Palcoyo - Nature Is Painting

Having seen the Instagram-famous and very popular Rainbow Mountain, I decided to opt to see more rainbow mountains, but without the crowds and in a different setting. More specifically, I was about to see three Rainbow Mountains in an area called Palcoyo.

The slightly annoying problem was that to get there requires a 4h one-way trip. So, once again, I was picked up at 4.30am for the drive to get there. Sleeping on the bus mostly, that part of the journey passed by relatively quick and we made the usual stop for breakfast.

Once we arrived, I could immediately tell the difference to the other Rainbow Mountain.
Hardly any people and the setting, i.e. the mountain range, looked spectacular. So we quickly geared up and started our 2-2.5h walk. Walking past a huge herd of llamas and alpacas, the views that unfolded in front of us were incredible. Colourful mountains on the horizon and we could almost immediately spot two of the three rainbow mountains completing the gorgeous landscape.

Our goal was to reach the summit of the stone forest at 4975m above sea level. As always, the first few minutes of the incline was as if someone had closed the air valve to my lungs and I was breathing heavily - but that normalised quickly, luckily.

The stone forest around the top of the summit added to the dreamy scenery and once we reached it, we had a 360 degrees view over the wide and colourful valley including all of the three rainbow mountains. Dare I say that I thought this was more beautiful and definitely more peaceful than the other rainbow mountain. The views from the top were simply incredible, as if stepping into another world - an artist's world who has used a paintbrush to bring more colour into this world.

After lingering a little bit on the top, we started to make our way back, as a wall of rain was brewing in the distance and we did not want to be caught in it. So after around 2h of walking in a painting we started to make the long 4h journey back to Cusco with another pit stop for lunch.

So, is the day trip worth it? l am a bit on the fence, as the colourful scenery is absolutely spectacular and something almost otherworldly and we were there with maybe only one or two other small groups. The big question is an 8h return drive, as the 4h back really was an annoying slog. I was happy that I did it, though, and I think because I had plenty of time in Cusco, it was a good alternative compared to just chilling out. After all, it is like walking in a painting and that alone was worth it!Read more