Palccoyo has been billed as a worthy alternative to the mighty Vinicunca - the original rainbow mountain. But is it really? We visited both rainbow mountains to see for ourselves and bring you this guide to help you decide which is right for you. We’ll be looking at everything from which is the most spectacular, to difficulty, crowds, logistics and which has the best photo ops.
Here’s our definitive guide to Palccoyo vs Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca).
Palccoyo vs Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)
Scenery
Rainbow Mountain
When it comes to the rainbow mountains themselves, the original rainbow mountain (Vinicunca) steals the show. That’s mainly because it’s much steeper and therefore more dramatic than Palccoyo.
The colours are also more pronounced - though make sure you go on a sunny day or the colours are greatly diminished. The way that the mountain looms over the viewpoint is incomparable.
In terms of the walk, it’s very pretty, but not as jaw dropping as the walk at Palccoyo.
However, if you pay the small extra fee to detour into the Red Valley, then it’s just as beautiful and possibly even more spectacular than the trail at Palccoyo.
Palccoyo
There’s no doubt that Palccoyo is a stunner, and there’s more than one rainbow mountain along this trail.
However, the main one, ie the one that you can walk right up to, is much less steep than the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain. The colours are also slightly less bright, although still very special.
I found the walk to Palccoyo more beautiful than the walk to Rainbow Mountain. You pass the jagged peaks of the stone forest and there are endless layers of stunning mountains along the way.
For me, this gave it more wow factor. Also the trail was more narrow and less road like than the one at Rainbow Mountain, it was a proper hiking path and unsullied by horses.
The path at Rainbow Mountain is dusty and not the most pleasant in all honesty, though the mountain views are of course, lovely.
Hike difficulty
Rainbow Mountain
This one is easy to answer because the walk to Rainbow Mountain is much harder than Palccoyo. It’s longer by 1.9km in each direction (3.8km overall), with 280m more elevation gain than Palccoyo (which makes a big difference at this altitude) and ever so slightly higher in altitude (however it’s less than 150m difference, so that’s negligible really).
The terrain is pretty good though, there’s very little track which is rough or slippery. The majority is simply a steady plod to the top, before a final steeper section on a decent set of stairs.
If you add on Red Valley - and you should - then it’s longer and includes a few more uphill sections.
Palccoyo
The walk to Palccoyo would be considered easy if it were at sea level. It’s a steady but very gradual climb to the viewpoints, and any breathlessness is going to be coming from the altitude. The path is in good condition and it’s extremely pretty.
The walk up to the stone forest, which is an added extra and doesn’t offer good rainbow mountain views, is harder. It’s short but steep and has a slippery section on the descent, but that’s not part of the main trail.
The main trail is much, much more relaxed than the one to Vinicunca.
Alternatives to hiking
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain has two alternatives to completing the full hike. The first is taking one of the horses, which is very common. To be honest we don’t recommend this as it’s hard work for the horses and many didn’t look in great shape.
The second is to take an ATV (this is from an alternative start point to the usual route up the mountain). Again we prefer to walk, but it’s an option that doesn’t involve animals, so we prefer it as an alternative.
Taking a horse gets you to within 420m of the lower viewpoint at Vinicunca. An ATV gets you even closer. Neither cut out the climb completely and with the horse option you still have to climb the stairs at the end. The ATV option sees you climbing an easier slope on the other side of the mountain.
To reach the best views of Rainbow Mountain, everyone has to climb an additional 180m up the hill behind the lower viewpoint, which offers unparalleled views.
You can check an ATV tour with good reviews on GetYourGuide by clicking the link below. The tour includes transportation to and from Cusco, guides and meals (breakfast and lunch).
Palccoyo
Currently Palccoyo has no alternatives to the walking track, but as it’s easier that’s not really a problem. It could change in the future of course, but for now it’s on your own two legs only.
Crowds
Rainbow Mountain
This is another straightforward one to answer because Rainbow Mountains sees thousands of visitors a day in peak season, and it’s not quiet in the rainy season either. In fact, Rainbow Mountain was far busier than Machu Picchu on our visit, which I was pretty shocked by.
There are ways you can beat the crowds, and we have a guide with details on that here, but if you want to do a standard group tour, then you may be in for a rude awakening when it comes to expectations vs reality.
Palccoyo
Palccoyo is not what I’d call a hidden gem, but it’s no Vinicunca. It’s miles away from that. If you take a standard tour, you’re not going to find it too bad, but it won’t be only your group there. If you take a taxi instead, which is what we did and our recommendation, then you can likely get it to yourself.
We didn’t see a soul the entire time we were there (all afternoon) simply by avoiding the times the tour groups visit. Few people take a taxi, so it was just us and the wild landscape, oh and a few dozen llamas too.
Photo ops
Rainbow Mountain
If you’re looking for that classic Instagram photo, then you can’t beat Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain. Not only is it steeper and more dramatic, but there’s a hill which has a fabulous view down to the viewpoint and mountain, which makes for unbeatable photos.
However, let me caveat this by noting two important factors. It’s obscenely crowded at standard tour times, so you won’t be alone, and there are many snack and souvenir stalls set up which are not taken down. We have not photoshopped people from our photos because we were there alone, but we did remove the closed snack stalls.
Regarding the crowds: you can queue up at the lower viewpoint to get photos with no one in them, but you can’t get that prime photo from above, because everyone will be walking in your photos at all times and believe me, no one cares you’re trying to get a shot.
The lower viewpoint where you can queue to get photos with no one in them
If you go outside of peak times you can avoid the crowds, but you’ll need to use Photoshop to get rid of the snack stands, or it does lose that wild feel.
Note that drones are not allowed at Rainbow Mountain.
Palccoyo
There are good photo ops at Palccoyo, but none match that classic shot at Rainbow Mountain. The walking trail has many better photo opportunities than at Vinicunca (unless you add on Red Valley) but I know most people come for ‘the’ shot.
However, time it right and you won’t have to worry about people in your photos and there isn’t a souvenir stall in sight.
So although Rainbow Mountain generally has more dramatic photo ops, there is one exception to this. And that’s if you have a drone. With a ticket, drones are allowed at Palccoyo and if you have one, bring it.
The views from above are simply mind blowing and I think the drone photos at Palccoyo are better than anything at Rainbow Mountain - although others might not agree!
Distance and cost
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain is closer to Cusco than Palccoyo, at just under a three hour drive away. Considering that’s already a long way when you have to do it twice in one day, it’s worth taking into account.
It’s also a bit cheaper, with tours starting at 60 soles (approx USD $16.50), and private taxis from around 280 soles (approx USD $80). Note that these prices generally don’t include the 25 soles entry fee (approx USD $6.85)
Palccoyo
Palccoyo is a bit further from Cusco as it’s a four hour drive. As a result it’s a bit more expensive. Taxis for Palccoyo are usually around 400 (approx USD $109) soles, but can be negotiated for less.
Group tours would also cost a bit more, but unfortunately I didn’t see the price and if you look online rather than in Cusco itself, you’ll see vastly inflated prices.
A quick note on altitude
Before we get into the final verdict, it’s worth noting that both Palccoyo and Vinicunca are above 4,900m (Palccoyo sits at 4,900m and Rainbow Mountain sits at 5,046m). This means that in both places you will feel the altitude, after all it’s almost the same altitude as Everest Base Camp! This means you will be out of breath much more quickly than you normally would and many people suffer from headaches and possibly nausea.
Sadly there’s no rainbow mountain which sits at a lower altitude, so when visiting either, make sure you have given yourself time to acclimatise (it’s recommended to spend at least 48 hours in Cusco, but the more time the better).
You can buy coca tea at both mountains which will help, but take plenty of water, eat well and go slow and steady on the walk.
So which is better, Palccoyo or Rainbow Mountain?
I think this is a very hard question to answer, but what I can tell you is I enjoyed my experience at Palccoyo more than at Rainbow Mountain. It was easier, had zero people there the entire time and was still exquisite scenery.
However, there’s no doubt in my mind that the mountain with more wow factor is Vinicunca. Therefore if you want to see the most dramatic mountain, it must be Rainbow Mountain.
But if you just want to see some rainbow mountains and they don’t have to be the very best, then I prefer Palccoyo (also that sounds harsh because Palccoyo is still phenomenal). The fact the walk was easier also meant that we didn’t really experience much in the way of altitude symptoms - beyond a bit of breathlessness. At Rainbow Mountain we both developed headaches and Joe also had nausea.
Of course if you have time for both mountains, that’s even better, but I guess if you did you probably wouldn’t be reading this guide : )
Other things to know before you visit
Weather
One thing to be aware of for both mountains is the weather, which can make a big difference to your trip. The ideal conditions to visit are a clear day with low wind. You can check the conditions on YR by clicking here for Vinicuna and here for Palccoyo - the closest forecast is for Cerro Chupica). Make sure you look at the cloud cover, which is given as a percentage by the hour on this forecast. No forecast is ever completely accurate, especially when it comes to mountains, but this one served us well for both our trips. Remember that without sunlight shining on the mountains, the colours are diminished.
The other thing to check for is snow. As both mountains are high up, you can get snow covering them, which will mean you’ve travelled all that distance and won’t actually see the rainbow colours. This can happen at any time of year, so if in doubt, check with your tour company or taxi driver before you book.
Tours
Most people choose to visit either Palccoyo or Rainbow Mountain from Cusco due to the better accommodation and the variety of good dining options. You can stay closer to either (which we did), but we don’t necessarily recommended it, the food options are extremely limited and the accommodation wasn’t great.
The group tours usually leave Cusco incredibly early (between 3am and 5am), returning in the early afternoon. They are pretty cheap starting at USD $16pp if booked in country and are a good option for those wanting everything taken care of and aren’t worried about the crowds at Vinicunca.
If you are want to book with an international company, GetYourGuide trips have good reviews. You can check them out for both Palccoyo and Rainbow Mountain below.
Private taxi
The other option is to take a private taxi. This is always our go to option as you have full control over your itinerary. It means you’re not pressured time wise and don’t have to wake up as early.
We paid 290 soles (approx USD $80) for the day at Rainbow Mountain and as this price is for the taxi, if you have more people it becomes better value. We were quoted 400 soles to go to Palccoyo from Cusco. This doesn’t include entrance fees or meals.
We booked through Roxana from Vibrant Peru, and highly recommend it (we paid full price for our trip, so you don’t need to worry about bias). Our driver was brilliant and really accommodating of how long we spent there (way more than your average visitor) You can contact her on Whatsapp at +51 984 260 053.
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