In all, it takes around three to four hours to do a return hike to and from the summit, going on a well-worn track. The trek to the top of Rainbow Mountain is now firmly established as one of the top adventure experiences in Peru. Rising temperatures due to global warming changed this, eventually revealing the majestic mineralogical hues that draw so many people to the mountain today. Before that, it was almost entirely covered in permafrost and regular snowdrifts. To learn more about it check out our post on the 12 Fast Facts About the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.) The truth is that the multicolored peak of Rainbow Mountain you now see wasn’t very well known until around 2015, and the first official tour was in 2016. If you have extra time planned in Peru and are up for a challenge the Classic Inca Trail trek could be a great fit. ![]() (For those looking for an extraordinary adventure, the Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu trek is one of the most popular hikes in the world. It’s not like Machu Picchu or the Classic Inca Trail route which gained in popularity in the 1970’s. The Historyīelieve it or not, Rainbow Mountain hasn’t really been on the radar of adventurers bound for the Cusco Andes for very long. You can now arrive at the start of Rainbow Mountain after just a 3 hour drive south from the ancient Incan capital of Cusco, Peru. Recent redevelopments of the road there have slashed travel times and made the path far more accessible. The trailhead for climbing Rainbow Mountain is located in the town of Pitumarca, Peru. The mountains look like dagger-like shards of rock clad in ice from a distance! They sit some directly east and can sometimes be seen from the top of Vinicunca. The peak itself is hemmed in by a speckling of other 17,000-foot-high summits, although the much-mightier massifs of Qullpa Ananta and Auzangate are the true masters of the range. Rainbow Mountain sits within the south-eastern side of the Cusco Region, in the far south of Peru as a whole. It is important to note that there is a less traveled rainbow mountain in Peru named Rainbow Mountain Palccoyo. However, it’s famed for its striped and colored appearance, a phenomenon that’s down to the unique mineralogical and geological makeup of the soils and the stone. At 17,060 feet (5,200 meters) up, the mountain isn’t actually the tallest in the region. Rainbow Mountain sits in the shadow of the Cordillera Vilcanota, and Nevado Auzangate, some 90 miles to the south-east of Cusco, Peru. When people talk about Rainbow Mountain, they’re actually referring to the summit of Vinicunca, also known as Winikunka, Montaña de Siete Colores, and Montaña de Colores. I will outline why it’s risen and risen in popularity in the last decade to become what’s now one of the most popular attractions in Peru. ![]() This guide will run through all the ins and outs of visiting Rainbow Mountain. However, the whole area around Rainbow Mountain is remarkable, unfolding in the shadow of the jagged Andes massif in a patchwork of rustic alpaca farms and barren valleys dotted with lakes and snow plumes. The most iconic image is of the peak that the locals call Vinicunca, striped in dashes of rust-red, ochre, vermillion, turquoise, and yellow. It looks like something plucked off the surface of Mars, only it’s set at a cloud-smashing 17,060 feet (5,200 meters) above sea level in the depths of the South American Andes. Rainbow Mountain in Peru is one of those spots that you will remember for the rest of your life. The Complete Guide to Visiting Rainbow Mountain in Peru in 2022 & 2023
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