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. It is located on the road to the Ausangate mountain, in the Cusco region, between Cusipata District, province of Quispicanchi, and Pitumarca District, province of Canchis.

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 have been developed to accommodate travelers, as it requires passage through a valley.

In mid-2010, mass tourism came, attracted by the mountain's series of stripes of various colors due to its mineralogical composition on the slopes and summits. The mountain used to be covered by glacier caps, but these melted in 2013.