We are sure that if you have come this far it is because you have seen one of the photos of the incredible Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca. Located in the Andes mountain range of Peru, en route to the Ausangate snow-capped mountain, it began to gain fame around 2015 thanks to social networks and the relative ease of visiting it from Cuzco.
It is not for less, we are all fascinated by the different layers of colors that have earned it the nickname of the Rainbow Mountain or Mountain of the 7 colors. According to experts, these are due to their different mineralogical composition. Thus, the pink color is due to red clay, fancolites, mud and small clays; white for quartz; red for small clays (iron) and clays; brown for magnesium; green for iron with magnesium; and mustard yellow for sulfur.
Although you should keep in mind that a large part of the photos on social networks are retouched so that the colors appear more saturated and that the weather in the area is variable (so it may be that you have a very foggy or cloudy day ), trekking to the Mountain of the 7 colors is an experience that you will always remember. The landscapes seem taken from another planet and, although hard, the route is very rewarding.
You should know that there are other mountains of colors in the Cusco area that you can also visit such as Palcoyo, which is the second best known although still far from the almost 3,000 daily tourists that Vinicunca receives and the least visited, Pallay Punchu.