Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Full Day

Walking & Trekking

A good tourist destination of Cusco Peru

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain is the other “alternative-colored mountains” with multiple-colored mountains and is not yet popular with an approximately 24-million-year-old sedimentary rock formation, and created through the friction of two tectonic plates of Nazca and South American.

Unlike the classic and more popular Rainbow Mountain, which is visited by hundreds of curious adventurers each day, Palcoyo offers unsurpassed views of multiple rainbow peaks and rolling curves that will take your breath away.

After a spectacular drive through the lush highlands and rural communities of this region, your private bus will transport you deep into the mountains. An easy 30-minute walk will take you to the first of three viewpoints, each opening out onto a spectacular vista of colour, sometimes sparkling with snow. No camera can do justice to these majestic mountains!

Avoid the crowds and connect with nature in a unique, private and very special way, at “Rainbow Mountain in Palcoyo”.

DESCRIPTION

Duration: Full day
Walking distance: 1.4 km / 0.49 miles (round trip)
Minimum height: 4,805 meters (15,764 feet)
Maximum height: 4,886 meters (16,030 feet)
Temperature: Minimum -5 °C (23 °F) / max. 20 °C (68 °F)
Physical difficulty: Comfortable walk, requiring reasonable fitness. Not too steep or technical.

TRIP ITINERARY

DETAILED ITINERARY FOR OUR PALCOYO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN – FULL DAY TOUR

We will collect you from your hotel at 4:00 a.m. in our private transport. The drive to Palcoyo is 3 hours 45 minutes south-east to Cusco, to the Chulloca community (4,400 meters – 14,435 feet above sea level).

We will enjoy a camping-style breakfast, surrounded by alpacas, while admiring the colorful lifestyle and survival techniques of the local Andean people, who truly understand who appreciate and live in harmony with Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). They have adapted to the cold temperatures, with a livelihood based on livestock (llamas, alpacas and sheep) and the growing of tubers such as potatoes, as their main food source.

After our breakfast we continue driving for 15 minutes to the start (4,805 mt /16,030 ft). As you get closer to beginning of the hike of the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain you will begin to see the first signs of the colored minerals that formed the painted hills of Palcoyo. From there, an easy 30-minute walk will take us to the various viewpoints to appreciate the imposing majesty of the AUSANGATE (which towers in the distance, at 6,300 meters – 20,900 feet) and the beautiful red colored hills.

From the third viewpoint located at 4, 886 meters – 16,030 feet, we will have a spectacular 360-degree view of multiple colored mountains, glaciers, valleys and picturesque mountains. As you enjoy the spectacular display of natural colour and awe-inspiring beauty, our guide will provide you with a history to the formation of these eccentric colors.

A GREAT LOOK OUT STONE FORES!

Not being enough, we headed towards the STONE FOREST; an amazing formation of sedimentary rocks with capricious vertical shapes, looking like the back bony plates of dinosaurs!

At your leisure, we will begin our descent from the Palcoyo. Once back at our private transport, we will drive down to Chulloca community for lunch, before returning to the city of Cusco, where we will take to your hotel.

ADDITIONAL TRIP INFO

PALCOYO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN INCLUDED

Private transportation to and from your hotel in Cusco
Peruvian Style Breakfast ( boxed up)
Lunch
Entry ticket to the private land
Walking stick
Water (1 1/2 liters)
Oxygen tank & first aid kit

PALCOYO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREK DOES NOT INCLUDED

Snacks
Gratitud
Travel insurance

NOTES

WE RECOMMENDED TO BRING FOR OUR PALCOYO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE

Passport
Additional water: we recommend bringing 1 liter per person (if in case you require more, local people sell water bottled along the way)
Rain jacket (and pants, if you have them), or a rain-proof poncho
Sunscreen
Sun hat
Sunglasses Outdoor wear (jacket, scarf, gloves and a woolly cap)
Camera with spare batteries (batteries discharge faster at high altitude

RECOMENDATIONS

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CLASSIC RAINBOW MOUNTAIN AND VINICUNCA AND PALCOYO?

Both are very breathtaking and offer awesome views around!

The rainbow mountain Vinicunca: It is formed by a single mountain with background of the red mountain and not far from there the highest snowcapped mountain of Cusco “Ausangate”.

To enjoy and get to the viewpoint requires a good physical condition and air conditioning, taking a minimum walk time of one hour with a gain of 400 m (1,300 feet) in height, and so enjoy its classic and extravagant colors, already known in social networks.

The trip by car takes only 3 hours

The rainbow mountain Palcoyo: its recent discovery, distance and popularity in tourism, does not yet gain much importance, however its multiple scattered mountains full of colors in the area makes one fall in love at first sight.

To reach the main viewpoint, it takes 25 minutes of easy ascent and with a gain of 100 meters (328 feet) above sea level.

The trip in our private transport is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

WHAT IS THE WEATHER IN THE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN?

The weather in this region is highly unpredictable that can be changed frequently at any time of the year, having all the seasons of the year in a single day with very cold, wind, snow, rain and sun. Hikers should be prepared with proper gear and be ready for variable weather conditions throughout the day. However, according to their unpredictable climatic variations they are distinguished by two seasons:

Dry season April-October (high season); In this season you will have better possibilities of constant pleasant weather, but also the crowd increases. If you want to avoid the crowd it is advisable to visit it in the wet season November-March (low season).

The weather forecasts of the mountains are not perfect, being difficult to know when one will have a bad climate. It is also true that climatic conditions can turn off their mountain colors; however, its sudden changes can be favorable, changing the setting with an unforgettable trip, showing the typical colors of the mountains enveloped in clouds that form a mystical, magical enchanting environment.