Travel Guide to Palcoyo – the alternate Rainbow Mountain in Peru

Palcoyo is the alternate rainbow mountain to the more famous Vinicunca. At the time of writing, Palcoyo is relatively off-the-beaten Sacred Valley path. It truly is a whimsical place and even the locals have a hard time describing what you can expect to see once there. Locals may refer to it as “Rainbow Valley” or even “The Three Rainbow Mountains”. This travel guide will let you in on one of the best kept secrets in the Sacred Valley…

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<3 Dominique

“Newer” than Vinicunca – THE Rainbow Mountain prominently featured on social media, you have probably never heard of Palcoyo by name. Also known as “the alternate rainbow mountain”, “rainbow valley” or “the 5 colour rainbow mountain”, Palcoyo is an easier hike than its more famous counterpart. Word about this “newer” attraction is quickly spreading among savvy travellers though.

In this post, I cover (a) what the rainbow mountains are, (b) my experience going on a day trip to Palcoyo from Cusco, and (c) some things to consider before embarking on your trip to either of the “Rainbow Mountains”.

What are the Rainbow Mountains?

First things first, I will be referring to the more famous Rainbow Mountain as “Vinicunca” from here on in. Often, when people talk about the “Rainbow Mountain” in Peru, there’s a great chance that they are referring to Vinicunca. If you’re already in Cusco, you will see travel agencies offering day trips to “Winikunka”, “Montaña de Colores” or “Montaña de Siete Colores” (Mountain of Seven Colours). These all refer to the famous Vinicunca.

From here on in, I will be referring to the “alternate rainbow mountain” as Palcoyo. So… Palcoyo is actually not a mountain. It’s more of a lookout point on a valley where you have views of THREE different rainbow mountains (but not Vinicunca), a red valley (but not THE red valley), Ausangate mountain glacier, and a stone forest. If you’re already in Cusco, travel agencies offering day trips to “The Three Rainbow Mountains” are referring to Palcoyo. If memory serves me right, I think I saw day trips being offered to “The Mountain of Five Colours”. The guide who told me about Palcoyo introduced it to me as “Rainbow Valley”. To help with readability, I will just be referring to the OTHER rainbow “mountain” as Palcoyo.

Both Vinicunca and Palcoyo are found in the Andes of Peru in the Cusco region.

Though the popularity of Vinicunca seemed to have sprouted overnight with the help of Instagram, the mountain itself has been around for millions of years. The famous colourful stripes on the slopes and summits are due to the minerals found in the sandstone. Each mineral gives a unique pigment to the sandstone.

Disclosure: I didn’t make it to Vinicunca; I traded my prepaid excursion to go to Palcoyo instead.

There are five distinct colours in the three mountains that surround Palcoyo. The white stripes are from zinc. The dominant red pigment is from iron. The yellow stripes are from sulphur. The browns are from magnesium. And green, my personal favourite, is from copper.

The Rainbow Mountain’s Rise in Popularity

Chances are, the Rainbow Mountain is a recent addition to your bucket list. There’s a perfectly good reason why it wasn’t part of your childhood dreams and no, it’s not because you’ve been living under a rock!

Prior to 2015, Vinicunca was covered in snow and ice. Climate change in recent years melted all the snow, revealing the colourful sedimentary layers underneath. Note that this same phenomena is what occurred over at Palcoyo. Though the reason for the reveal of this natural wonder is alarming, the Peruvian government opened the site for tourism in 2015.

Gaining quick popularity on Instagram, tourism boomed on “Rainbow Mountain”. As of 2019, heavy foot traffic has worn down the path on Vinicunca. It is actually inadvisable to hike on it when it has been raining (you will get stuck in mud).

Below are some examples of THE classic Rainbow Mountain shot prevalent on social media:

Vinicunca vs Palcoyo

Before leaving for my trip to Peru, I prebooked a day trip to Vinicunca. I booked the excursion with many apprehensions.

Firstly, Vinicunca’s highest point is at 5,200 m (17,100 ft) above sea level. I knew the Rainbow Mountain hike is no walk in the park! I usually err on the side of caution when it comes to risking altitude sickness.

Secondly, I had booked my Vinicunca day trip for my one free day in Cusco right BEFORE the start of my 4 day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. At that point I was already a bag of nerves, anticipating my Inca Trail trek. Was it a good idea to go on an intense hike before an intense 4-day trek?

Lastly, I had heard that because the altitude on Vinicunca was so high, you should only ever stay up there for a maximum of 30 minutes. Oxygen levels at that altitude are dangerously low. Weighing in on whether a 3.5 hour challenging hike with 30 minutes to enjoy the view (with hundreds of other hikers) was worth it, also played a factor in my decision.

In the end, I decided that I didn’t want to miss out on seeing colourful peaks and prebooked the day trip before I even left Canada.

As Cusco is the hub for all excursions into the Sacred Valley, I had to be there for my Vinicunca excursion AND my Inca Trail trek. I was travelling with a Guide in Peru and had told him that I prebooked the Vinicunca day trip. I also shared the apprehensions I had about actually doing the Vinicunca hike the day before I left for the Inca Trail. My Guide suggested that I trade in my Vinicunca day trip for an excursion to a place called the “Rainbow Valley”.

He explained that unlike Vinicunca, the Rainbow Valley isn’t as elevated. Highest elevation there is 4,990 m (16,371 ft). He also explained that the Valley offered views of three different rainbow mountains, though you couldn’t get as close to them as you would on Vinicunca. Lastly, my Guide told me that Rainbow Valley is still relatively unknown and wouldn’t be as crowded as Vinicunca.

A quick Google search on “Rainbow Valley” gave me 0 relevant search matches. I was working with one picture my Guide took of Rainbow Valley on his phone.

In the end, I chose to trade my Vinicunca excursion for a trip to Rainbow Valley aka Palcoyo. To be honest, this was mostly driven by the fact that I didn’t want to hurt myself right before my Inca Trail trek.

My Experience on Palcoyo – the Alternate Rainbow Mountain

The way to Palcoyo

I was picked up at my hotel in Cusco at 6:30 am by my tour provider. In the van, I was provided a fleece blanket and instantly fell asleep for 1.5 hours. The van stopped at a village where my excursion companions and I were provided a breakfast buffet. There were also toilets at the breakfast stop.

The breakfast was a nice surprise. My companions and I had eaten at our hotel though and had no appetite at this point. We stayed at the stop for 30 minutes and filed back into the van. We drove further in the South Valley for another hour.

The roads to Palcoyo were narrow and rugged. We passed through sleepy villages. A handful of times we hit a bump in the road that woke everybody up in the van. The roads were so narrow that when we approached another vehicle going the opposite direction, either our van or the other vehicle had to pull off to the side to prevent a collision and keep traffic going both ways. The closer we got to Palcoyo, the bigger the herds of llamas and alpacas we saw got.

The views from Palcoyo

When we got to Palcoyo, it seemed like my group and I were the only people there!

At the time of writing, there were no vendors on site. Our tour provider gave us Chips Ahoy cookies and a banana. These were supposed to be eaten after our walk around Palcoyo but I didn’t hear our guides and ate the cookies right away. The only toilets on site (one for the gentlemen and one for the ladies) were located near the parking lot. You had to pay 1 sol to use them but you are provided with toilet paper and the facilities were quite clean.

The parking lot of Palcoyo is right at the foot of the first rainbow mountain.

Palcoyo is such a whimsical place! You really do have to see this place to believe that it exists! I am forever grateful that my Guide had brought it to my attention. At first, I was a little bummed that I would not be getting MY iconic shot of Vinicunca. But at the end of the day, I got more out of visiting Palcoyo instead! I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves:

We spent 1.5 hours walking around Palcoyo. It really wasn’t much of a hike; more of a walk in the park… at a high altitude. You feel the altitude but it wasn’t a strenuous hike, is what I’m trying to say. My group decided to climb to the highest point which is the Bosque de Piedras – or Stone Forest in English. This was the trickiest part of the walk. We went back to the van and drove back to the village where we had stopped for breakfast. There was a lunch buffet there set up for travellers coming back from Palcoyo. After lunch, we started our 2 hour drive back to Cusco and were dropped off at our hotel.

Tips for Your Rainbow Mountain Excursion

Are you thinking about booking your excursion to either if the “Rainbow Mountains”?

Here are some tips…

Book with a reputable tour operator

There are many budget travel blogs out there that have done the cost-benefit analysis of finding your own way to either of the Rainbow Mountains. I would say a majority of them concluded that all the trouble of going to the mountains independently isn’t worth the savings. You should book your Rainbow Mountain tour with a reputable tour operator.

I had prepaid $120 USD for my excursion before I even left for Peru. The price was the same for both the Vinicunca and Palcoyo day trips. My payment included hotel pickup and drop off, breakfast, lunch, a snack, and a guided tour. I’d say I got my money’s worth…

While I booked my excursion online, I heard that you would save money if you book your tour directly with an operator when you’re in Cusco. Trust me, they are easy to find!

I was trying to find the tour company I went with but its either they don’t have an online presence or they’re not very active online. Check out this Palcoyo tour that is reviewed well and with has an identical itinerary (and its half the price of what I was charged by a fourth party).

Tip: if you are opting to book your excursion in Cusco to save money, I HIGHLY recommend looking at reviews online first to help decide which provider to go with. Trip Advisor is my BFF when looking for places to eat and local experiences while abroad. The reviews of other travellers have helped to maximize my time while my Out of Office is active.

Check the weather forecast

If you can help it, you shouldn’t book your excursion on a rainy day.

Heavy foot traffic on the Vinicunca hike has made the trail impassible on rainy days. You will get stuck in the mud and you will be forced to turn back before reaching THE iconic lookout point.

I was at Palcoyo on a clear day and even then the winds made certain areas uncomfortably chilly. Also, I don’t believe you would be able to enjoy the vistas on a cloudy, wet day.

Book when the weather forecast looks favourable and may the odds be ever in your favour!

Things to bring for your Rainbow Mountain excursion

Regardless of whether you choose to go to Vinicunca or Palcoyo, consider bringing the following:

• Motion sickness medication – this is crucial for those who are like me and get car sick easily. The ride between Cusco and Palcoyo gets pretty jolty and with sharp turns.
• Hiking shoes – Vinicunca is a tough hike and the descent from the Stone Forest in Palcoyo can get pretty slick. Wear sensible footwear!
• Warm layers – when in the Andes, it is always a good idea to dress in layers. It got brisk up in Palcoyo and layers definitely came in handy.
• Rain jacket/poncho – bring a waterproof layer with you just in case. Weather in the Andes can be so unpredictable. You can buy rain ponchos for 3-5 soles in Cusco that won’t take up much space in your bag.
• Sunscreen and lip balm with SPF – solar radiation is more concentrated in higher elevations. Sun safety should always be top of mind when up in the Andes.
• Hat and sunglasses – I was at Palcoyo on a clear day. It was so bright out that I couldn’t see anything without my sunglasses. I wore my signature straw hat when I was at Palcoyo but it was so windy that I had to hold on tight. Bring a sensible hat to protect against the sun.
• Toilet paper and sanitizer – these are never guaranteed in public toilets around Peru. While toilet paper was provided at Palcoyo, it’s always a good idea to have on hand.
• Drinking water – I don’t remember water being provided by our tour operator and there weren’t many vendors near Palcoyo so I would recommend packing some.
• Extra snacks – I’m not much of a snacker but if YOU are, consider bringing snacks.
• Money. At the time of writing, there weren’t any vendors at Palcoyo so I got by with a little bit of pocket money. You might want to remember to bring enough money to tip your guides and driver though. For a group of 11 people we had a main guide, an assistant guide and a driver. While tipping is not mandatory, I would give $10 USD for the three gentlemen. They were fantastic!
• Camera!

Acclimate

Because of the elevation of both Vinicunca and Palcoyo, make sure that you have acclimated for at least two days before going to either of the two places. I would recommend this for anyone planning on doing anything active around the Sacred Valley, in general.

Travel tip: If you’re interested in the exact tour I joined for my first time in Peru, it is the Inca Empire Tour with G Adventures! Having someone else worry about the logistics let me take in the wonders of Peru and just be present in every moment <3. It was through the excellent, local guide that I found this hidden gem!

Are you planning on going to Palcoyo – the alternate rainbow mountain? Have you been to either Vinicunca or Palcoyo (or both) and have tips to share? I would love to hear from you in the comments below…