Couple travel in Peru standing in front of rainbow mountain vinicunca

Cusco, Peru

Differences in Vinicunca vs Palccoyo: The Best Rainbow Mountain

Vinicunca vs Palccoyo – which one is best for you? Don’t worry, I’m going to break it down for you! There is so much to see in Peru! Rainbow Mountain was at the very top of our list.

Why we chose to go to Vinicunca

When we started to research about visiting this amazing site we got a bit discouraged. There were so many blogs saying that Vinicunca was really overcrowded (not sure how they knew this because they didn’t go to it). We thought we would see for ourselves! Here is our ultimate guide to Rainbow Mountain Vinicunca.

We were up for the challenge! One of the main differences we saw between Vinicunca vs Palccoyo is that the Palccoyo hike was significantly easier. We read many, many reviews of each hike and ultimately decided that we didn’t want to shy away from the challenge.

Our decision wavered a bit because we typically like to avoid crowds and saw that Palccoyo is the lesser known little sister so there weren’t any group tours heading there. We aren’t big fans of group tours as we like to have the flexibility and go places solo. We ended up using our favorite travel hack to avoid crowds and figured out when the group tours would be leaving and planned to be at Rainbow Mountain at that time. It worked perfectly. We arrived and had the whole Rainbow Mountain to ourselves. It was such an incredible experience!

Not sure what to pack? See my Rainbow Mountain Packing list here!

Differences between Vinicunca vs Palccoyo

Cost

Vinicunca – In 2023, it cost 5 soles per person to get entry through the gate and 25 soles per person for an entry ticket.

Palccoyo – From everything I’ve read it costs $10 soles for an entry fee. I’m not sure if you will have to pay another fee for a ticket.

Both rainbow mountains are so reasonably priced. There are a lot of group tours for each as well if it makes you feel more comfortable to go with others. Keep in mind prices will vary depending on how you work like to visit (private car, public transport, group tours, etc.).

Altitude & Elevation

Both Rainbow Mountains will have you high up in the sky! Vinicunca has a peak altitude of 5200 meters or 17,060 feet. Palccoyo has a peak altitude of 5000 meters or 16404.2 feet. The main difference is the elevation gain.

Palccoyo trek has an elevation gain of about 150m (492.126 feet) so you start at 4,850m (15,912 ft) to a viewpoint at 5,000m (16,404 ft).

Vinicunca trek has an elevation gain about 200m (656.168 feet) so you start at 5,000m (16,400 ft) and the viewpoint is 5,200m (17,060 ft).

Altitude sickness is pesky on either of the hikes. Try to acclimate to the altitude in Cusco before you make this hike. Believe me, we didn’t acclimate very well being from literal sea level living in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Vinicunca hike had us gasping for air. There are several vendors on both mountains that sell coca leafs and coca leaf products (like an inhaler or candies) to help with altitude sickness. But please, take your time and enjoy the views!

Difficulty

The main obstacle with both of these hikes is the elevation and if you are affected by altitude sickness. I was really affected by altitude sickness my only symptom was shortness of breath though thankfully no headaches or dizziness. It was extremely difficult for me to hike Vinicunca. It took us 2 hours to reach the peak viewpoint and 1 hour to descend.

Vinicunca is mostly a slight incline until you get to the end and there are two steep inclines and stairs to conquer before you get to the viewpoint. Even if you pay to take a horse the horses will drop you off before the steep inclines because they will not go past that point. So you will have to hike those steep inclines on your own.

Vinicunca will take you about 3-4 hours round trip depending on your pace.

We have not hiked Palccoyo so I can only relay experiences from other people. But the major consensus is that it is much easier hike. The trek is mostly flat with no steep inclines or hills to conquer. The altitude is still a factor though. I found even when I was walking at a slight incline that I would have to stop and catch my breath every couple of minutes.

Palccoyo will take you about 2 hours round trip depending on your pace.

If you cannot hike a moderately difficult incline and mobility is an issue I think Payccoyo is the way to go as there is no way around the steep inclines at Vinicunca. Keep in mind these are hiking trails so you will have to be in decent physical fitness to trek either of these rainbow mountains.

Views

Let’s talk about the views once you get up to the viewpoints! Both offer gorgeous views! Personally, we wanted to see that picture perfect shot of Vinicunca up close. Boy, it didn’t disappoint! You will be able to see all the colors of Rainbow Mountain on both hikes.

Vinicunca has panoramic views at the viewpoint. It is absolutely incredible once you finally get up there. You can see the massive size of the mountain. You can also see the Red Valley from the viewpoint.

Palccoyo has sweeping views of 3 mountains. If you have a drone this a great place to get some drone shots as the best view is from above.

If you are looking for the best views I would suggest Vinicunca.

Crowds

Avoiding crowds really comes down to how well you plan. We were able to avoid all the crowds and have the entire Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain to ourselves. The general consensus is that there are less people at Palccoyo because it is lesser know than Vinicunca.

If you are really trying to avoid crowds I would suggest to go on your own and not with a group tour. All of the group tours will leave at the same time and everyone will be at the rainbow mountain at the same time. We timed our arrival to the group tours leaving and had a great time being on our own.