Top 14 Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Tours

1.Private Palccoyo Rainbow Hike Without the Crowds

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $199Our pick

Leave Cusco before dawn for Palccoyo at 4,900 meters. A local guide such as Jesús Carrion leads a small group to three rainbow mountains, the Red Valley, and an optional stone forest. Breakfast, lunch, hotel transfers, gear, and an alpaca walk are included.

“We had a fantastic time exploring Palcoyo, thanks to our experienced guide, Jesús Carrion. The tour started promptly, and Jesús took great care of us throughout the day. Although the walk to Palcoyo, also known as the alternative Rainbow Mountain, was relatively easy and moderate, the high altitude of 4900m caused my husband to feel short of breath. Jesús made a concerted effort to ensure his well-being while also keeping an eye on the rest of the group. Compared to Vinicunca, Palcoyo was noticeably less crowded, and it offered breathtaking views of three rainbow mountains, the red valley, and the stone forest. Unfortunately, we had to skip the stone forest…”

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2.PRIVATE Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $225

Set out from Cusco for Palccoyo, a quieter rainbow mountain area with three colored peaks, alpacas, llamas, and views of Ausangate. Your private guide and driver handle the long ride, uphill walk, local lunch, and visit to Checacupe’s colonial bridge. Expect rough roads and high altitude.

“This mountain area is spectacular. It perhaps should be known as Rainbow Mountain 2 as it is not the one of instagram fame but I believe this experience far surpasses that one from what I’ve heard. This is a an amazing area with terraced mountains, free Alpaca roaming and painted mountains. It surpasses my expectation. I would recommend this trip to anyone if nature is what you’re after and not a tourist nightmare;) Be aware that It is remote and gravel road for a large part of it. A shout out to Jenny our guide and Luis our driver. They were both charming, easygoing and excellent.”

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3.1 Day Tour to Palccoyo (Alternative Rainbow Mtn) from Cusco, Peru

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $153

Leave Cusco at 5 am for a private 3.5-hour drive to Palccoyo’s Tres Rainbows. Walk 15 to 30 minutes at 16,000 feet, enjoy colorful peaks with fewer crowds, and return by about 3 pm. An English-speaking guide, snacks, and boxed lunch are included.

“Das war eines der besten Erlebnisse meines Lebens. Ich hätte mir in meinen Träumen nie eine eindrucksvollere Landschaft vorstellen können. Der uns gebotene Service war auch ganz toll und die Führung einfach Klasse!”

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4.Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Full Day Tour from Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 49 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $65

Leave Cusco at 4:00 am for Palccoyo, a quieter alternative to Vinicunca. Walk about 45 minutes through three rainbow mountains and the stone forest, then visit Checacupe’s Inca bridge and view 6,400-meter Ausangate. Guides such as Joel, Marco, and Miguel help with the high altitude.

“We enjoyed our trip to Palcoyo Mountain overall, but there are a few areas where the tour could be improved. We were picked up from our Airbnb around 4:50am and then drove about 1.5 hours in a Sprinter van with approximately 15 other guests to the breakfast stop. Breakfast was buffet-style and included restrooms and coca tea (which I highly recommend, as you start to feel the altitude around this point). After breakfast, we drove about 30 minutes to visit the Inca Rope Bridge (mandatory fee of 5 soles per person), and then continued for another 2 hours to the base of Palcoyo Mountain. Once you exit the van, the…”

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5.Full-Day Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain All-Inclusive Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 35 reviews · 11 hours - 1 day · from $36

Travel from Cusco to Palccoyo with a bilingual guide such as Joel, Usmer, or Monica. Expect a 3.5-hour ride, breakfast, a two-hour hike at up to 4,700 meters, rainbow-colored peaks, llamas, local lunch, and a downtown drop-off.

“Absolutely stunning day trip, would highly recommend. The tour guide, Joel, was the best guide I have had in 2 and a half months of travelling South America. He was very calm, knowledgeable and ensured everything ran smoothly while allowing people to go at their own pace. Nice breakfast and great buffet lunch. There was a nice number of people on palcoyo, a much better alternative to Vinicunca.”

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6.Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 13 hours (approx.) · from $165

Travel from Cusco to Palccoyo with a guide such as Maria or Annibal, then walk less than an hour to three colorful mountain peaks. The day also includes breakfast and lunch in Cusipata and a stop at Checacupe’s three historic bridges. Expect cold, high-altitude conditions and a long road journey.

“Everything was perfect except the food, was totally a scam, the tour guy was fun and the walk was fair and worth it.”

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7.Palccoyo Rainbow Mountains Full Day Tour from Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $56

Leave Cusco at 4:30 a.m. for Palccoyo at 4,900 meters, with a 40-minute walk to colored mountain formations, the Ccacca Loma stone forest, and red mountain. The day also includes Checacupe’s three bridges, four lagoons, breakfast, buffet lunch, transport, and a bilingual paramedic guide.

“The rainbow mountains covered with snow for a few days, before we got there. The guide didn’t mention anything when we left early in the morning so we could not see anything.”

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8.Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain all Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 21 reviews · 1 day · from $34

Travel from Cusco to Palccoyo at 4,100 meters, with breakfast, buffet lunch, bilingual guiding, and stops at colonial and Inca bridges. The $34 fare includes transport and meals, but you still pay 15 soles for entry. Expect an early start and a demanding high-altitude walk.

“To be honest we were not really happy with the tour at all! First our pickup was almost 1,5hours late (!) Without any information why, when or if we are going to be picked up at! We were waiting from 4 a.m. until 5:20 a.m. , a Taxi was picking us up, the man driving was completely uninformed ,did not know where he has to drop us off and was constantly on the phone while driving and almost caused accidents!After the pickup, there was not a single sorry for being late! The food at the restaurant was absolutely NOT good twice (breakfast and lunch) this place should be changed! The…”

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9.Palcoyo mountain hiking + stone forests

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 10 reviews · 1 day · from $53

Travel from Cusco to Palcoyo Mountain, hiking at roughly 4,800 to 4,900 meters to see colorful hills and striking stone forests. Your small group includes an English or Spanish guide, breakfast, lunch, transport, and walking sticks, though the long van ride and thin air require preparation.

“Wir sollten um circa 4:00 Uhr morgens aus dem Hotel abgeholt werden. Um 23:00 Uhr der gleichen Nacht schrieb man uns per WhatsApp, dass die Tour nicht stattfinden wird. Der angebliche Grund waren Straßensperrungen. Allerdings wusste sonst keine andere Agentur davon, auch nicht unser Hotel. Zum Glück konnte dieses uns spontan mitten in der Nacht in eine Alternative Tour zu den Regenbogenbergen hinzubuchen, so dass wir dieses Highlight noch miterleben konnten.”

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10.Palccoyo Mountain Tour full day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 12h 30m · from $33Best value

Leave Cusco around 4:00 a.m. for Palccoyo at 4,900 meters. This full-day trip includes breakfast, lunch, bilingual guiding, llamas, colorful peaks, colonial and Inca bridges, and the Stone Forest. Guides such as Wally have been praised for patient support, but pickup coordination can vary.

“as atrações, os guias, as refeições. A distância entre as poltronas individuais poderiam ser maiores”

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11.Colorful mountain tour Palcoyo | Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 5 reviews · from $54

Travel from Cusco to Palcoyo’s three striped mountains at 4,900 meters. After breakfast, hike for about two hours with a guide, rest stops, walking sticks, and time at the stone forest. Lunch and transport are included. Bring 5 USD for entry and prepare for an early start.

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12.Full day Palcoyo Mountain of colors

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 5 reviews · 1 day · from $50

Leave Cusco around 4 a.m. for Palcoyo at 4,100 meters. This full-day trip includes breakfast, lunch, a bilingual guide, an Inca bridge photo stop, a 50-minute walk, and the stone forest. Guide Jimmy has been praised for his humor and attention, though transport standards need checking.

“Pick up en retard - le guide parle peu anglais mais est très attentif et accorde du temps au groupe avec humour et en accord avec la communauté”

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13.Palcoyo – Rainbow Mountain Hidden Sister

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 5 reviews · from $59

You’ll leave Cusco before sunrise for Palcoyo at 4,200 meters, with breakfast, lunch, an English or Spanish-speaking guide, and transport included. A gentle 30-minute uphill walk leads to colorful mountains, the Stone Forest, camelids, and views of Ausangate. Expect a quiet alternative to Vinicunca.

“El paisaje es impresionante, el camino tranquilo, una experiencia lejos de las multitudes. Todo lo descrito se cumplió a cabalidad.”

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14.Palcoyo Mountain Day Trip with Breakfast and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3 reviews · 12 hours · from $50

Travel from Cusco to Palcoyo Mountain in a small group of up to 12, with an English or Spanish-speaking guide, Andean walking sticks, breakfast, and lunch. You will hike for about 40 minutes through Palcoyo Valley, then explore the unusual Stone Forest before returning to Cusco around 4:30 PM.

“The mountains are amazing! The views were better than I expected.”

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