Reaching New Heights in Peru

I sat there in silence, awestruck by the beauty that appeared right outside the window. It was a little after 5 a.m., and we had been traveling since 2:30. Asleep next to me in the van was my boyfriend, behind me sat our two fellow trekkers, and up front were our tour guide and the driver.

For a few moments, I forgot anyone else was there. I was so consumed by the beauty of nature that time paused. Then, a bump in the road snapped me back to reality and I woke up my boyfriend so he could see what I was seeing. He immediately grabbed his camera and started clicking photos.

Little did we know, this was just the beginning . . .

We were on our way to make the trek up to Rainbow Mountain in Peru. We had looked up images on Google of what the mountain looked like and honestly were a bit concerned. All of the images appeared to be heavily Photoshopped and we thought we may arrive at Rainbow Mountain to find it not as colorful and as stunning in person. However, this thought could not have been further from the reality that we experienced.

I can say that, without a doubt, Rainbow Mountain is the most beautiful place I've seen in my life. And that's coming from someone whose job is to travel. However, the beauty of this place is not all about the mountain itself, but the entire journey to get there. The cliched saying "it's all about the journey, not the destination" has never rung more true in my life than it did when I visited Rainbow Mountain. My boyfriend couldn't take more than three steps during our entire eight hours on the hike without stopping for yet another epic photo. And I couldn't stop saying "wow" and feeling like there was no way this was real life. I felt like I was walking in a dream. (And yes, the colors of the mountain are even more beautiful in real life than you see in the pictures.)

The magical journey we experienced was possible thanks to the company that we did our trek with, Flashpacker Connect. Though a bit more pricey than some of the other Rainbow Mountain trek options, it is well worth the extra spend. The 2:30 a.m. pickup time seemed questionable in the moment (and honestly, brutal), but by the time we arrived at the trailhead for Rainbow Mountain, it all made sense. There was not another tourist anywhere to be seen. It was just the six of us and the locals who lived in the area (most notably the local alpacas).

The trip took us through the most stunning valley I've ever laid eyes on, with colorful mountains on the left and majestic streams, lakes, and glaciers on the right. Add to that the llamas, alpacas, horses, and locals dressed in colorful traditional clothing, and the fact that we had the mountain basically all to ourselves, and you've got all the ingredients for a life-changing experience. Being the only explorers on the mountain made the journey that much more beautiful.