Are interested in visiting the Peruvian Rainbow Mountain Travel Trip, after reading our last post on the trip under the rain? Maybe you are, and maybe you were already keen since before. Let me tell you a bit about the full journey to reach the candy-like peaks with sun or rain!
The Tour
Tours begin very early in “the morning”, more like even before the dawn: 3.30 am. Tour agencies will get you from your lodging and will drive you to the mountains. Most trips, like ours, include the following route: Cusco – Fulawasipata – Cusco. Consider three hours and a half by bus from the starting point to Fulawasipata and a trek of two hours till the top of Vinicunca. After that, you can head Red Valley, also trekking, and just as an option. Then, after one hour of descent and almost three hours by bus, you’ll be back in Cusco. Most tours don’t offer meals, Rainbow Mountain Travel Trip Tours include breakfast and lunch prepared by the very native community of Fulawasipata!
The Landscape
Fulawasipata is a community settled in Cusipata. A small town located around 50 miles southeast from the city of Cusco at 3000 masl. With gorgeous Andean flora and fauna species, you can’t miss them once there. Some of these species were endangered and have been recovered thanks to the intervention of governmental bodies and, of course, the help of the community. Among the local flora, you may find cactus, alder, some fruit trees grown by the community, and mostly mosses, lichens, and natural pastures.
Some wildlife you may expect is smalls Andean foxes, condors, bobcats, and camelids.
Besides this biotic atmosphere, you will see some lakes and a natural composition of trees and plants that seems to be planned by some expert landscaper.
Who preserves it?
Rainbow Mountain is known as Vinicunca, the Spanish written word for Winikunka. “Wini” stands for “stone”, as the place was full of round black stones, and “kunka” meaning “neck”, as the shape of the hill was like a neck. This 15,026 ha landscape reserve is preserved by two groups.
Near 70% of the mountains are protected by the Fulahuasipata community, in Cusipata, in the province of Quispicanchi. Anf¡d the remaining 30% is under Pitumarca’s protection, province of Canchis.
In the past, these two groups had problems protecting and manage this outstading destination. However, nowadays they have reached an agreement and they both work for the benefit of Rainbow Mountain tourism.
As you can see, this destination isn’t special just for its great colors and amazing landscape, but also for the communities working around it. Come and see this beautiful site and collect colorful experiences! Facebook.
