1 Day Trek to Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountains, second only to Machu Picchu in popularity, offers two sites: Vinicunca and Palccoyo. Our 1-day Palccoyo trek, an easier route, involves a short trek past unique stone formations.
1 Day Trek to Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain
Your 1 Day trek to Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain begins with an early morning pickup (0700 AM) from your hotel in Cusco. We will embark on a 3.5 hours drive through the South Sacred Valley in our private transport.

We will be having a brief stop in a colonial village called Checacupe. Here you can use the toilets or buy some snacks.

Checacupe is a beautiful small village. It is home to an ancient rope bridge. This bridge was however built during the Spanish rule.

It resembles Qeswachaka Rope Bridge to an extent. There is also a colonial church here.

We will then continue driving along an unpaved road towards the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain. The view is simply breathtaking at every turn. Along the way, we will be passing through many schools and communities.

If you are traveling during or post-monsoon, you will be welcomed to the sight of a red river flowing down the hill. Locals call this “Incas Blood”. The region is strong in mineral contents. During monsoon, the water erodes the mineral-rich soil and flows down the hill.

We will be stopping at the base camp at 4900 meters above sea level (16076 ft.) Before starting the trek, our guide will give you a brief about the mountain and how it was formed. You will also get an introduction to the culture and traditions of the people living here.

Palccoyo Cusco
The highest point of Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain is 5000 meters above sea level (16404 ft.). It will be a 45-minute to an hour hike with staggering views of the snow-capped mighty Ausangate Mountain at a distance.

Ausangate is a sacred Andean peak. It is also the highest in the region.

On the way to the summit, you will be passing through some distinct stone formations – Rock Forest. Both the colors of Palccoyo and the view from the summit is out worldly.

After you have had your fill of the beauty of the valley from the peak of Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain and views of colorful mountains, we will start our trek back to the parking area.

This is more like a circuit, we will be hiking back the same way we went up. Then we will drive to Checacupe. Here we will stop in a local restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, we will drive back to Cusco. We will be dropping you at Plaza Regocijo, a block away from Plaza De Armas at around 0600 PM.

To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.

Cancellation is not possible. If you cancel it anyway or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity and the money you paid will not be refunded.