Our final early wake up day! We hit the road at around 4:15 am for the 2 1/2 hr van ride that brought us to the Alpaca Expeditions staging area for breakfast. Served in a concrete and tin building, cooked on a propane stove, the meal was 5 stars! Fueled on coffee, coca tea, and all the yummy foods, we started our slow trek up to Rainbow Mountain.

The landscape began to show off the rainbow of colors the area is known for. Leaving the parking around around 15,000 ft and slowing climbing to around 17,000 ft, the altitude made itself know. Steve and I opted for the diamox meds as a preventative measure, given how bad Steve felt at altitude way back on the back country camping trip in Colorado. Other than the increased need to pee and the strange tingling of fingers, neither of us had any ill effects! Josh and Avi managed just fine without meds at all, so make the best choice for yourself!

After the chaos of the Rainbow Mtn viewpoint, we hiked the short distance over the Red Valley. This offered excellent views and while not as iconic as Rainbow Mtn, it was equally beautiful and way less crowded!

Back to the bottom and another fantastic meal! Alpaca Exp employees some culinary masters for sure!

Although the hike was short (less than 5 miles), we were all tuckered out on the van ride back to town. We had some time for showers and relaxing before heading into Cusco for dinner. From our hotel it was a short walk to the main square and all the little shops and restaurants along the way. Ashish picked out a wood fired pizza place he wanted to try.

Since our altitude hiking was done, along with the super early wake ups, I bought a small bottle of wine to celebrate. Avi treated us to a selection of fancy chocolates as well!