Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain
Three striped mountains and a stone forest, on a forty-minute walk
- 1 day
- 4,900 m max
- Moderate
- Cusco to Cusco
The quiet alternative to Vinicunca — three coloured mountains instead of one, a natural stone forest, views across to Ausangate, and a gentle walk of under an hour instead of a steep climb. Same colours, a fraction of the crowd.
Everybody who looks at a Rainbow Mountain photograph is looking at Vinicunca, and most of them are not looking at the queue of people to the left of the frame. Palcoyo is the answer to that.
It is a different mountain, 125 km south of Cusco: three striped ridges rather than one, a natural stone forest of eroded rock pillars, and a view across to Ausangate. The walk is about four kilometres in total, on a gentle slope, and takes forty-five minutes to an hour.
The trade is fair. You do not get the single dramatic peak that sells the postcards. You get almost the same colours, almost no other people, and a day that families and older walkers can actually enjoy rather than endure.
What you'll see
Three coloured mountains, not one
Palcoyo has a cluster of striped ridges rather than Vinicunca's single peak, spread across a wide viewpoint you can walk along.
The stone forest
A field of natural rock pillars unique to this circuit, and the thing people did not know they were coming for.
Forty-five minutes of walking
Four kilometres, there and back, on a gentle slope. About two hours in total once you count the viewpoints and the photographs.
Ausangate across the valley
The sacred peak of Cusco, 6,384 m, on the skyline for the whole walk.
Almost nobody there
Vinicunca takes over a thousand visitors on a busy day. Palcoyo takes a fraction of that, and it changes the experience completely.
Both meals included
Breakfast and a buffet lunch in Cusipata, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options on request.
Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain: day by day
Times are what we actually aim for, not a best case. Traffic into Cusco and the train timetable move them by a little.
Day 1
Cusco to Palcoyo and back
Twelve hours door to door but only about two on your feet, and none of it steep. The altitude is the only real demand the day makes.
- 04:30We collect you from your hotel or flat in Cusco. Pick-ups run until about 05:00.
- 07:00Breakfast at a local restaurant in Cusipata, on the road south.
- 08:00The drive on to Palcoyo, an hour and a half through villages and open highland.
- 09:30The guided walk — the three coloured ridges and the stone forest, at a gentle gradient.
- 11:30Free time at the viewpoints for photographs and the Ausangate panorama.
- 12:00The return drive to Cusipata.
- 13:30Buffet lunch, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free available on request.
- 16:30Back in Cusco between about 16:30 and 17:00.
- Meals
- Breakfast and buffet lunch
- Night
- Not applicable — you sleep in Cusco
What the price covers
Transport
- Collection from your hotel or flat in Cusco between 04:30 and 05:00
- Comfortable round-trip tourist transport with a professional driver
On the mountain
- Small groups of twelve to sixteen
- A certified bilingual guide, English and Spanish
- A first-aid kit and an oxygen cylinder
Meals
- Andean breakfast in Cusipata
- Buffet lunch in Cusipata, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free on request
Not included
- The Palcoyo entrance fee, about 20 soles, paid in cash at the checkpoint
- Travel insurance
- Tips, which are genuinely optional
What to bring
Papers and money
- Your original passport
- Cash in soles in small notes for the entrance fee
- Any medication you take
What to carry
- A small daypack
- A refillable bottle with one to one and a half litres of water
- Snacks
- A camera and a power bank
Clothes
- Walking shoes with grip
- A windproof jacket and warm layers
- A hat and gloves — the mornings are cold and the wind is constant
Sun and skin
- High-factor sun cream
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- A sun hat and lip balm
Questions we get asked
Is Palcoyo easier than Vinicunca?
Considerably, as a walk. Palcoyo is about four kilometres there and back on a gentle slope, forty-five minutes to an hour of actual walking. Vinicunca is a steep hour and a half. What does not change much is the altitude — Palcoyo tops out at 4,900 m against Vinicunca's 5,200 m, so both demand that you go slowly.
Which should I choose?
If you want the single iconic ridge from the photographs and do not mind the crowd or the climb, take Vinicunca. If you would rather have three coloured mountains, a stone forest, a flat walk and almost nobody else there, take Palcoyo. Families, older travellers and anyone worried about the climb should take this one.
Can I hire a horse?
No, and it is the one thing Palcoyo does not offer. The trail is short and flat enough that there is no local horse service, unlike Vinicunca. If you have real doubts about walking at 4,900 m, say so before you book.
How high is it and how long should I acclimatise?
4,900 m at the highest viewpoint, which is 1,500 m above Cusco. Spend at least one or two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley first. The walk is gentle but the air is not.
What is the stone forest?
A natural formation of tall rock pillars on the Palcoyo circuit, formed by erosion, and quite unlike anything at the other coloured mountains. It is included in the walk.
When should I come?
May to October, the dry season, for clear skies and the strongest colour. Rain is far more likely between November and April, and cloud flattens the stripes.
How cold is it?
Below freezing at dawn and mild and windy by midday — the range is roughly 0 to 16 °C. Layers matter more here than a single thick coat.
Can I do it privately?
Yes — your own vehicle, guide and departure time. Private departures are quoted against your dates and party size.
Ask us about Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain
Tell us your dates and we'll come back with availability, the circuit we'd recommend, and a firm price. No deposit to ask, and we answer within one working day.