The magical Rainbow Mountain | Vinicunca or Winikunka

The magical Rainbow Mountain | Vinicunca or Winikunka

The Vinicunca Raimbow  Mountain is one of the very important tourist attractions in Cusco, just as Machu Picchu is very famous for travelers. National Geographic has listed this natural attraction as one of the places to visit before you die. This attraction is also known as the Mountain of 7 colors or Rainbow.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinicunca

Until the pandemic, it attracted thousands of people who wanted to observe a rainbow of bright colors on its slopes.

Why does it have those colors?

According to research by the Cultural Landscape Office of the Decentralization of the City of Cusco, the pink color is due to the red clay; the whitish, due to quartz sandstone and marl, rich in calcium carbonate; the reddish ones are composed of claystones (iron) and clays belonging to the upper tertiary; The green is due to the compound of phyllites and clays rich in ferromagnesian; The earthy brown is a product of fanglomerate composed of rock with magnesium belonging to the Quaternary era; and the mustard yellow color due to the calcareous sandstones rich in sulfide minerals. According to the natives of the area, the colors of the mountain were unknown to them until a few years ago. In the past, the colors were hidden under a layer of snow all year round, but global warming made them visible at many times.

The hike and the landscapes on the way to Rainbow Mountain

The mountain of Vinicunca or Winikunka – as it is actually called – is located on the way to the snow-capped Ausangate, in the Andes of Peru, about three hours by road from the city of Cusco.

Once you reach the parking lot, a sign welcomes tourists and begins a four-kilometer route that can be complicated due to the lack of oxygen associated with the altitude, since Vinicunca has an altitude of 5,200 meters above sea level. Finally, the walk is rewarding, because along the way you can enjoy the natural landscape. visit mountain of 7 colors with Peru Tours Machupicchu https://www.toursperumachupicchu.com/es/tour/cusco-encantador-5-dias-4-noches/

Apu Ausangate

The walk – begins on a flat path and ends up a hill – can last up to three hours, reaching the impressive viewpoint where you can see the Mountain of Seven Colors, the red valley and Apu Ausangate (the fifth highest mountain in Peru). .