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Palcoyo Mountain: Andean Peaks Adventure
4.9
31 Ratings
Uchullujllo
Experience the beauty of Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain, a quieter and less crowded alternative to traditional hikes. Explore Andean villages, encounter llamas and alpacas, and enjoy a peaceful hike to the summit with stunning views. Indulge in a delicious local lunch in Ttio town. Book your tour now!
Experience the beauty of Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain, a quieter and less crowded alternative to traditional hikes. Explore Andean villages, encounter llamas and alpacas, and enjoy a peaceful hike to the summit with stunning views. Indulge in a delicious local lunch in Ttio town. Book your tour now!
Duration:
13 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - Discover the hidden treasure of Cusco, the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain. This alternative to the popular Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain offers a less strenuous experience, with a hike to the summit taking under an hour. Enjoy the stunning views of three vibrant Rainbow Mountains and the sight of numerous wild alpacas. As…
- Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - Discover the hidden treasure of Cusco, the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain. This alternative to the popular Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain offers a less strenuous experience, with a hike to the summit taking under an hour. Enjoy the stunning views of three vibrant Rainbow Mountains and the sight of numerous wild alpacas. As preferences shift, many travelers are opting for this less challenging trek, avoiding the 3-4 hour hike to Vinicunca, which can be difficult due to the altitude. Compare both options to find the best fit for your adventure.
- Checacupe - This location features ancient structures from the Inca, colonial, and republican eras.
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore three operational bridges that continue to serve the Andean community.
- Cusipata - A quaint town en route to the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain.
This is where breakfast and lunch will be enjoyed during the journey.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Transportation
- Professional tour guide
- Oxygen and First Aid Kit
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Transportation
- Professional tour guide
- Oxygen and First Aid Kit
What's Not Included
- Tips
- Travel insurance
- Entrance fees
- Tips
- Travel insurance
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
Palcoyo Mountain is a stunning destination for reaching heights that are otherwise uncommon. Your journey will weave through quaint Andean hamlets, with numerous Llamas and Alpacas along the way. From the base of Palcoyo Mountain, the view of one of its three peaks is already visible from the car park. The area is pleasantly secluded, offering a…
Palcoyo Mountain is a stunning destination for reaching heights that are otherwise uncommon. Your journey will weave through quaint Andean hamlets, with numerous Llamas and Alpacas along the way. From the base of Palcoyo Mountain, the view of one of its three peaks is already visible from the car park. The area is pleasantly secluded, offering a peaceful retreat after the busy tourist-filled spots of Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
The path to the top is what the locals refer to as ‘Andean flats’ \
- no recomendable para infantes
Location
Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(31 Ratings)
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1 star
Eaa1947
Jan 4, 2026
Wonderful views from the top. - It is a long day of about 12 hours with a very early start at 4 or 5 am. Breakfast is provided at a mass kitchen about 2-3 hours later in a buffet style. The drive to the base of the hike is scenic but much of it is on gravel/dirt roads and a lot of zigzagging drive, sometimes scary as the road is narrow. The hike to the top of the mountain takes about 50-60 minutes but if the weather is good and you make it to the top you see 3 colourful rainbow mountains. Even in summer, the temperature can drop to zero or even lower. The effort is worth the views. You have to be reasonably fit to attempt this due to the rarified atmosphere at almost 5000 metres. Unlike the other rainbow mountain in Peru, Vincunca, Palccoyo is easier hike but still can be tough depending on your age and fitness. More importantly it has far fewer visitors than Vinicunca so it is better. From the top of the mountain you see 3 different rainbow mountains compared to a single one at Vincunca. You also see many al paca and llamas on this trip as well as local villages. It is worth the effort.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anurudhak2023
Jul 30, 2025
Great view of the Rainbow mountains - We chose Palccoyo rainbow mountain instead of Vinicunca mountain because we thought it will be too rigorous on our 55+ year old bodies :). It was a great choice and we had a great tour guide Junior. He wanted us to leave at 3.30 AM from Cusco because we will be the first on the mountain. We had a light breakfast from the hotel and some coffee midway at a restaurant. By around 6.30 AM we were on the mountain.
1. We were the first on the mountain, which in some places the track is somewhat narrow. We took our own time to climb enjoying the beautiful views. My recommendation is to go early, enjoy the serene scene with no one disturbing you.
2. Mountain dwelling Vicuña, an animal that is rare were there. When people start to come they disappear to the mountains.
3. Though the climb takes you to 16,000 ft, we were ok with oxygen since we had already spent around 4 days in Cusco area.
4. It was very cold in the morning, almost freezing, therefore take good warm clothes. Towards our way back the winds started and that can create some dust storms in dry winter.
Out of the three mountains we could see rainbow patterns on two, the other was covered in snow.
About one hour later the other travelers started coming and soon it was all packed. Luckily, we were on our way back then.
Enjoy the mountains, rock forest, take some pictures with Alpacas and breathe the Andean air. This is a must do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V5864csbriana
May 16, 2025
Excellent tour - Incredible views. We had a great guide in Alfredo. He knew everything and was great to work with with. Very knowledgable, patient, and warm. Excellent tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
730katrinai
Oct 25, 2024
Wonderful tour! - Views are amazing! One of our best experiences in Peru! Our guide was awesome and we learned a lot from his explanations. Will recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T3662wyrobertc
Aug 17, 2024
Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Tours Rocks! - The trip to Palccoyo was an amazing experience and we had the time of our lives. Traveling to and from the site is a bit arduous due to poor road conditions; however, the driver did a fantastic job and we felt safe. The guide was very knowledgeable about the area and went above and beyond in providing service and ensuring we enjoyed our visit. We were well pleased and would do it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Irene
Jul 26, 2024
An unforgettable excursion, amazing photos and few people - Some friends who had been to Peru recommended us to visit Palccoyo instead of the famous Vinicunca because the famous one is always crowded, it is very cold and it is also a much more demanding hike. It was a total hit. We loved the colorful mountains of Palccoyo, which are more than 1 mountain and it is exactly the same as we had seen in the pictures of the famous colorful mountain. We loved the walk, the scenery, there were very few people and we were quiet, we took lots of cool photos... We definitely recommend visiting Palccoyo if you are in Cuzco. We did it with Paceros Agency Travel and everything was great, we did two more excursions with them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barbara_b
Jul 4, 2024
Great Experience - Our guide Maria and experience was amazing! The views driving there are as spectacular as the mountain itself.
Review provided by Viator
Bocelli-2124
Dec 3, 2023
PALCOYO colorful mountain - perfect place to see different colors and nuances of mountains, a special place at 4,780 meters above sea level.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Henk
Sep 14, 2023
Fantastic and breathtaking hike to 5200m for a colorful view - Amazing experience .
Private tour from Cusco.
With private driver and guide.
Not the standard route that is very busy, but via Palccoy Rainbow tour.
It is the lightest tour to get into the Rainbow Mountains.
A very nice trip from Cusco, about 3 hours. A very large part goes all the way inside.
Admission is 15 Sol p/p.
You reach approximately 4850m, then a reasonable 1-hour hike up (5200m) and down.
Very easy to do and literally and figuratively breathtaking. It's under construction there. Still wonderfully quiet now.
It is cold, so warm clothes, hat and gloves.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ciulio76
Aug 24, 2023
Unique place in the world - We didn't know whether to choose Viniculca or Palccoyo, but then (following the suggestion of the local tour operator Intense Peru) we chose Palccoyo ... and it was a fantastic choice!!!
From Cusco it's about 3 hours by car, of which the last 2 hours are on dirt roads (and also poorly maintained). Arriving at the final car park (after passing some very delightful local villages) we immediately realized that the choice was perfect.
In the whole car park there were only 3 other minibuses! The climb takes about 2 hours for only 200 meters of altitude difference, but the view from the summit is simply unique!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful colours, imposing ice and petrified forest are the backdrop to this unique and unforgettable site!!!!! It will remain in my mind forever!! Absolutely worth visiting
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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