In order to find a less challenging alternative to Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, we slipped on our hiking shoes and headed out to Palcoyo, the alternative Rainbow Mountain.
Unlike the Instagram phenomenon that is the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, Palcoyo remains an insider secret among locals. Thanks to its short and soft ascent Palcoyo is an option suitable for everyone. Furthermore, with considerably fewer visitors, Palcoyo is also the best place to enjoy the multi-colored mountains without having to wait for the perfect split-second photo. Here is the rundown on what the day entailed as we made our way to this prismatic phenomenon:
Yes, it is worth it, totally. One American tourist left the following quote “The Mountain is of such a sheer beauty that it will take your breath away”. However, there is a lot more than Palcoyo Mountain, like the Majestic Ausangate glacier glimmering in the distance on good sunny days. The red valleys and amazing landscapes, including meadows, straw huts, alpacas, birds and, all sorts of things in the Andes. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
We will pick you up right from your hotels, then we drive for more than 3 hours to the trail head of the Palcoyo Mountin.
The parking lot for the hike is situated directly below the first rainbow mountain. We recommend that you make a quick toilet break here as the only toilets onsite are located here. You will have to pay 1 sol to use them but you will be given some toilet paper.
After about 20 minutes of very light walking, we reached the very first viewpoint over the first rainbow mountain. As you can see in the picture below we were the only visitors at that time. From our first lookout point we could see the colorful mountainous area, a lady shepherding her llamas and the car park.
Another 30 minutes later (and still the exact same easy walk) we found ourselves at the second viewpoint. From there we got to see the whimsical spans of color and the surrounding ‘Red Valley’.
Viewpoint 3, in our opinion, was the best of all as it offered us the most incredibly colorful view of the mountains and was also the most similar to the Instafamous view of the famous Rainbow Mountain.
The difference here is that we were basically the only group up here and had some time to sit, reflect, and enjoy the view without worrying about getting in anyone’s photos.
After a quick backtrack from the 3rd lookout, we went off along another path for a few minutes as we made our way to the highest point of the trek (at 4900 m/16,076 ft). Here, the scenery drastically changes as the colorful ‘smooth’ mountains transform into a forest of serrated rocks that appear to push up through the earth’s crust.
We took a quick 40-minute walk down back to our awaiting driver. A quick stop was made at the red river. This is also something that you can do at the beginning of the hike, or along the way to/from Combatapa). The red color is a unique phenomenon caused by the rainwater running off the mineral-rich hills. Highly recommended for the photo bank!
We took some time to stretch our legs in Checacupe in preparation for the last section of our trip back to Cusco. There, you can find the Checacupe Bridge, one of the last remaining Inca bridges which stands today in the same position as it once did over 500 years ago! To say it’s fascinating is an understatement for this incredible piece of living history.
The 2-hour journey from Checacupe gave some of us time to catch a little nap in the car (while others, like myself, used the opportunity to write this very blog article).
During palcoyo Rainbow mountain tour, you will see the colored hills of Palcoyo, the Ausangate, and everything else, there is one more thing to do. It is an extra 20 minutes hike up the hill to enter the stone forest area, 16,076 ft / 4900 masl. It is called that way because there you find big standing sharp rocks giving the illusion of a forest of stone. This extra hike offers the three rainbows all in one picture. That would be the prize.
As we know, the best time to go to Cusco and Palcoyo is in the dry season, from April to September. Although you can go in the other months, but keep in mind that you have high chances of seeing the mountain covered with snow.
So, you know a little more about the mountain, but should you go there over Vinicunca? Let’s take a further look. Both mountains are close to each other and offer similar sights. We are going to compare some of the aspects to see which one fits your liking most.
You can see that most aspects of the mountains are similar. The main differences are regarding altitude, walking time, and the difficulty level. Overall, Palccoyo is far easier to walk and doesn’t take as long. It’s recommended for those who don’t wish to walk too much and like smaller crowds of people. If you want a big challenge, then maybe Vinicunca is the one to choose.
