Our colorful mountain page tries to transmit a whole context of research study in the area and the Andes Mountains, such as the way of life, traditions and customs, geographies, ecosystems, and history.

“X TRAVEL PERU” was the first to offer this product to the public through the Facebook page fan, 7-Color Mountain and later changing to the Mountain of Colors that we currently manage, posting weekly travel experiences and unique photographs.

Currently our work is focused on research and improve services on the route, in the same way to provide another concept of travel to our customers, creating programs of 2 days and 3 days for new routes to the Mountain of Colors.

Our job is not only to sell a product, but also to promote and promote tourist attractions and new routes in Peru. Therefore, for more information we invite you to visit our official website www.xtravelperu.com

Geographical Location of the Mountain of Colors

The mountain of colors is located in the central mountain range of the Andes, called Vilcabamba mountain range, at a maximum altitude of 5,082 meters above sea level. South west of the Ausangate snow-capped mountain (6,378 masl). Along the mountain range, we can appreciate all the mountains of different colors, which make a unique landscape. The mountain of colors to be located at this height, is very cold, the temperature in winter season can fall below 0°C, but the normal average temperature is 10°C.

WHY ARE THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORS?

When visiting the mountain of colors, practically people are attracted by the brightness of their colors, and these colors vary according to the weather, the seasons and the hours during the day.
Normally in full sun during the day, you can distinguish very beautiful colors, but more beautiful and colorful are the visits in the mornings and in the sunsets, since with the first and last rays of the sun the minerals shine much more, distinguishing clearly. In the rainy season, the colors are almost opaque due to the lack of presence of the sun’s rays and the permanence of clouds that cover the surrounding area and other times you can even appreciate the snow-covered mountain, but each natural phenomenon makes a different in the beauty of the whole mountain range.
The colors of the Mountain are due to the presence of minerals in layers, which emerged vertically, called sedimentary rocks, and according to the phenomenon of weathering these rocks eroded forming small particles of sand and gravel, which then cover each area in colors.
The red color observed in the mountain is due to the presence of iron ore in an oxidation state, which we can call ferrous oxide.
The yellow color is also due to the iron composed with clay or calcareous sandstone with sulfur.
The green and blue color is due to the presence of copper ore also in oxidation process that is why the difference of tonalities.
The dark gray part, is the presence of basaltic rock in decomposition state to become sandstone.
This is how all these combinations of minerals also form different colors between darker and lighter ones that can be distinguished in the mountain, so we can describe the presence of more than 12 shades of color and all thanks to these factors of weather and climate.

COLOR MOUNTAIN HISTORY

The colorful mountain route belongs to one of the most important adventure circuits in the Andes, it is called the AUSANGATE Route (6,387 meters above sea level), which is still made by many travelers, an excursion that consists of walking through the Andes around the snow-capped mountain, very important of AUSANGATE during 6 days, and the last day you visit the mountain of Colors or Vinicunca.

Vinicunca or Winincunca its original name of the Quechua dialect, “Wini” = dyed or colored, “Cunca” = Neck or Paso. For certainly when you get to this point of the mountain of colors opens as a step to continue towards the lower valleys, and around you see all colors, magnificent colors of the Andes, which the locals copy these colors in their clothes.

From the Inca times, this place was known, because the place crossed an Inca road passing the mountain range to the valleys of the Amazon.

The route was from the southern part to the northeast of Peru, beginning in the high plateau of Puno, passing through the Andes mountain range, passing through villages such as Marangani, Sicuani, Tinta, Combapata, Pitumarca, and then heading to Tinqui, Ocongate, Paucartambo reaching Pilcopata, and the biosphere reserve of Manu. This road was originally from the Inca period, which went through Winincunca, to exchange products of the area, from the Andes from the highlands of Puno they carried products of potatoes, “chuño” (dehydrated potatoes), quinoa, cheese, charqui ( dehydrated meat) llamas, live alpacas, some llamas served as cargo which were the strongest and largest that at the end of the activity returned to their owners and others served as food and wool which were slaughtered, their meat and wool were exchanged on the way. And from the valleys, like Pilcopata, they used to bring fruits, such as passion fruit, avocados, sugarcane, cane liquor, and most importantly, coca leaves. This activity was carried out from the Inca period, continued in the Colonial and Republican era until the time when the era of industrialization and the appearance of motorized vehicles in Peru began and roads were opened along the Andes and the use part of this path. It is currently visited by many travelers since 2016 with much popularity thanks to the dissemination of the media made by travel agents, and travelers, these visits in groups are due to the initiative of local authorities who opened the road almost near the location of the Mountain of Colors (from Pitumarca to Kairawiri).

FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE COLOR MOUNTAIN

Flora

The area where the mountain of colors is located, belongs to the Puna and Glacier Ecoregion, which varies from 3,800 meters above sea level to the highest peak of the Ausangate of 6,378 meters above sea level. In the Puna Ecoregion, it is possible to distinguish the presence of the “Ichu plant” (stipa Ichu), which is very important for feeding all the smaller and larger animals, and extends throughout the area and initiating the chain food, source of refuge for animals, and for man is very vital in raising their animals, building their homes and as fuel in their homes for cooking food.
Another important fact is that at this point, there is no way to grow products for food, due to the cold. But the villagers manage to cultivate native potatoes (“Solanum Tuberosun”) in areas such as streams, where the wind does not blow to make such a crop, and it can be said that it is the only plant domesticated in these areas. We will name other plants of vital importance as the Queuña (polylepis incana) the only tree that grows up to 4,200 meters above sea level and can serve as firewood and shelter, here you can find many small birds, cactus like Austrocyl Floccosa, which are fleshy and succulent that can serve as food, and have beautiful flowers, “La Yareta” (compact azorella) that grows higher near the glaciers, which can serve as fuel because it contains fat, and the fleshy part can serve as food. Just as these plants exist in these many areas to be able to make use of.

Fauna

The mountain of colors is not alien to the great diversity of animals, here we can observe some species that are highly appreciated and admired by man.
The Llama and the Alpaca, are the 2 domesticated species, that in the journey you can observe thousands of them grazing along our route.
The Vicuna, one of the South American camelids that lives in the wild, very beautiful and delicate, this can be seen frequently in the red mountains and the red valley.

The Condor, the largest bird that flies, is likely to observe this magnificent bird flying over the Mountain of Colors.

The Vizcacha, one of the rodents difficult to locate since they are in critical danger, these are abundate in the route of the mountain of colors, often if you walk without making noise we will be able observe among the rocks.

Other animals in the area inhabit the Andean Fox, the Puma, the Andean Cuy, gray deer, skunk and other animals and birds.

THE RED VALLEY

The Red Valley is the name given by our agents, and is offered as an option to our passengers, since it is a very beautiful place we could say more than the Mountain of Colors itself, but the time of the walking tour is longer. It is called red valley, because after reaching the mountain of colors you can see beautiful red mountains in front of it, you continue walking on these mountains and when you reach one of them, you will find a peculiar view of a red valley with red mountains at its sides, this is due to the presence of large amounts of iron minerals in oxidation.

ANANTA

The Ananta Pass is another place where you can observe the Ausangate snow-capped mountain very closely, since the trek consists of taking the foothills of the Ausangate peak, then heading to the snow-capped mountain of Surini and observing the lake of the name Surini.

SURINI – SURINIQOCHA LAGOON

Surinicocha, is the closest lake to the mountain, its mirror of water reflects the snow-capped mountain of Surini, and this lake is characterized by beautiful waterfalls with crystal clear waters and is surrounded by snow and Red Mountains on the way to the Mountain of Colors.