Suspended access to rainbow mountain

Local woman from Chillihuani

Cusco: Visitor access to Rainbow Mountain suspended due to land dispute

The second most visited tourist attraction in the Andean region, the famous rainbow mountain, which a few days ago reached 2,500 visits per day, suspended its entry due to an administration conflict. However, a route has been left free through which the natural attraction could still be accessed.

Entry to visit the Mountain of 7 Colors – also known as Vinicunca or Rainbow mountain, located southeast of the city of Cusco, has been suspended until further notice for national and foreign tourists.

This tourist attraction of great beauty has been suspended by the fastest access route, the town of Chillihuani in Cusipata. This is due to the constant administrative and economic issues that the different towns of Chillihuani have been having.

For this reason, the legal representatives of Chillihuani issued a statement asking tourism operators and visitors to respect the agreement. For their part, to reduce possible risks for national and international visitors, the authorities of the municipality of Cusipata have recommended that tourism companies use the route access to Rainbow mountain through the town of Pitumarca, and avoid the Cusipata – Chillihuani road, due to the recent events.

What is the dispute about?

In the last 10 years access to Rainbow Mountain has been closed more than 3 times due to the same inconvenience.

On this occasion, according to the local authorities of the Pitumarca district, the Rainbow Mountain does not belong to the original community of Chillihuani or other citizens, who are accused of claiming ownership of the mountain. These refer to the fact that it is the Peruvian state and therefore it should be the Peruvian state that manages the economic resources that this wonder obtains.

In this sense, the municipality of Pitumarca asks the competent entities to manage the attraction, which is located on the way to Ausangate mountain – the highest mountain in Cusco and the fifth highest in Peru. They ask that access to the rainbow mountain have a tourist ticket, that it be administered by the Peruvian state and that the money be distributed equitably among all the towns surrounding the natural wonder.

However, the community of Chillihuani, which has the fastest access to Rainbow Mountain, has mentioned that they have the right to the administration of said resource, since they have been living in the place for hundreds of years.

More information about the closure of the mountain of colors

According to the local media Qosqo Times, the conflict began when, since February of this year, the district municipality of Cusipata implemented the collection of a tourist ticket to enter the natural attraction in the face of the alleged economic mismanagement of the leaders of Chillihuani and the poor services that they would supposedly offer to tourists.

The District Municipality of Cusipata recommends using the access to rainbow mountain through the district of Pitumarca, a much longer access than through Chillihuani.