The Palccoyo rainbow mountain is a jewel not well known among international travelers and even Peruvian travelers who venture into Inca lands. This mountain is the perfect alternative to Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain, they are very similar, they are located in the same mountain range so its composition and origin are practically the same.
Here we tell you everything you need to know about these rainbow mountains of Palccoyo, join Auri Peru and learn more about this wonder of nature.
What are the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountains?
The Palccoyo rainbow mountain is known as the mountain range of colors or “the mountain range of colors”. They are 3 mountains of colorful shades ranging from ocher, red, through green, blue and white stripes in the middle of a wild and mythical Andean landscape with brown valleys, reddish. In addition, there is a spectacular viewpoint from a forest of stones.
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Where is Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain located?
Palcoyo is located in the district of Combapata, province of Canchis in the Cusco region. The Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Range is located 124 kilometers / 77 miles southeast of Cusco. During the trip, you can appreciate the two bridges of Checacupe, a colonial bridge and also the bases of what was an Inca bridge. While the Vinincunca Colored Mountain is congested with thousands of visitors daily, just 20 kilometers further south you will find not one, but three colorful mountains resting in the middle of a peaceful colorful landscape very close to the snow-capped Ausangate.
What is the altitude of Palccoyo colorful mountain range?
Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain is located at an average altitude of 4,900 meters / 16076 ft. only 120 meters below the height of Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain.
Etymology of Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain
This place of more than 9000 hectares is known as Palcoyo, named after the nearest Andean community of the same name. Like the colorful mountain of Vinicunca, it went through a complex mineralization process of millions of years.
Why are the Palcoyo Rainbow Mountains so colorful?
The colors of the Palccoyo Mountains are due to a complex geologic history that combines marine, fluvial and lacustrine sediments. The colored stripes correspond to different layers of marine sediments that settled on the ground before the collision of the earth’s tectonic plates for the formation of the Andes Mountains.
The sediments formed layers with different grain sizes that were sorted according to their weight during the formation of the Andes Mountains. They acquired their striking colors due to the oxidation of their minerals by exposure to the humidity of the area and erosion. In short, the colors of the colorful mountains of Palccoyo and Vinicunca are due to marine sediments exposed to humidity and erosion over thousands of years while the Andes Mountains were formed.
What is the composition of the Palccoyo colored strips?
The mineralogical composition is very similar to the mountain of colors of Vinicunca:
- Pink or fuchsia: a mixture of red clay, mudstones (mud), and sand.
- Bone white: sandstone or quartz sand and limestone.
- Purple or lavender: composed of marls (mixture of clay and calcium carbonate) to which silicates are added.
- Red: argillites and clays.
- Green: would contain ferromagnesian clays (a mixture of iron and magnesium) and copper oxide.
- Yellowish-brown mustard or golden: these would be limonites, calcareous sandstones rich in sulfide minerals (combined with sulfur).
The presence of many shades of color can be distinguished, all thanks to time and climate factors.
What other places can be visited around Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain?
Although the main purpose of coming to Palccoyo is to visit the Rainbow Mountain Range, the surroundings of the whole area are amazing. The path to Palccoyo has beautiful landscapes in which we can portray calls and alpacas accompanied by an impressive background of the three colorful mountains, a red valley of such intense tones that seem to be taken from another planet. Likewise, there is a viewpoint from an impressive forest of colossal stones.
What is the best time to visit Palccoyo?
The recommended time to appreciate this splendid colorful landscape is during the dry season (April to October), between these months the sky is an intense blue. Like Vinicunca, Palccoyo offers its best shades of colors according to the weather of the day, the seasons and the hours of the day. The warmer and clearer the weather, the better the show of colors.
During the remaining months, you can still visit Palccoyo, however, the presence of rain makes access difficult, in those cloudy and rainy days the mountains do not show their vibrant colors and are usually covered by fog or snow at this altitude.
How is the hike to Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain?
The mountain range is located at 4900 meters above sea level. The hike is not steep and the terrain is not very hilly. Therefore, the physical effort and the time it takes to reach the colored mountains is much less than the colored mountain of Vinicunca, it can be covered in a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of one hour. Being located at a slightly lower altitude than the Vinincunca colored mountain, and being a lighter hike, most travelers will not have any problems during the hike.
What is diference between Palcoyo and Vinicunca?
The views and the number of colorful mountains
While you will see three mountain ranges of various colors very similar to each other, there is no huge, imposing mountain peak in Palcoyo as there is in Vinicunca. Palcoyo has three main viewpoints, all impressive, but none as imposing as Vinicunca. However, in Palcoyo we find a forest of stones that we would not find in Vinicunca.
The difficulty of the hike
To reach the main viewpoints, in Palccoyo there is no definite route. There are immediate views just a few steps from the road. The route to the stone forest and the different viewpoints should not add up to more than 45 minutes of walking. The route is easier than the average 2 hours needed for Vinicunca, and the hike to Palccoyo is of less difficulty. Palccoyo has fewer people around and a more uncluttered environment, so you can usually spend as much time as you want hiking. If you are not used to long hikes, the best alternative is Palccoyo.
How to visit Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain?
On your own
Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain is located more than 100 kilometers from the city of Cusco. To reach this destination on your own, you can take a bus from the city of Cusco to the town of Checacupe. The trip takes about 2 hours. From Checacupe you must take another vehicle to the town of Palccoyo, about 30 minutes more. Once in the town of Palccoyo, a hike to the colorful mountain takes at least 1 hour.
With a travel agency
If you hire the services of a travel agency, you use private or shared transportation that arrives directly to Palccoyo, plus the services of a professional guide and food as provided by the travel agency.
Some recommendations for visiting Palccoyo
- It is recommended to take a tour with a travel agency to get to the colorful mountain range of Palccoyo, since it is very difficult to get there on your own due to the remoteness of the area.
- Due to the altitude, the climate and the journey, it is recommended to bring warm clothes for the morning and lighter clothes for the heat of the middle of the day, especially a hat and sunscreen. During the rainy season, a waterproof jacket and gloves are indispensable.
- It is advisable to stay at least two days in Cusco for the corresponding acclimatization, thus avoiding any kind of setback during the ascent to these mountains.
- Visits to Palcoyo Mountain begin at 06:00 am. The site closes at 02:00 pm.
Peru has many incredible places to discover. With many years working at the travel industry, Auri Travel is happy to help with your travel plans to Machu Picchu and other amazing places in Peru. Come and enjoy your Peruvian Adventure with us!
