Highlights of Rainbow Mountain Peru

The popularity of Rainbow Mountain has increased astonishingly in recent years, and day after day, travelers from far and wide take the treks on a day tour from Cusco.

Although the nearby Ausangate trek was already well known, the 7 Colors Mountain and the Red Valleys remained somewhat ignored, but they quickly gained fame. Here, we have compiled some facts about Rainbow Mountain Peru to share with everyone interested in the Rainbow Mountain trek.

Hiking scene in Vinicunca, Cusco Region, Peru. Montana de Siete Colores, Rainbow Mountain.

Important aspects of Vinicunca

• It is also known as “Vinicunca,” as its Quechua denomination is, or “Mountain of 7 Colors,” or “Mountain of Colors.”
• There are two ways of access, one on the east side and the other on the west side—the most frequent one on the west side by the Cusipata route.
• The temperature can drop below 0 at night, making it suitable for anyone visiting Rainbow Mountain on a multi-day trek to Ausangate.
• The most frequent weather on Rainbow Mountain can change from windy, cold, and cloudy days to sunny days.
• Cusipata, Checacupe, and Pitumarca villages are the only settlements near Rainbow Mountain.
• Renting horses during the trek is possible if the hike is strenuous. It does not always have to be from the beginning.
• Approximately 1,500 people hike to the summit of Rainbow Mountain daily in the high season.
• Rainbow Mountain can be covered in thick layers of snow, but this tends to happen more in the rainy season.
• Almost all hikers manage to reach the top of the mountain and see the colorful streaks and colors eroded over the years.
• For a few coins, you can have photo sessions on Rainbow Mountain with llamas and alpacas.
• Locals sell coca tea, hot drinks, beers, and wool gloves on Rainbow Mountain.
• Altitude-related problems are the most common reason climbers struggle up to the main viewpoint.
• Rainbow Mountain is located at an altitude of more than half Mount Everest.

In March 2018, the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute of Peru (INGEMMET) modified the concession granted to a mining company to work and extract minerals in the area of Rainbow Mountain. Martin Vizcarra Cornejo, former president of Peru, said, “The Seven Colors Mountain, an important nature conservation area, will be preserved. We must safeguard and protect a beautiful creation of nature located in Cusco, the Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Thus, what avoided damage to the soil and the end of Rainbow Mountain? But what protected the natural resources for tourism and the local population?