The causes of death among Trekkers at the Rainbow Mountain
A death high on the Peruvian Rainbow Mountain sounds quite a terrifying and daunting thing, Is that right? Yes, and of course it is not a nice topic to talk about not at all. There have been hikers who fainted and passed away, it is undeniable, and unfortunately, they now are already part of the rainbow mountain´s history. But here is the good thing, since the beginning of the rainbow mountain hike, deaths have rarely been reported.
Fatalities on Rainbow Mountain
- November 12th, 2024. Young Argentine tourist dies after being struck by lightning in Red Valley.
- March 18th, 2024. Lightning kills tour guide, wounds French tourists in Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain.
- December 06th, 2023. A Guatemalan tourist died striken by the lightning and the tour guide was injured.
- November 03rd, 2023. A Canadian woman died of Altitude sickness.
- October 17th, 2023. A bus of 32 seats came off the road and rolled over several times. A British man died and 27 others were injured.
- On August 23rd, 2022, a french tourist died of cardiorespiratory problems.
- On December 10th, 2022 a tourist guide died falling and hit his head.
Here we come up with the usual causes that make hikers suffer in the rainbow mountain area, causes in which some hikers succumbed till death. This information is for future hikers, please read it twice and be cautious before setting off to the rainbow mountain.
1.- Altitude
The rainbow mountain summit is by 16 500 ft. / 5 040 masl. which is almost the famous Everest North base camp of 16 900 ft. / 5 150 masl. in Tibet. Well, as it is known the places mentioned above are climbable but it is not for everyone it can not be, we don’t want to think like that but it´s the truth.
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can affect you badly if you are going without the right preparation. One can not be sure how one reacts when having the Symptoms. Everyone going to the rainbow mountain should give their body time to acclimatize at least two days in Cusco, Especially people coming from coastal regions or sea levels. It is better worth being honest than regretting later.
If someone has had heart surgery, pulmonary sickness, or suffers any other compromising illness, please don´t do the hike.
2.- Large groups
Due to its captivating colors and shape, the rainbow mountain has quickly risen to become a major touristic attraction for Cusco. Tour agencies lead large and small groups which naturally is according to people’s budgets. Some travel agencies manage only small groups, led by two tour guides. It is ever convenient to hike with a small group so the guides can care about tourists, handle the situation if someone feels dizzy, lacks of oxygen, etc. But be careful before you push yourself, and also have your own right pills on hand. Without taking this into account things can just get worse like This.
3.- Lightning strike
During rainy day afternoons, it is highly dangerous to manipulate or hold electronic devices, metallic jewelry, in highlands because being outside hikers have a higher exposure to lightning discharge. Also, Signal transmission is associated with a little amount of energy transfer and sometimes it may become critical for life. Please turn off whatever device you have and hide them in a backpack. The lightning phenomenon could be pretty spectacular but also the most deathliest, you may like chasing this effect, but don´t do that while going to the rainbow mountain. You are going on to victory, not to become history. Have a look at this.
4.- Land/rock slide
In the road.- This is the 2021 post about death on the rainbow mountain. In the last two years, new shorter access has been opened to the colored mountain. By the way, the local authority took it seriously and under a project to ease the access, the width of the road has been widened. Though it does not mean there can not be landslides or rockfalls, in the rainy season it may happen but again the road is wider and better by comparison to how it was at the beginning.
In the hiker´s trail.- There haven´t been reports of landslides causing death to hikers. The terrain is solid and safe. Going with the right preparation will always help you to avoid bad experiences, that is to say, have a rain poncho or a good rain jacket and wear trekking shoes. It would not be nice to slip on mud, get wet and start shivering. Consider, it is a little difficult to predict accurately the behave of the weather up there.
Now, you know what to take into account when planning to go to the rainbow mountain Peru. If you really want to do it, go prepared, that is all. With that said have a nice time!!!