The Montaña Vinicunca, also known as Winikunka, Montaña de Siete Colores, or Rainbow Mountain, is a beautifully unique mountain located about 3 hours from Cusco, Peru, and it takes about the same amount of time to arrive as to Humantay Lake. The mountain is even higher than Humantay Lake, at a nice 5036 meters, and it gets its name from the neat layers of colors on it that arise from the minerals present in the soil and the rock in that area. The mountain has become a popular attraction, evident in the large amounts of tourists we saw there.
Just like Humantay Lake, the Rainbow Mountain can be reached by tour, private taxi, or by driving yourself. We chose to take a private taxi for 400 soles for six of us, again to avoid having to conform to the tour schedule. The road to Vinicunca becomes long, narrow, and winding during the second part, and it passes through picturesque small villages. It is also possible to see many alpacas and llamas, sometimes even on the road! During these instances, our driver had to slow down to give the llamas and the alpacas a chance to step out of the way, which they did slowly and with hint of sass.
Once we arrived, there were already several tour buses parked and the trail was already crowded. (There were also more alpacas!!!!) The trail is a narrow dirt trail with no shade at any point during the hike. Here, like at Humantay Lake, it is also possible to take a horse for the way up. If, at any point during the hike, a hiker feels unable to go on, or suffers from altitude sickness, it is also possible to take a horse from the ones coming back down. The owners of the horses are in majority middle aged men and women, and they wear traditional Peruvian wear. For the women, this means large colorful hats, with an equally colorful top and a skirt that comes down just a bit below the knees. The men also wear colorful clothes and pants that reach a bit above the ankle. A large part of these men and women wear black leather sandals, and some also wear a light black leather shoe. It is definitely not the kind of footwear or clothing that either you or I would consider wearing on a such a grueling hike. However, I was astounded by the hardiness of these people, for they walked, or even jogged, alongside their horses carrying tourists up the mountain, and on the way back down, once the horses had dropped off their passengers, they ran alongside their horses (no – they did not ride them!) to give them a chance to rest for their next customer. While we struggled to take consistent steps without stopping to catch our breath, these people brave multiple trips like these up and down the mountain, most likely several days a week. I was truly humbled by this experience.
We hiked for about halfway up, at which point we got on a horse for the rest of the way. My sister was feeling altitude sickness, so the owner of her horse gave her a bit of oil to rub on her hands and smell. She says it worked! The horses dropped us off a bit before the end, because the last 2 segments are too steep to ride a horse safely. It was also the hardest part! I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest, and my breathing was uncontrollable! Looking back, I probably should have taken it easier up these segments, but I was too excited. Going up the first steep segment, it is possible to see the Rainbow Mountain, but the view becomes much nicer if you make it up the second segment. Around this area, there is also a detour to observe the Red Valley. I took it, and it was definitely worth it! It is possible to come down a different way along the Red Valley, instead of on the path used to come up, therefore I would advise going up to see the Rainbow Mountain first, then viewing the Red Valley, and coming down this alternative path.
Path to Red Valley
By the time we started heading back down, it had started getting windy. The way back down was satisfying and I delighted in taking abundant pictures of the alpacas roaming on the side of trail. The Rainbow Mountain was truly a one of a kind experience that is not found anywhere else. The hike is definitely difficult, with the sun and the altitude, but is completely worth it in the end. I feel blessed that I was able to see such a unique and natural beauty, and would recommend this hike to anyone.
vivewell 
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