The Cordillera Vilcanota rises above the Inca heartland south of Cusco — a compact range of glaciated peaks sacred to Andean communities for centuries. Its highest summit, Ausangate, is one of the most revered apus (mountain spirits) in Andean cosmology, drawing pilgrims as well as trekkers to its base. At lower elevations, the range conceals Vinicunca — the Rainbow Mountain — whose mineral-striped flanks have made it one of the most photographed landscapes in South America.