Where does the surreal rainbow on Vinicunca Mountain come from?
Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain is 4876 m above sea level, it is a mountain in the Andes Mountains and is located about 100 km southeast of Cusco, Peru. Unlike other rocky or forested mountains, this mountain is unique in that there is not a single tree around.
Vinicunca is a natural rock mountain formed from many layers of sandstone with different colors. From that, this mountain has all the vivid, natural colors. The origin of this unique shape comes from the phenomenon of erosion of layers of rock and soil with the composition of many different minerals.
Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain is 4876 m above sea level.
The colors that formed on the mountains are due to the ice that once covered the area and the effects of climate change. As the ice began to melt, the water mixed with minerals in the ground, turning the earth into the many colors it is today.
Vinicunca is a natural rock formation formed from many layers of sandstone with different colors.
The main color compartments on the Rainbow Mountain are quite special. Pink comes from red clay mixed with sand and mudstone, white comes from sandstone and rocks containing calcium carbonate. Red is formed by iron-rich clay layers. Blue is formed by compounds of phyllite and magnesium-rich clay. Brown is a combination of cobblestones with magnesium, yellow is from sulfide-containing calcareous sandstone.
Best time to visit rainbow mountain
For every journey of discovery, the weather is one of the important factors in the whole trip. The same goes for the experience at Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain. To have the best photos of your life, the most suitable time is right at dawn or before sunset. The best time to explore this place is between March and November or from June to August, when the weather is pleasant and the sky is blue.
How to get to the surreal rainbow
There are no direct flights, so visitors must fly to Peru’s capital Lima and then fly to Cusco. From there, it takes about 3 hours by bus, or drive to a trail that leads to the top. To reach the top of Rainbow Mountain, visitors must walk 6 miles (9.6 km) or hire a horse from a local.
During the journey, visitors can also explore the culture and characteristics of the indigenous people when coming to Vinicunca.
During the journey to the mountain, visitors will have the opportunity to cross the hills, visit small towns and typical indigenous villages and explore the culture of the local community.
The Incas discovered this magnificent mountain long ago. However, they had no intention of commercializing this wonder by promoting tourism. It was not until about 5 years ago that Vinicunca began to gain more attention when mountaineering enthusiasts posted on social networks magical and majestic images of this special mountain.
About 500 people have quit their jobs to move to this land to work as tour guides for visitors. The average price is from 3 USD/person (about 69,000 VND), earning a profit of about 400,000 USD/year (about 9.2 million VND).
Visitors need to prepare plenty of water and plan for both the ascent and descent time.
Nowadays, the more visitors come, the more easily the soil layers of Vinicunca Mountain are affected. Therefore, visitors need to pay attention when moving up the mountain according to the arranged route. In particular, when visiting this place, visitors are not allowed to touch the soil and rock layers to avoid erosion.
Although it has become famous, visiting and admiring the Rainbow Mountain is not easy as it requires tourists to be in extremely good health and have certain knowledge about mountain climbing and survival, even when transportation services have been deployed.
