The geological formation of the Vinicunca Mountain or Mountain of Colors arose approximately 24 million years ago. The layers present are sedimentary rock that are part of the crust, the movement of tectonic plates left exposed to be cut by erosion, for this reason the exposed layers of claystone, phyllite, fangolite, sandstone and marl have different colors by the existence of oxides of various metals such as iron, magnesium, sulfide minerals and others. The colors stand out more by the exposure to the humidity that the layers reach when drying.
What does Vinicunca mean ?
The word Vinicunca is a Quechua word, and is broken down into two words:
- Wini: which comes from “Wini Rumi” which means black stone, due to the abundance of black stones in the mountain.
- Kunka: which means neck, used by the Quechua population to describe a geographic open space.
Therefore WiniKunka or Vinicunca means, rainbow mountain or mountain of colors. This name refers to the different colors that you can observe in the mountain. Because of this natural genius, Vinicunca has become a destination for many travelers who want to check out the stories about the colors one can see.
What does Vinicunca mean ?
The word Vinicunca is a Quechua word, and it is broken down into two words
- Wini: which comes from “Wini Rumi” which means black stone, due to the abundance of black stones in the mountain.
- Kunka: which means neck, used by the Quechua population to describe a geographic open space.
Therefore WiniKunka or Vinicunca means, rainbow mountain or mountain of colors. This name refers to the different colors that you can observe in the mountain. Because of this natural genius, Vinicunca has become the destination for many travelers who wish to check out the stories about the colors one can see.
Location and Altitude:
The Vinicunca Mountain is part of the Vilcanota mountain range and is located 120 km from the city of Cusco, it belongs to the Ccayrahuire sector of the community of Pampachiri, this community is part of the district of Pitumarca, province of Canchis in the region of Cusco. The mountain of colors or Rainbow mountain is located in the Vilcanota river basin, between the inter-basin of the Cusipata river and the micro-basin of the Chillihuani river.
The altitude of this mountain is the one that surprises all visitors as it has an altitude of 5100 meters above sea level, which makes this mountain one of the highest to visit and that is why it is recommended a good physical condition and especially a good acclimatization, to enjoy the trip and meet the challenge of reaching the summit for the long awaited photo of the mountain of 7 colors or Vinicunca.
How to get there:
You can get to Vinicunca mountain on your own or you can also choose a tour operator, here you can see which one suits your adventurous spirit.
On your own:
If you want to get to Vinicunca Mountain on your own, you will have to organize yourself a little more. But you can certainly make it, although most travelers choose this option because they think it is cheaper, it turns out that there are cases in which it is not, anyway we will give you all the information you need to make your adventure a special memory.
How to get to Vinicunca Mountain – Checacupe Route ?
To reach Vinicunca Mountain, take a bus from Av. Huayruropata in Cusco to Checacupe (8-11 soles). From Checacupe, take a collective cab to Pitumarca (2 soles) and another to Pampachiri (15 soles, ~2 hours). At Pampachiri, pay an entrance fee (25 soles for foreigners, 15 soles for nationals). The total trip costs 80-96 soles per person, excluding optional extras like motorcycle rentals (60 soles) or horseback rides (50 soles).
How to get to Vinicunca Mountain – Cusipata Route ?
This recently opened route to Vinicunca is less crowded and slightly cheaper than the Checacupe route. Take a bus from Av. Huayruropata to Cusipata, then another bus to the mountain entrance (15-20 soles). At Pampachiri, pay the entrance fee (25 soles for foreigners, 15 for locals). This route saves time and allows for more exploration at the mountain summit.
The estimated travel time from Pampachiri to the mountain is 3 hours walking calmly and enjoying the wonderful view that this splendid place has to show you.
With a tour operator:
Getting to Vinicunca Mountain with an agency is easier, since you won’t have to worry about where to get off, which car to take and where to go. This is the biggest advantage of hiring a tour, since all tours take you to and from Cusco, so you only have to worry about getting to the top and enjoying the incredible view. The average cost of this option ranges between 35 to 60 dollars per person, in addition other agencies offer a private tour that is between 90 to 100 dollars per person and as we mentioned before, if you want to go up on a motorcycle the cost is 60 soles.
How difficult is the hike to Vinicunca the Colored Mountain?
The difficulty of Vinicunca Mountain is medium, since visitors have to face the 570 meters elevation from the beginning to the highest part of the mountain, this can be a big challenge for people who are not well acclimatized and for those who are not physically prepared.
What is the temperature in Vinicunca the Colored Mountain?
The temperature varies between 5 °C to 15 °C during the dry season, while at night the temperature can drop to – 5 ° C, so it is recommended to wear warm clothes.
What to do in the Montaña de Colores?
The Vinicunca Colored Mountain offers one of the most unique natural landscapes in the world that enchants more than one when you reach the top, and if you have wondered what you can do when you get here we leave you some things to do on your visit to the Vinicunca Colored Mountain:
- Enjoy the existing fauna in the mountain, you will be able to get close to the different auquénidos such as: llama, vicuña, alpacas, vizcachas, condors and more.
- You can take all the pictures you want and make the most of the immensity of the landscape that has the Vinicunca Mountain.
Unique characteristics of the Montaña de Colores:
What makes it different?
As we mentioned before, what makes this mountain unique and different in the whole world is its composition of metals, minerals and also the peculiarity of its colors, making an allusion to the rainbow, that is why some travelers have named it “Rainbow Mountain”.
The movement of the tectonic plates more than 24 million years ago generated the exposure of the different substrates and together with the erosion of the different metals and minerals existing in the mountain, this made that with time the mountain begins to have that variety of colors that highlights it so much.
What to bring for the tour to the Montaña de Colores?
Our recommendation for you to live an unforgettable experience and above all to have a comfortable visit to the Montaña de Colores Vinicunca is:
- Wear warm clothes ideal for trekking.
- Ideal shoes for trekking.
- Sun block.
- Poncho in case it rains.
- Windbreaker.
- A bottle of water and above all your camera so you can capture forever those unforgettable moments that you are going to live.
Adequate acclimatization:
In order to enjoy your tour of the Mountain of Colors Vinicunca, we recommend you to have an acclimatization before, this way you can prepare your body (especially your lungs) so you can make your visit successfully and without any inconvenience.
Now that you know more about the Vinicunca Mountain of Colors, don’t wait any longer and live an unforgettable experience!