Three Rainbow Mountains! Come and visit Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain!

Cusco is full of surprises. There are many beautiful sites that haven’t been discovered yet. Now Cusco surprises us with the Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain. It is located in the district of Checacupe, province of Canchis. Palcoyo Mountain consist of a group of three Rainbow Mountains! Likely Vinicunca, Palcoyo is becoming a popular destination.

PALCOYO is located in the town of “Palcoyo” at 4 900 m.a.s.l. near Ausangate snow-capped Mountain,

Some facts about Palcoyo Mountain:

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain is located in the town of “Palcoyo” at an altitude of 4 900 m.a.s.l. near Ausangate snow capped mountain, in the district of Checacupe, province of Canchis, in the Andes of Cusco.

Climate:

Palcoyo has two distinct seasons: dry and rainy. 

The dry season: From May to October

The weather during this period is predominantly dry especially in June, July and August. Days are bright and sunny with a temperature of 16 °C (61 °F), which is perfect to appreciate the colors of the Palcoyo Mountain. The nights are much colder sometimes with a low temperature of 0 °C (32 °F). 

The rainy season: From November to April

During this time Palcoyo receives a greater amount of hailstorm and snow. Average daytime temperatures are higher than the dry season at 18 °C while night temperatures can be as cold as 0 °C.

Altitude:

The highest point of the Palcoyo Mountain is 4 900 m.a.s.l

The best season to visit Palcoyo Mountain is during the dry season

If you are interested in visiting this new and impressive site, but wonder how safe it is to get there, the following information will be very useful for you:

Duration of the Palcoyo Mountain hike:

It takes 1 hour and a half roundtrip to get to Palcoyo Mountain. This time compared to the almost 3 hours that take you to get to Vinicunca, makes Palcoyo more accessible and doable even if you run out of time.

Difficulty Level:

The difficulty level is moderate. This means that you don’t require to be a mountain hiking expert.

The best season to hike Palcoyo Mountain

The best season to come to this beautiful mountain is during the dry season, when the weather is sunny  and bright and you can clearly observe the colors of the Palcoyo Mountain.

It takes less time to get to the top of Palcoyo compared to the time that it takes to get to Vinicunca.

Where Palccoyo is located there is actually an entire mountain range, littered with different rainbow mountains. You can clearly notice the presence of 3 Rainbow Mountains. The colors that outstand more are Pink or Fuchsia, white, purple or lavender, red, green and yellow. 

Palcoyo Mountain is an excellent alternative if you are in Cusco and run out of time but still want to visit this surreal Rainbow Mountains. But How can you get to this Mountain?

How to get to Palcoyo Mountain:

There are two ways to get to Palcoyo Mountain. One is to go on your own and the second is to hire the service of a licensed agency, which can guarantee a wonderful experience.

What can you watch on the journey to Palcoyo Mountain?

You can observe a great variety of flora and fauna, an impressive stone forest formed by nature during thousands of years.

During the hike to Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain, we will visit the Stone Forest.

How to get to Palcoyo Mountain on your own?

• First, you need to go from Cusco to Combapata. The journey takes 3 hours and a half approximately.
• Before we get to Combapata, we will have to take the route that takes us to the Checacupe bridge. It is 1 hour more from the bridge until we get to bus stop.
• We will get ready for the hike to Palcoyo. It takes 30 to 40 minutes to get to the top.

Advantages of hiking Palcoyo Mountain:

• It takes only 1 hour and a half to get to the top, compared to the 3 hours that it takes to get to Vinicunca Mountain.
• The difficulty level is moderate. 
• It is more attractive to visitors, as there is not as crowded as Vinicunca is. 
• It is not as documented, or as photographed. Because of this, travelers can have a more intimate experience.
• From the summit of the mountain you can you enjoy a view of all of the valley and even admire the majesty of Ausangate.
• You can visit the Stone Forest in the highest point.Podrás visitar el bosque de piedras formados por efecto de la naturaleza durante miles de años.

The hike is short. You don’t need a high physical resistance. However, we recommend coming 2 or 3 days in advance to acclimatize to the altitude in Cusco.

You can visit the Stone Forest which was formed by the nature during thousands of years.

Inkayni Tips:

Here we share some useful tips that you need to know before you start the hike to Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain:

• It is important to acclimatize to the altitude in Cusco before you start this hike.
• Bring warm clothes to the hike.
• You need to bring winter hat to protect your head from the cold Lower temperature can cause headaches.
• Bring sunscreen to protect from the sun.
• It is important to bring Snacks and water.
• You will need money. Bring some cash, Peruvian soles.
• We recommend wearing your hiking boots before coming to Cusco . This is because new shoes can hurt your feet terribly.

We are Inkayni Peru Tours dedicated to promoting the natural and cultural heritage of Peru and committed to conserving it. We strongly believe that we are the best link to the andean world that still lives in everything you touch and see in Cusco.

The best reward to our hard work is seeing our clients satisfied with our service. We are also thankful to their positive comments which contributed to be given the Excellence certification from TripAdvisor, Tourradar and GetYourGuide booking platforms.