.

From here we loaded back into the van and headed off to the Red Valley. On the way it started snowing. We kept on driving and the roads got smaller, icier, muddier and there were some tight squeezes with traffic in the opposite direction. At first I just sat back and let them do their thing figuring they knew what they were doing and were used to these conditions.

But it started snowing more and more and we could feel the van sliding around at times. The tires were pretty bald so I didn't have a lot of faith in the traction of the vehicle. The higher up we got the more I kept wondering if we were going to get into an accident. And if we didn't get into an accident I wondered if we were going to just absolutely freeze on the trip.

Finally at one point we stopped. It was snowing heavily and the roads were pretty bad. The guides told us that they didn't think it was safe and we wouldn't be able to make it on the tour today. Please note--I was actually relieved at this point. We were all already freezing cold and we were really starting to question whether or not the van could make it through this weather. As much as I wanted to go I was really worried to the point that I was glad they made the call for us to turn around.

But here's where it got messy. The tour company (not the booking company--they are separate) decided that since we couldn't go to rainbow mountain they would take us to some other Inca ruins and show us some of the colonial sites of Checacupe. Most of us were still processing the cancellation of the Red Valley and Rainbow Mountain portion but most of us just wanted to go home.

A few of the other tourists actually told everyone they preferred to go home. The guides basically ignored them. As we drove down the hills many of the others started talking about just wanting to go back to Cusco so they could do other things, rather than see some random ruins.

They stopped at a spot where there were a bunch of alpacas to show us the alpaca farm. Seemed like stretching for ideas of places to take us. I spoke to the main guide privately and told him that most all of us wanted to go back to Cusco, but I didn't want to speak for everyone and encouraged him to ask everyone and take a vote. He acted like he agreed but never asked anyone.

Instead we kept going down the mountain to see some Incan ruins. As we headed down we noticed some other vans that had slid off the road and gotten stuck. As we tried to pass them our van got stuck too! Some of the guides put rocks under the tires and were able to get us out. At this point several of the other tourists were getting angry and kept saying loudly that they wanted to go back to Cusco.

The guides ignored them and took us to some small ruin site. If this had been the first ruin site we had been to maybe it would've been interesting. They pointed out that these were some mud ruins still in place. At the site most of the other guests were just mad and talking amongst themselves about just wanting to go back to Cusco. The guides were just not listening.

Finally one of the guides asked what people wanted to do next and several people started yelling that they wanted to go back to Cusco. So we headed to the town of Checacupe, which it seemed we had to pass through anyways. As we drove through it the guides again asked if we were sure we didn't want to stop and look at colonial areas in the town. People started yelling again that no, they wanted to go to Cusco.

We saw all the other buses and vans that had to turn back from Rainbow Mountain today, so it seemed pretty legitimate that we couldn't have made it.

We stopped back at Cusipata after a few hours of cold driving with the window open (when the guide finally told us that the heater didn't work). They had lunch for us. Not a great lunch either.

Here several of the passengers were asking about refunds. The guides gave all sorts of excuses. They said they had to pay to reserve the ATVs, even if we didn't use them, plus gas, plus driving there, plus the breakfast and lunch. Honestly I understood that. They have costs for running a business. They agreed to refund some of the money. We had all paid 20 soles each for entry into the Rainbow Mountain this morning. It took awhile to get that back, but they finally did give it back.

Those who had booked directly through their tour company were able to get a small refund. Those of us who booked with other companies, like Chaska Andina Travel, were referred back to our booking companies.

From here we loaded back in to the vans. As we got into the vans one of the ladies who had been serving lunch came out and demanded that my wife pay for the sodas she drank. When my wife got lunch at the end of the line was a fridge with soda. She asked if the soda was included and the lady told her yes, go ahead. So she drank 2. Then the lady came out to the van and told us she hadn't paid and charged 8 soles, I believe, per can of soda. That was just kind of adding insult to injury at that point.

We left Cusipata and froze all the way to Cusco. They dropped us off at the Plaza Regocijo (not our hotels) and drove off as fast as they could. I kind of felt bad, knowing that many of them didn't make any money off of tips that day for reasons beyond their control. But the truth is that they didn't listen to their customers and tried to turn our tour into something it wasn't and wasted our time in the process. There are so many museums and things to see and do in Cusco I would've rather had a few more hours to do that instead of drive around in a freezing cold van.

When I contacted Chaska Andina Travel about even a partial refund I was told that they would look into it but probably couldn't refund us anything. Not that I needed the money back but the gesture might've made up for the disaster of a day.

The tour company itself did an awful job listening to its customers. The booking company didn't do a great job representing itself either and should've sought compensation for us from the tour company. One of the two kept our full amount of money despite not delivering on the agreed upon services. The poor rating on this really has nothing to do with the inability to make it to Rainbow Mountain. It is really more about how they mishandled the situation in an attempt to keep a tour group and potentially not lose the business as well as not being mindful of the customers (not letting us know in advance what we needed to bring and keeping us all freezing in the van for some unknown reason and ignoring their paying customers). Horrible customer service all around--and the only place we experienced bad service while in Cusco and the Sacred Valley!

Fortunately we got home with a few hours of daylight to go and do things in Cusco and salvaged an otherwise disappointing (and freezing day).
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Posted On : 2024-06-05 00:33:59

Posted By : C9187EWnata
The van picked me up on time, the breakfast and lunch were good, could be repeated. It was also the first time I went on a quad bike, the guides helped me a lot.
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Posted On : 2024-06-02 20:32:11

Posted By : 926charisc
I booked this solo and was one of ~10 people on this tour mid-May! We were picked up around 4am and made a stop for breakfast (warning: it was a very subpar communal breakfast buffet with a million other tourists) and headed towards our ATV spot. This was my first time driving an ATV and it was honestly terrifying with the narrow roads, sharp turns, and bumps on the mountain - but it was fun and a great experience! After I drove the ATV up to Red Valley, I hiked across to Rainbow Mountain for ~40 minutes. The elevation is no joke. It was extremely difficult for me to breathe, despite already being fully acclimated in Cusco. The tour guides were well prepared and provided coca leaves, vapor rub, and some type of alcohol spray to help with the altitude. Walking sticks are also provided for hiking.

The views of both Red Valley and Rainbow Mountain were breathtakingly beautiful. Make sure you dress warmly - bring a hat and gloves as it was really cold and windy due to the elevation. Cold weather accessories are also sold at the breakfast spot in case you forget like I did!
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Posted On : 2024-06-01 13:56:38

Posted By : Ed_Q
This trip did not disappoint on scenery. We had an early start and the crew picked me up at my hotel at the scheduled time. The breakfast buffet was nothing special but at least we had something to eat to get our engines going. The fun really began once we arrived at the ATV location. They did a good job with explaining how to operate the ATV for those who had never ridden before and once everyone was comfortable, we were on our way. After passing thru the Red Valley we made it to Rainbow Mountain. It was a beautiful sight and the weather was perfect.

A word to the anyone taking this trip. It's a long and hard hike from the ATV stop to the top of the Rainbow Mountain lookout point. Not so much because of the terrain but because of the altitude. You're now at an altitude of 16,000+ feet and it can really take the wind out of you. So be sure you're ready for the exertion.

The guides were great and walked up the summit with us, They constantly checked on us to make sure that we were doing ok while on the trail and reminding us of the schedule that we were trying to keep to.
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Posted On : 2024-05-24 12:59:25

Posted By : 395juliannap
Absolutely incredible experience. The ATV tour is very special across the red mountain area and the hike to Red Mountain is about 5 miles total. It is definitely difficult but 100% worth it! Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-05-04 15:07:41

Posted By : diegobarcala86
The rainbow mountain is brutal… but the best is on the red valley tour… spectacular! 100x 100 recommended! We enjoyed it a lot
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Posted On : 2024-04-25 16:57:56

Posted By : Heather_L
This was an adventure I will never forget. The views were nothing I could have imagined and they took my breath away. The Red Valley is a must see place when visiting Rainbow Mountain.

The ATV ride up was so much fun. There were lamas everywhere and we were the only tour traveling on this rout. It felt like an untouched part of Peru and it was so special to experience. I do have to mention though they did not have enough ATV’s for everyone to ride single even though the Viator page made it sound like your gonna get your own. So that was very disappointing. Also, they didn’t provide helmets.

The hike up was a little treacherous with the snow and took around 1.5hrs rather then the listed 30min. The way back was not as bad since the snow had melted. Also, April was chilly (low 40’s F) and the workers said it would be 60’s so dress in layers even if they mention a higher temperature.

Overall, I really enjoyed this tour but wish I was informed better on what to expect. The safety and hospitality needs work but still a really fun experience.
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Posted On : 2024-04-21 15:12:30

Posted By : Dakotalyn
We had such a great time! Breathtaking views, our tour guide and driver were lovely. Learned some Quechua, had a blast on the ATVs, great lunch, would definitely recommend. Such a beautiful place to drive around on ATVs; was a great way to cover more ground without being exhausted hiking as much in the high altitude.
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Posted On : 2024-04-16 21:44:34

Posted By : Evelynmalesec
It is a very fun experience! The ATV ride is through a beautiful valley and there are many llamas. The Rainbow Mountain hike can be done at your own pace and they really make sure to help you if you suffer from altitude sickness.
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Posted On : 2024-04-16 15:10:37