Vinicunca or Palccoyo: the famous mountain or the empty one

Colours and view: one mountain or three

Vinicunca is a single slope seen from a ridge: seven stripes from red via ochre to turquoise, set at an angle, so strong in the morning sun that the photos look edited (and many are). You stand before it, not on it; behind you, when it is clear, Ausangate with its glacier. Palccoyo is a landscape: three striped ridges in a wide basin, green pastures with alpacas in between, above them the stone forest of grey spires, on the horizon Ausangate. The stripes are paler – more pink and beige than red and turquoise – but you see them from several sides and walk between them. If you want the one postcard, you need Vinicunca. If you want a morning among coloured mountains, Palccoyo is better.

Trail and altitude: two hours or forty minutes

At Vinicunca the trail begins at 4,600 to 4,800 m and climbs 350 to 450 m on a wide cart track, the last 500 m steep, to the ridge at 5,036. One and a half to two hours up, one down, with horses for those who cannot (80 to 120 soles). At sea level that is a stroll; at 5,000 m it is the limit for many. Palccoyo begins at the car park at 4,800 m and goes 1.5 km almost flat to the viewpoint at 4,900, 40 to 50 minutes with photo stops; Into Peru writes “as many breaks as you need”, Palcoyo Tours takes children from three. The difference in altitude from Vinicunca is only 140 m – the altitude itself is the same, and headaches happen here too. The difference is the effort: if you stand at 4,900 m without a climb, you notice the altitude; if you climb 400 m, you suffer from it. The track to Palccoyo is the worse one: Into Peru warns of an hour of bumps each way, which is why exploor drives a modified vehicle.

The two mountains side by side

Figures from the Viator inclusion lists, as of 25 September 2026; entrances as stated by operators.

The Red Valley, Pallay Punchu and the seven lagoons

The Red Valley is not a third mountain but the valley behind the Vinicunca ridge: an hour's detour, 30 soles separate entrance to the neighbouring community, red slopes to the horizon, almost empty. It is the reason to take TreXperience (fixed, USD 120) or one of the treks – with the USD 25 groups the time is usually missing. Pallay Punchu near Layo, two hours further south by Lake Langui, is the youngest rainbow mountain: a ridge with sharp, jagged stripes seen from the side. On Viator it comes from few operators (Palcoyo Tours private, MC Peru); we do not compare it because the inclusion lists are thin. The seven lagoons of Ausangate near Pacchanta are a day trip of their own (Chullos, Viagens from USD 25): turquoise lakes beneath the glacier, 14 km at 4,500 m, hot springs at the end – more strenuous than Vinicunca, without stripes, without crowds. If you like Ausangate, go there or on the treks that circle the mountain.

Questions about the comparison

Sources and check status