Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountains

The “Rainbow Mountain” of Peru usually refers to Vinicunca, a stunning triangular peak striped with seven different colors produced by a variety of stone and mineral types.  But as the well-known hike is fairly strenuous, ending at 16,700’ elevation, we opted for the more child-friendly Palccoyo.

Our trip began with a 4am wake-up call followed by an hour sitting on the curb outside the apartment with a friendly stray dog, an apologetic phone call from the tour company, and half the day in bed sleeping off the pre-trip Dramamine.  BUT, on the next day we were picked up on schedule and at least some of us got sleep on the 3-hour drive to the trailhead.  Sometimes, you just have to be flexible.

Although the trail was steep, it was short and there were llamas and alpacas to keep us entertained along the way.  The hike ended at just over 16,000’ in a “bosque de piedras” or several large fins of stone projecting from the earth - a perfect place for Neil and Tim to go exploring.  

The vegetation at this altitude is limited to awfully scruffy grass about ¼” high and the occasional white daisy - growing singly and adhered tightly to the ground.   The wind was strong and cold, but the views were amazing.  From this vantage point we could see all 3 rainbow mountains with stunning vistas of Ausangante (one of the highest mountains in Peru) and the surrounding Andes.  All in all, it was a very neat geologic feature and a worthwhile pursuit!