Palccoyo: a striking adventure to the alternative Rainbow Mountain!
Do you know what's better than the Rainbow Mountain? The three colorful mountains of Palccoyo! This alternative route is perfect for those looking for a light hike with spectacular landscapes. It’s much less crowded than Vinicunca, so you can take your time, enjoy the surroundings, and snap that perfect photo—without the crowds. Take advantage of this one-day experience and let the vibrant colors of Palccoyo bring a smile to your face, on a hike that will make you feel like you're walking on another planet.
On this full tour, you'll hike for about an hour and a half to admire three stunning rainbow mountains. You’ll ascend at your own pace up to 4,900 meters/16,073 feet above sea level, where a breathtaking view awaits— a colorful landscape painted in shades of red, yellow, blue, purple, and pink. A one-of-a-kind natural spectacle! You’ll also walk through the magical stone forest and feel the absolute peace of the Andean landscape, wrapped in the deep silence of the Vilcanota mountain range.
During the tour, you’ll stop in Checacupe, a small town known for its three iconic bridges: Inca, Colonial, and Republican. Three different eras coming together in one place, taking you on a journey through time. Take a break from the usual and be amazed by this adventure full of history, culture, and nature.
- Itinerary
- Inclusions
- Before You Go
- Packing List
- Pricing
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Highlights
- Enjoy a private trip to the rainbow mountains of Palccoyo away from the tourist crowds.
- Witness the amazing rock forest, and discover its meaning in relationship with the sacred Ausangate snow-capped mountain.
- Feel like an adventurer walking among high Andean mountains with pristine landscapes and views over the Red Valley and herds of alpacas.
- Visit the bridges of Checacupe belonging to three great historical eras of Peru.
Detailed Itinerary
Cusco - Palccoyo Rainbow Mountains - The Rock Forest - Checacupe
Highlight of the day: The spectacular view of the colorful mountain Palccoyo from its viewpoint.
Discover the wonderful rainbow mountain of Palccoyo
You'll leave Cusco early in our private transportation heading to Palccoyo. After a 1.5-hour drive, you'll stop to enjoy breakfast. Then, you'll continue for another hour and a half through the beautiful highlands until you reach the starting point of the hike. You'll walk for about 50 minutes to the main viewpoint, from where you can admire the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain and the colorful hills that surround it. Next, you'll explore the stone forest and take amazing photos before visiting the town of Checacupe and its iconic bridges: Inca, Colonial, and Republican. To end the day, you'll enjoy a delicious buffet lunch and return to Cusco with unforgettable memories of this journey.
This adventure begins around 4:00 a.m., when we pick you up from your hotel in our private transportation. You’ll travel for about an hour and a half to the town of Cusipata, where you’ll enjoy a hearty buffet breakfast. After another hour and a half of driving, you’ll arrive at the starting point of the hike, where you'll get your first views of the main mountain. From here, you’ll walk at your own pace for about 20 minutes until reaching the first Palccoyo viewpoint.
You’ll continue along the trail for another 25 minutes until you reach the main Palccoyo mountain. The view from this point is absolutely breathtaking. Not only will you see the main mountain, but also the other two colorful hills that form the Palccoyo range. You’ll have time to soak in the stunning scenery and take unforgettable photos — maybe even with some friendly alpacas! These charming animals are often decorated by locals as a sign of affection. Then, you’ll hike up to the stone forest for an epic photo, where you’ll feel small standing next to this impressive geological formation. On the way back, you’ll get a glimpse of the Red Valley, whose mineral-rich sediments form the Red River. To see this crimson-colored river at its most vibrant, we recommend visiting during the rainy season.
After the hike, we’ll stop in Checacupe to visit the iconic bridges from three different periods of Peruvian history: Inca, Colonial, and Republican. This town is also known for its beautiful church and as the place where the national heroe Túpac Amaru II was defeated after his long struggle for independence. The adventure ends with a well-deserved buffet lunch to recharge, before heading back to Cusco in our private transport, with colorful memories painted in your mind.
Why Travel with us
At Salkantay Trekking, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may be different for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
What Is Included?
Permits & Entrance Tickets
Entry Ticket for Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain
High Quality Service & Safety
Pre-departure Briefing
You'll meet your tour guide and group in our office for an orientation before your trek. The meeting will be at 5:00 pm the evening before the trip begins.
Experienced Tour Guide - All our guides have professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness and passion, which will make your trip safe and comfortable.
Our official tour guides speak English and Spanish and are professionally trained and certified. We choose them for their experience, responsibility, unbridled passion for exploring, and pride in sharing our culture and history. In every experience, they will keep you safe and comfortable so you can enjoy your time worry-free!
Medical Kit or First AID Kit - Our guides are trained to deal with basic emergencies.
All Salkantay Trekking guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers' diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.
Extras Included in our Service - You’ll receive a cover to protect your backpack on the road and a rain poncho.
We believe that attention to small details is what sets us apart from other local companies. You’ll receive a pair of walking sticks with rubber tips (or trekking poles) and a rain poncho.
24/7 Customer Service - We have 24 hours a day telephone service.
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your trek.
Meals
Breakfast and Lunch
Snacks and water
For the hike, we'll provide you with a water bottle and snacks of local fruits, cookies, chocolate, caramels, etc.
One cloth snack bag per person
We’ll provide you with a cloth bag for your snacks—perfect for storing wrappers and keeping the environment clean. Feel free to use it throughout your trek!
Transportation
Transport
All your transportation is included in this package. We will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the starting point of the hike. Once you complete the tour, we will take you back to the door of your hotel in Cusco.
What Is Not Included?
Dinner
Personal Hiking Clothes and Gear
Travel Insurance
Tips for our staff
Tipping is the norm on any excursion in Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome, especially considering the hard work they do.
Additional costs or delays beyond our control
This includes the occurrence of events such as landslides, adverse weather conditions, itinerary changes for safety reasons, illnesses, pandemics, changes in government policies, political instability, strikes, force majeure, and similar situations.
In most cases, we guarantee your tickets and full logistics in advance—paying ahead for permits, schedules, accommodations, supplies, and even staff mobilization to ensure everything is ready. Therefore, any additional costs that arise due to such unforeseen events must be covered by you, as we must also reorganize several aspects on our side.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation in these circumstances.
Here we leave you with a brief list of extras that you can enjoy during this package.
Huayna Picchu Mountain
Huayna Picchu is the mountain behind Machu Picchu and which can be climbed in 45 minutes. Although this excursion is up to you, our guide will take you to the place of entry. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can assure for you if we have enough time in advance.
Your entry ticket will be purchased to coincide with the dates of your excursion on the Inca Trail. The entry can be done in two shifts: from 7:00 am to 8:00 am or from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. We buy the tickets in the second shift so that our clients can fully enjoy their guided tour of Machu Picchu. Remember, the shifts only indicate the time of entry. You can go up and down Huayna Picchu without haste.
The ticket for Huayna Picchu costs US$ 75.00 per person.
Machu Picchu Mountain
Machu Picchu Mountain is another of the mountains that surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. It offers even more incredible views than Huayna Picchu, but it takes 1.5 hours to reach the top. This walk requires an entrance ticket which we can assure for you if we have time in advance.
The excursion entrance to Machu Picchu Mountain is open in two shifts as well, the first from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, and the second from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.
The ticket for Machu Picchu Mountain costs US$ 75.00 per person.
Vistadome Train
All our tours include the PeruRail Expedition train. This train leaves Aguas Calientes at 2:55 pm. The Vistadome train is a higher category service that offers more comfortable seats, a panoramic design that will allow you to see through the roof, as well as an entertainment show on board. The Vistadome train leaves Aguas Calientes at 2:55 pm as well (subject to availability), and goes to Ollantaytambo train station. From there, we’ll take you on our transport to your hotel in Cusco.
You can access this service for an additional payment of US$ 70.00 per person.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Salkantay Trekking in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Briefing or Informative Meeting
All information meetings and briefings are held in our main office in Cusco (or your hotel) at 5:00 pm, one night before the tour begins. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes. If you’re unable to attend, you must coordinate another time by email, by phone or at the Salkantay Trekking office.
Can I store my luggage at your office?
Of course! During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Pick up of guests
Please note:
- All pickups are within Cusco City, but we recommend booking a hotel in the historic center for its convenient location.
- Our guide or staff will confirm the pickup time the day before the tour.
- Due to traffic conditions, the pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes.
- Cusco is an old city and has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs are located on streets without car access or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. For such reasons, we strongly advise you to book accommodation with good access.
Group Tours
Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.
It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.
Strikes and demonstrations
Strikes and demonstrations are common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.
Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.
Lost objects
Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our transport or restaurant. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL





CLOTHING












EQUIPMENT

RECOMMENDED


"Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - Day Tour" can leave any day of the week, from March through January. We don’t operate this itinerary in February because of the rainy season & maintenance of the route.
2025 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 100.00 per person
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 5%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits.
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in Peru curated by Salkantay Trekking. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
Our Pledge | Your privacy is respected and protected. The Salkantay Trekking Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
Remember | One of our Travel Experts will contact you soon to confirm the availability of the trip you chose, give you more information, and/or provide you alternative options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit and a completed online registration to confirm your spot on the trek. Please call us at (+51) 958 191 179 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
Note | Due to the rainy season and trail maintenance, we don't offer this trek during the whole month of february. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, we are working to provide you a better service!
From October to November, Circuit 2 Machu Picchu tickets—the most complete route through the citadel and the one we normally include—are already sold out. For new bookings during these months, we will secure access to Circuit 3 (lower urban sector with a longer route) or, alternatively, Circuit 1 (upper area with the iconic panoramic view), in that order and subject to availability.