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Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain 1-Day Tour

Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - Day Tour

Full Day Tour
Starting from US$100 per person
Meals Icon
Breakfast, Lunch, and snacks Meals
Group Size Icon
Up to 12 People Group Size
Max. Altitude Icon
4,900 m / 16,070 ft Max. Altitude
Difficulty Icon
Moderate Difficulty

Palccoyo: a striking adventure to the alternative Rainbow Mountain!

Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - The Rock Forest - Checacupe Bridges
Meals Icon
Breakfast, Lunch, and snacks Meals
Group Size Icon
Up to 12 People Group Size
Max. Altitude Icon
4,900 m / 16,070 ft Max. Altitude
Difficulty Icon
Moderate Difficulty

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.

Day Tour to the Rainbow Mountain of Palccoyo Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain - Day Tour Map
  • Itinerary
  • Inclusions
  • Before You Go
  • Packing List
  • Pricing
  • Enquire Now
  Itinerary

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

Day 01

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

Meals Icon
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks Meals
Difficulty Icon
Moderate Difficulty
Walking Distance Icon
3 km / 1.86 mi Walking Distance
Walking Time Icon
1 - 2 hours Walking Time
Starting Elevation Icon
3,400 m / 11,150 ft Starting Elevation
Min. Elevation Icon
3,310 m / 10,200 ft Min. Elevation
Highest Elevation Icon
4,900 m / 16,070 ft Highest Elevation

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

  Inclusions

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.

  Additional Items

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.

  Before You Go

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.

  Packing List

WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?

ESSENTIAL

Valid Passport
Valid Passport
Extra money (recommended soles)
Extra money (recommended soles)
Personal medication
Personal medication
Water bottle or CamelBak
Water bottle or CamelBak
Sunblock: factor 70 or more
Sunblock: factor 70 or more

CLOTHING

Hiking boots or shoes (preferably waterproof)
Hiking boots or shoes (preferably waterproof)
Trekking pants
Trekking pants
Trekking socks
Trekking socks
Pair of thermal pants
Pair of thermal pants
Warm jacket
Warm jacket
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof jacket
Raincoat or rain poncho
Raincoat or rain poncho
Waterproof or wool gloves
Waterproof or wool gloves
Sun hat to protect neck and face
Sun hat to protect neck and face
Wool hat for the cold
Wool hat for the cold
Neck gaiter or buff
Neck gaiter or buff
Sunglasses with UV protection
Sunglasses with UV protection

EQUIPMENT

Medium trekking backpack (15 - 25 liter)
Medium trekking backpack (15 - 25 liter)

RECOMMENDED

Camera and charger
Camera and charger
Power bank
Power bank
  Pricing

"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.

  Enquire Now

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.

We'll never share your email with anyone else.
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Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Hike 1D

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!

Feel free to reach us via email at info@salkantaytrekking.com or by calling us directly at (+51) 958 191 179

Every Day: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm

Triunfo Street 392, Office 212 (2nd Floor), Cusco, Peru

IMPORTANT

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.

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