”Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you
would never see the true beauty of their carvings.”[1]True
to these words of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, amidst the gory
impacts of climate change, the Rainbow Mountains of Peru
have thawed its way out to glory as its snow-covered peaks
are now exposed to bask in the warmth of the sun and the gaze
of its fascinated admirers. Yes, the Peruvian beauty did not
surface to pleasure the human eye until after the year 2015.
As for the science behind the many colours that adorn
the mountain range, Trevor Nace, in his article titled,
Welcome to the Incredible Rainbow Mountains of Peru, for
Forbes, states that, “The Andes are an incredibly complex
mountain chain that extends along the western edge of
the South American continent. The subduction of the
Nazca plate underneath the South American plate initiated
mountain building and uplift of the mountain range. This
produced significant volcanism and the introduction of
rare and varied mineralogy to the Andes Mountains.”[2]
Rainbow Mountain, aka Vinicunca Mountain or Montaña de
Colores[3], towers to a colossal height of 5,200 meters. At a
distance of 100 Km involving a 3 hours’ journey, the nearest
junction to plan the logistics and commence a journey to
reach the peak is the city of Cusco. Ever since its discovery,
the day trips from Cusco to the Vinicunca Mountain
have become world renown as the touristic value of the
picturesque peak has risen beyond its physicalheights.
Talking about heights, as high as it may stand, the path
that leads to the peak is not much inclined for most of the distance. The gradient ensures gradual ascent up
till the final climb of less than a third of a kilometer, which
is steeper in comparison to the rest of the trail. A frequent
trekker could scale the trail in less than a couple of hours
while an amateur tourist should manage it by an extra hour.
Getting accustomed to the height is another crucial factor
that has to be addressed with the utmost respect. Else,
at more than 17,000 feet above sea level, there is always
the danger of suffering from lack of oxygen and height
sickness that shall certainly ruin the joy of the entire trip.
The Rainbow peak’s sudden rise to world fame has
also boosted the financial conditions of the local
population. Few of themain sources of the revenue come
from restaurants, tour operations, and horse rentals.
Peru’s natural marvel, the Rainbow Peak attractsan
overwhelming number of visitors with a plethora of travel
motifs.Reports confirm that during the peak seasonbetween
April and October, the number swells to a phenomenal
3000 to 4000 per day.This has resulted in the trail being
ruthlessly treaded time and again that its very fame is now
posing as jeopardy to its existence. So, as much as the
natural marvel is promoted the efforts to conserve it should
also be boosted by administering measures to curtail
littering, regulating tourist inflow, improving sanitation
facilities, adhering to ethical business strategies, etc
Vinicunca Mountain or the Rainbow peak is for certain
nature’s precious gift to Peru and for that matter, the
entire humankind. The very sight of the beauty incites
boundless joy to our soul and it also is our undeniable
responsibility to wiselyadmire the exquisite scenery
without marring the foundations of its sustenance.