Peru’s Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, is a marbled masterpiece of oranges, yellows, reds, and dusky pinks. This Andean peak has rapidly become one of Cusco’s main attractions after Machu Picchu. Once inaccessible to tourists, Rainbow Mountain is now open to everyone with an adventurous spirit and the desire to see what looks like a painted prism perched right at the top of the world.

Rainbow Mountain spectacular colouration is the result of a combination of erosion and dense mineral deposits. Iron oxide and sulfide make up its bright bands. Unfortunately, the only reason we can see this pigmented peak is global warming. Elders who live in a village near the mountain say it was covered in glacial snow, but that’s since melted, exposing the rainbow below. Enjoy the excursion to the rainbow mountain trek.