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Where can you spot the Rainbow mountain

August 31, 2017
Rainbow Mountain in Peru

Mountain is one of the baffling attractions that the Nature has created to overwhelm mankind. When we envisage a mountain, the machine of imagination propels us to conjure up an image of an endless, large, and long range of mountains which together appear all brown to us. We imagine a mountain brown chiefly because we expect it to be so. But it is then Nature that comes along to baffle us further, shaking and dismantling the foundation of our knowledge. You must be thinking what does all this mean? Well, it means that much to your astonishment mountains can be as colourful as a rainbow!

What is the name of this colourful mountain and where is it?

Beautiful Rainbow mountains in Peru

The creation of nature in question is called the Rainbow mountain or the Vinicunca. It is located in Peru, a country in South America as you know. The ranges are in fact the Peruvian extensions of the famous Andes Mountains.

What is so colourful about their appearance?

Peru mountains

Well, it is imperative of you to glance through all the pictures to find faith in the words. In this colour-rich mountain range, you can spot shades of blue, red, green, terra cotta and what not! Lines of diverse colours run along each other through a tortuous course throwing an onlooker in sheer disbelief.

But then how are they so colourful?

The Rainbow Mountain

These mountains are located deep inside the entire length of the Andes. It will take some time and some trekking to discover the stretch. The mountains are colourful. The reason behind the colours is the fact that there are sediments of different colours that gather next to each other forming lines after lines of colourful patches on the surface of the mountain. There is a great source of minerals here that results into these volley of colours. While on one hand the shades of red accounts for the presence of ample iron oxide rust, on the other hand, oxidised limonite reasons the browns. Presence of the yellow colour is due to the action of the iron sulphide and abundance of chlorite adds the bit of green to it. Indeed the singular appearance renders it an effect of the surreal. Surprisingly this intriguing range became an element of tourism as late as 2015!

Strange Facts about the Rainbow Mountain

Peru

- It is considered holy and hence is worshiped by the locals.

- There are toilets along the way for the hikers to use.

- It is advised to savour the beauty from afar instead of getting close to it thus by avoiding chances of destroying the beauty.

- Every year pilgrimages flock the place.

- The colours are due to the reactions of different minerals.

- One has to trek to reach the site.

- One gets to see hot springs and stunning views of glaciers along the way.

- One can travel with the local herdsmen. This is also a golden opportunity for the travellers to get a glimpse of local lifestyle as well as local cuisine.

- Best time to visit the place is the summers that is between the months of May and September.

- One has to be really fit to take on this trekking as it will prove to be quite demanding on the stamina and mental determination owing to the treacherous roads.