Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Full Day Tours – The alternative Rainbow Mountain

Pitumarca, Cusco

From

Duration

1 day

Tour Type

Overview

Outside of Cusco lies a truly magical landscape of painted colored mountains and sweeping red valleys in the Andes. Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, has become something of a ‘must-see’ site on the traditional tourist circuit in Cusco, but is now besieged by hundreds of daily visitors who hike at altitude for a single instagram photo. Few travelers realize that nearby there are in fact multiple rainbow mountains dotting this other-worldly landscape and that Palcoyo, an area of truly breath-taking beauty, can also be visited as a day-trip from Cusco. Known as the ‘alternative rainbow mountain’, Palcoyo sees far fewer visitors and requires much less up-hill hiking, making it a great way to admire Peru’s natural wonders without having to jostle for the best vantage point.

Tour Type

Private Service
Full-Day Tour

Tour Location

Departure: Cusco, Peru
Destination: Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain & Checacupe
Region: Cusco Region, Peruvian Andes

Tour Category

Adventure Tour
Easy Hiking / Soft Trekking

What you need to take

Daypack, warm clothes (scarf, sweaters, rainjacket, gloves)
Walking boots.
Walking sticks
Rain poncho
Sun hat + sunglasses.
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Suncream
Extra money, minimum 250.00 soles (USD $80.00)

Included/Exclude

Pick up from you hotel.
Round trip transportation in our bus (bed sit).
Breakfast
1 Buffet lunch (eat as much as you like!)
Hot drinks.
Professional Tour Guide.
Assistant tour Guide (only for 9 people or more)
First Aid kit and Oxygen bottle.
Entrance fee.
Horse for emergencies.

Alcoholic drinks and others not mentioned on the list
Walking stick USD 5.00 (each).
Rain poncho (can be bought anywhere in the city or along the trail).
Horse for entire trip (USD 35.00)

Tour Plan

PALCCOYO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN “PRIVATE SERVICE” (FULL DAY)

We will pick up from your Hotel: 4:00 AM with our Private Transport we will drive until the small village of Checacupe (located south of Cusco). Where, we will make a stop to see an inca and a colonial bridge and also to grab some last-minute ítems like drinks, snacks, sunblock, rain poncho, etc.
After the short stop we continue one more hour to the base camp. Once we arrive there, we take a short and gradual uphill walk (30-45 minutes) to the Palcoyo Pass (4880m/16,000ft). Here you will have spectacular panoramic views of the 3 Rainbow Mountains and the spectacular Palccoyo peaks as well, as the highest mountain in the Cusco region (Ausangate) and also the Stone Forest in the highest point. We will spend 1 hour at the pass taking pictures and enjoying the spectacular view.
Return and Lunch.
Once we are done enjoying the scenery we walk back down by the same way to the base camp. We now take our private transport and enjoy a delicious, freshly prepared, hot lunch.
After lunch, we will catch our private van back to Cusco. We will drop you off in your hotel.
You will be in Cusco aproximately 5:30 pm.