Rainbow Mountain (also known as Vinicunca Mountain) in Peru, has exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. After a bunch of research, we stumbled across the Alternative Rainbow Mountain hike up Palccoyo Mountain. In our 14 days in Peru, this hike was my favourite. (Huayna Picchu is tied for first for my other favourite hike in Peru).
Here are reasons why to hike Palccoyo Mountain (the Alternative Rainbow Mountain)!
Palccoyo Mountain (The Alternative Rainbow Mountain) is Less Busy Compared to Rainbow Mountain
This is what I enjoyed the most about this hike – no crowds! We went in a private group of five, and WE WERE THE ONLY ONES ON THE MOUNTAIN! It was amazing! Far off in the distance we could see another maybe 5 people, but they were so far away that 95% of the time we didn’t see them.
Compared to Rainbow Mountain, literally hundreds of people do this hike each day. The thought of trying to enjoy the scenery while so many people fight to get that perfect Instagram photo, and also trying to get my OWN photographs with other people around, makes my head hurt.
When we were hiking up Palccoyo Mountain I was blown away by how empty it was.
The Alternative Rainbow Mountain is at a Lower Altitude
- Cusco altitude: 3399m (11,150 ft)
- Machu Picchu: 2430m (7972 ft)
- Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain (the alternative hike): 4900m (16,076 ft)
- Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain (the popular hike): 5200m (17060 ft)
When we arrived in Peru for the first time and hit over 4000m, I felt sick. After adjusting to the altitude in Cusco, I was nervous to hit that high of an altitude again.
Luckily, when we arrived at Palccoyo Mountain we didn’t feel sick (probably because we were acclimatized). We definitely felt out of breath, though! We would walk slightly uphill and be huffing and puffing.
Rainbow Mountain is 5200m high, so I’m sure you’d be huffing and puffing even more.
Suggested Reading: What does Altitude Sickness feel like? And how to prevent it!
The Alternative Rainbow Mountain Hike is Shorter
The hike to Rainbow Mountain is a lot longer than the Alternative Rainbow Mountain hike. Our hike on Palccoyo Mountain was maybe about a kilometre. However, the altitude made us go a LOT slower, so we hiked for about 2 hours. There were only very gradual inclines as well.
Later Wake Up Time
To see any of the Rainbow Mountains, you will need to be picked up in Cusco. The Rainbow Mountain hike has a pick up time at 3am. BUT if you go on the Alternative Rainbow Mountain hike at Palccoyo, your pick up time is at 6:00am! That’s right, you don’t need to be picked up at your hotel at 3:00AM! You can sleep in a bit.
Palccoyo Mountain (the alternative Rainbow Mountain) is just as beautiful and colourful!
Don’t worry that the alternative hike won’t be as beautiful as Rainbow Mountain – Palccoyo Mountain was STUNNING. Even in the parking lot the rocks were rainbow!
Who to Go With?
We went with Andean Soul Adventure, and LOVED our experience with them. We were treated like royalty, they cooked our group of 5 a private meal which was absolutely delicious, and we took our time hiking up the mountain. It was truly incredible, and one of my favourite experiences on our trip to Peru.
Tips for hiking Rainbow Mountain
- Go hiking near the end of your trip. For either hike that you do, make sure it’s on one of the last days of your itinerary! This will give yourself plenty of time to adjust to the altitude.
- Bring coco leaves. I found that they helped a lot. While you’re in Peru, you will see them everywhere to buy.
- Wear layers! At such a high altitude, it can get very cold. I wore leggings, a tank top, a long sleeved shirt, my Alpaca sweater (or a fleece one if you don’t end up buying one), a down jacket, gloves, a scarf and a hat. I was constantly taking off a layer, or putting one back on.
- Wear sunscreen. The sun is a lot stronger at high altitude, and you will burn a lot faster.
Have you hiked up any of the Rainbow Mountains in Peru? Let me know in the comments below!
This is so helpful!! I really appreciate alternative ways to see equally beautiful places. I had a terrible experience in Santorini to watch the sunset, people were literally fighting each other, that made me sad. So ever since I try to find the alternative routes for the similar if not better experience, thank you for this ❤️
I hadn’t even known there was an alternative spot to explore! So helpful! Especially the later wake up time! Ha!
The later wake up time was definitely a huge perk LOL!
I’m not much of a hiker, but I’d love to see Rainbow Mountain. This alternative seems much more do-able, especially for me. Thanks for the great tips!
I’m always on the search for less crowded places and this sounds like the perfect alternative to the rainbow mountain. Thanks for sharing.