Best Palcoyo full day – The 3 rainbow mountains valley

Día completo a Palcoyo – El valle de las 3 montañas arco iris

Best Palcoyo full day – The 3 rainbow mountains valley

Full Day

In recent years, Vinicunca (the rainbow mountain) has gained all the fame in the traditional tourist circuit of Cusco and hundreds of people visit it daily; but there are multiple rainbow mountains around the area (such as Palcoyo), which, for now, remain serene and little visited.

Palcoyo is known as the three rainbow mountains, it is located south of Cusco, around Ausangate (the highest snow-capped mountain in the Cusco region); it is a truly magical landscape of painted-color mountains and sweeping red valleys in the Andes. Palcoyo Valley is easy to reach, 3 and a half hours by car from the city of Cusco.

Once you reach Palcoyo, the hike is relatively short. The reward is views of the stunning multi-hued mountains, snow-capped peaks, red valleys, Andean camelids (llamas and alpacas) and the “Stone Forest.” The total hiking time in Palcoyo is approximately an hour and a half, but it will depend a lot on your pace and the time you stop to take photos.

Palcoyo is the best alternative to hike to Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain for seniors or families with children, as it is easy and smooth to reach Rainbow Mountain, walking only 1.5 kilometers.

Itinerary

After breakfast, we will pick you up from your hotel and set off on a journey through the South Valley, following the paved road towards Puno; before reaching the town of Combapata (3475 masl/11400 ft) we will turn left and follow the Salcca Valley on an unpaved road until reaching the Palcoyo checkpoint (4700 masl/15420 ft) where we will arrive after almost 3 and a half hours of travel from Cusco.

At this place we will start the gentle hike to the viewpoints, there are 4 viewpoints around the valley, from these places we will have stunning views of the magnificent multi-hued mountains (there are 3 rainbow mountains around the valley, with their colorful layers of rock sediment, turquoise, orange, brown and red), snow-capped mountains surrounding the valley (one of them the well-known apu -Ausangate, which is considered the most important Andean mountain in Cusco with a summit of 6372 masl/20905 ft) and the red valley contrasting with the color of the mountains.

Continuing the hike, we will climb the short but steep trail to the “Stone Forest”, where the protruding rocks seem to have landed on another planet; from this point we will have the best view of the valley (the highest viewpoint is located at this location 5000m.a.s.l /16405 feet).

After visiting this amazing place, we will return to the checkpoint where our picnic tent will be waiting for us. We will have time to enjoy the picnic lunch with a stunning view of the red valley and surrounded by the multi-colored mountains. Finally, we will board our private transport to return to Cusco where we will arrive after almost 3 and a half hours of travel.

  • Distance from Cusco to Combapata: 107 km (paved bus route)
  • Distance from Combapata to Palcoyo: 28 km (unpaved route by bus)
  • Distance from the Palcoyo checkpoint to the mountain: 1.5 km walk
  • Lowest elevation: (3475 masl/11400ft) Combapata
  • Highest elevation: (5000 masl / 16405 ft) Stone Forest
  • Walking distance: 3 km round trip
  • Average walking time: 2 hours round trip
  • Average driving time: 7 hours round trip

What’s included:

  • Orientation meeting in Cusco (prior to departure date).
  • Transportation Cusco – (Llaqto) starting point of the trek – Cusco.
  • Professional bilingual guide (English – Spanish), additional cost for other languages.
  • Lunch and snack.
  • Entrance to Palcoyo Mountain.
  • First aid kit with oxygen.

Not included:

  • Extra services not mentioned in the program.
  • Tips and extra expenses.
  • Walking stick.

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Important

What to pack for the trip?

  • Bring warm clothing (hat, gloves, scarf).
  • Wear sun protection and sunglasses.
  • Bring a rain poncho.
  • Carry walking sticks.
  • Wear walking shoes.

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