Vinicunca

Vinicunca
Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain
Highest point
Elevation5,036 m (16,522 ft)
Prominence190 m (620 ft)
Coordinates13°52′13″S 71°18′11″W / 13.870227°S 71.302951°W / -13.870227; -71.302951
Naming
NicknameRainbow Mountain
Geography
Vinicunca
Location of Vinicunca in Peru
LocationCusco Region
CountryPeru
Parent rangeAndes

Vinicunca, or Winikunka, also called Montaña de Siete Colores (literally: "mountain of seven colors"), Montaña de Colores ("mountain of colors"), or Montaña Arcoíris ("rainbow mountain"), is a mountain in the Andes of Peru with an altitude of 5,036 metres (16,522 ft) above sea level.[1][2] It is located on the road to Ausangate mountain, in the Cusco region, between Cusipata District, Quispicanchi, and Pitumarca District, Canchis.[3]

Tourist access requires a two-hour drive from Cusco and a walk of about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi), or a three-and-a-half-hour drive through Pitumarca and a one-half-kilometre (0.31 mi) steep walk (1–1.5 hours) to the hill. As of 2019, no robust methods of transportation to Vinicunca had been developed to accommodate travelers.[4]

In the mid-2010, mass tourism arrived, attracted by the mountain's colorful stripes,[5] which are caused by its mineralogical composition.[6] The mountain used to be covered by glacier caps, but these melted in 2013.[7]

Location

Vinicunca is located to the southeast of the city of Cusco and can be reached from Cusco via either Cusipata or Pitumarca. One route is through the Peruvian Sierra del Sur (PE-3s) in the direction of the town of Checacupe, and further to the town of Pitumarca, which takes about two hours. From Pitumarca, travelers may go by foot, car, or motorcycle along a trail passing through several rural communities such as Ocefina, Japura, and Hanchipacha, and reach the community of Pampa Chiri, where a 1.5-kilometer walk along the Vinicunca pass leads to Vinicunca itself. Alternatively, from Cusipata, travelers may walk for 3 km along the Chillihuani route along a bridle path to Vinicunca.[8][9]

The altitude of the mountain is about 5,200 meters (17,060 feet), so time to acclimatize to the high altitude may be necessary during the trek to the summit.[10]

Weather

Vinicunca receives significant rainfall during the months of December, January, and February.[11]

Mineralogical composition

Colored stripes of tilted strata at Vinicunca on left

According to the Cultural Landscape Office of the Decentralization of the City of Cusco, the seven colors of the mountain are due to its mineralogical composition: the pink colour is due to red clay, mud, and sand; the whitish colouring is due to quartzose, sandstone, and marls, rich in calcium carbonate; the red is due to claystones (iron) and clays belonging to the Upper Tertiary period; the green is due to phyllites and clays rich in ferro magnesian; the earthy brown is a product of fanglomerate composed of rock with magnesium belonging to the Quaternary period; and the mustard yellow colour comes from the calcareous sandstones rich in sulphurous minerals.[12]

Mining concession

An approval process for mining at Vinicunca began on 30 March 2015 in Lima, when the mining exploration company Minquest Perú SAC, owned by the Canadian Camino Minerals Corporation, submitted a petition to mine red beds to the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute (Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico, INGEMMET). The petition included the territory of the districts of Cusipata and Pitumarca, with an area of 400 hectares, covering the whole of the mountain and overlapping the peasant communities of Chillihuani and Pampachiri. INGEMMET issued a warning that parts of this territory, including Vinicunca, should have been protected within the Ausangate Regional Conservation Area. In 2009, the regional government of Cusco had proposed the creation of this protected area to Peru's National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP). However, SERNANP responded that the Ausangate Regional Conservation Area had never been officially created, since the proposal had not met the necessary requirements. Therefore, on 16 March 2018, with Presidential Resolution No. 042-2018-INGEMMET / PCD / PM INGEMMET, the metallic mining concession was granted.[13]

On 21 May 2018, following public protests, the company informed the regional government of Cusco of its renunciation of the concession. However, the government indicated that it was the Ministry of Energy and Mines that must assume the administrative actions to recover possession of these lands. The National Chamber of Tourism expressed its deep concern over the management of Vinicunca, one of the most important components of Peru's new appeal to tourism.[14][15][16][17]

In November 2018, Peru's president, Martín Vizcarra, issued a decree enforcing a 12-month moratorium on all mining activity in the area. The regional government stated its expectation that within that time frame, the Ministry of Energy and Mines would permanently register the region as a protected conservation area.[18][19][20]

In 2019, as a result of joint work between the Ministry of the Environment and SERNANP, Ausangate was finally established as one of three new Regional Conservation Areas,[21] with government representatives making the announcement during the COP25 event in Madrid.

  • The red valley
  • Alpacas in the mountains
  • Ausangate, as seen from Vinicunca
  • Tourist taking a photo of Vinicunca

See also

References

  1. ^ "Montaña de siete colores | Montaña Arco Iris | Rainbow Mountain en Vinicunca, Quispicanchis, Cusco – Arqueología del Perú | Historia, Turismo, Arte , Inca, Prehispánico, Pre-Inca" [Rainbow Mountain | Rainbow Mountain | Rainbow Mountain in Vinicunca, Quispicanchis, Cusco – Archaeology of Peru | History, Tourism, Art, Inca, Pre-Hispanic, Pre-Inca] (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Fotos: Montaña de Colores de Vinicunca es víctima de su popularidad" [Photos: Vinicunca's Rainbow Mountain is a victim of its popularity]. RPP (in Spanish). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Conoce la belleza de Winikunka, la montaña de 7 colores de Cusco" [Discover the beauty of Vinicunca, Cusco's rainbow mountain.]. publimetro.pe (in Spanish). 17 November 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Cusco: denuncian que han dañado la Montaña de Siete Colores" [Cusco: Damage to the Rainbow Mountain has been reported]. América Noticias (in Spanish). 5 September 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Salvemos La Montaña de Colores: Está Corriendo Grave Peligro" [Save Rainbow Mountain: It's in Grave Danger]. ACCESOPERU.COM (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  6. ^ "En el Día Internacional de las Montañas conoce las 7 cumbres más altas del Perú" [On International Mountain Day, discover Peru's seven highest peaks.]. andina.pe (in Spanish). 11 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Where In The World Is ... Rainbow Mountain? | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Tour Full day montaña de colores cusco 2018 | Intupa Cusco" [Full-day tour of the Rainbow Mountains of Cusco 2018 | Intupa Cusco]. Machu Picchu Tours | Viajes a Machu Picchu | Tours Cusco | Intupa Cusco (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  9. ^ Andrés Vögler (11 October 2016). "Montaña Arcoíris, Cusco" [Rainbow Mountain, Cusco]. BITÁCORAS DE VIAJE (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Secrets of Rainbow Mountain, Peru: How to Do it Right". Be My Travel Muse. 5 August 2018.
  11. ^ "La Montaña de Siete Colores | Vinicunca Cusco – Perú | Guía de Viajes" [The Rainbow Mountain | Vinicunca Cusco – Peru | Travel Guide] (in Spanish). 15 April 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Vinicunca Perú | La montaña de colores en Perú | Cusco" [Vinicunca Peru | The mountain of colors in Peru | Cusco]. Vinicunca ES (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  13. ^ Cooperacción (18 June 2018). "Incoherencia del sistema de planificación territorial" [Incoherence of the territorial planning system]. CooperAcción (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Empresa decidió renunciar a la concesión minera de la Montaña de Siete Colores en Cus" [Company decides to renounce the mining concession for the Seven Colors Mountain in Cusco]. larepublica.pe (in Spanish). 21 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Rainbow Mountain Hike Peru". Rainbow Mountain Peru Info. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Salvemos la Montaña de Colores: está corriendo grave peligro" [Save Rainbow Mountain: It's in grave danger] (in Spanish). La República. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Formación Geológica de la Montaña de los 7 Colores" [Geological Formation of the Rainbow Mountain]. Vinicunca Peru (in Spanish). 3 January 2018.
  18. ^ "Peru Stops Miners from Exploring Rainbow Mountain Tourist Area". Bloomberg.com. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Suspenden admisión de petitorios mineros en el área de la Montaña de Siete Colores, ubicada en el departamento de Cusco" [The admission of mining applications in the Montaña de Siete Colores area, located in the department of Cusco, has been suspended.]. El Peruano (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Suspenden petitorios mineros que comprendan la Montaña de siete Colores" [Mining claims that include Rainbow Mountain are suspended]. Andina (in Spanish). 24 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  21. ^ "MINAM: Consumo de plástico de un solo uso se redujo en 30% en el último año" [MINAM: Single-use plastic consumption decreased by 30% in the last year]. Ministry of the Environment (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 September 2020.

Further reading

  • Vinicunca travel guide from Wikivoyage
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