Vinicunca, or Winikunka, also called Montaña de Siete Colores, Montaña de Colores, or Rainbow Mountain, is a mountain in the Andes of Peru with an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,100 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-kilometer (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.[6] The mountain used to be covered by glacier caps, but these have melted due to climate change approximately 10,000 years ago
