Humantay Lake Or Rainbow Mountain – A Detailed Comparison
We couldn’t decide whether to visit Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain so we did BOTH! Now we can help you decide
When we visited Peru we spent around 2 weeks in Cusco so we had plenty of time to enjoy the incredible beauty that surrounds the city. I knew from doing some research before arriving that I really wanted us to hike to Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain but I struggled to choose between the two.
In the end, we decided to do both and now we have first-hand experience of both hikes to be able to help you choose between them. Of course, if you have the time and the budget then 100% try to do both of them. If you only have time for one of them then this guide will make sure you choose the best hike for you.
You can also get some tips for how to spend your time in Peru with our 3 week Itinerary.
Here are Some Quick Links To Help You Book Your Trip To Cusco;
đ We like to use Busbud to book our buses while travelling
đŠī¸ You can book internal flights from Lima to Cusco with Skyscanner
đ Don’t forget to get travel insurance, especially if doing lots of hiking!
Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain, Which is better?
Before we go any further I need to say that BOTH of these hikes are amazing!
A lot of different factors will affect your experiences like the weather, the time of day that you visit, the guide you have etc etc.
If we were the only people to do the hikes and we were to judge them solely based on the hike itself and the views you see along the way then it would 100% be an even tie.
However, our personal experience meant that our hike to Rainbow Mountain was ever so slightly more enjoyable. This is because we were one of the first tours to arrive that day so we got there before the crowds arrived.
Humantay Lake Overview
Humantay Lake…imagine a stunning turquoise mountain lagoon, surrounded by towering pointed mountains, covered in snow. This is what you will be treated to if you choose to do this hike.
So here are some of the key things to keep in mind about hiking to Humantay Lake.
Humantay Lake hike difficulty
The hike is considered fairly difficult due to the altitude. It is around 5km in total with a steady and quite steep incline all the way up to the lake.
It takes around 4 hours in total to complete the hike, enjoy some time at the lake and get back to the start.
Humantay Lake altitude
The Hike starts at an altitude of 12713 feet (3875m) and the lake sits at 13780 feet (4200m).
Humantay Lake location
Humantay Lake is situated around a 3-hour drive west of Cusco. The closest village is Soray, where the hike begins. You can see the location on Google Maps here.
Is it worth it to go to Humantay Lake?
Absolutely! It is a long day with 6 hours of driving in total but the views once you reach the lake are worth every second of the bumpy road that it took to get there.
â Book Your spot on a day trip to Humantay Lake – See why over 700 people rated this tour 5*
Rainbow Mountain Overview
We have all seen the iconic photos of the colourful rainbow mountain. did you find yourself wondering, can a mountain really look like that? Or is it all photoshopped? I can tell you right now that we didn’t edit our photos, so yes the mountain REALLY DOES look like a rainbow!
But that’s almost not even the best part… the panoramic views from the top are out of this world.
Rainbow Mountain Hike difficulty
We found the Rainbow Mountain hike to be a little more challenging than the Humantay Hike because it is at an even higher altitude.
The hike is 4km each way but it is a flatter hike for the most part. It is just a short section of steps at the end to reach the famous viewpoint, that was a killer!
Rainbow Mountain altitude
The Rainbow Mountain hike will take you up to an almighty altitude of 17060 feet (5200m). This is the reason why so many people (including us) find this to be a challenging hike.
Guides will often carry oxygen tanks just in case but it is vital that you acclimatise in Cusco for a couple of days before attempting this hike!
Rainbow Mountain location
Rainbow Mountain is located also around 3 hour’s drive from Cusco but this time to the East. You can see the location on Google Maps here.
Is it worth going to Rainbow Mountain?
Not only is it pretty epic to get to see the iconic Rainbow Mountain with your own eyes but it is also really cool to be able to say you have been to such a high altitude so for these reasons we say YES, it is worth it!
â Book your spot on the same tour we did to Rainbow Mountain and BEAT THE CROWDS!
Humantay Lake Or Rainbow Mountain, What Do They Have In Common
One of the things that makes it so difficult when deciding whether to visit Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain is that they really do have so much in common. Here are a few of the things you can expect to find on both hikes, both the good and the bad;
- High Altitude Hikes
- Incredible mountain views
- Basic Facilities at the start of the hikes such as toilets and somewhere to buy water
- Well maintained trails
- Potentially large crowds of other people
- There are horses on both hikes that they will try to get you to pay to use instead of walking. Please avoid this as it is always best to avoid using animals in tourism and it is far more rewarding if you do the hike the good old-fashioned way.
Humantay Lake Or Rainbow Mountain, The Main differences
On the other hand, the two hikes also have a lot of differences;
- Humantay Lake is surrounded by peaks, Rainbow Mountain you are on the peak
- Humantay Lake has multiple places to use a toilet or buy drinks along the way, but Rainbow Mountain only has them at the start
- At Rainbow Mountain, you can buy hot drinks at the top
- There are locals with dressed-up Alpacas at the top of Rainbow Mountain for photos. Again as well looked after as they may seem, it is always best to avoid using animals for our entertainment. Besides the photos you can take up there will all be magical regardless.
Which Hike Is Harder, Humantay Lake Or Rainbow Mountain?
The Hike to Rainbow Mountain was harder than the Hike to Humantay Lake because of the altitude. Granted we took it nice and slow but the steps at the end were really tough! Imagine walking up 2 steps and then having to stop and catch your breath.
Yep, that is what it was like for us Europeans who live far closer to sea level.
No matter which one you choose to visit, our packing list for Peru will help you prepare for your trip.
Our Reviews Of Hiking Both Humantay Lake And Rainbow Mountain
Having done both hikes ourselves, here are our reviews of each of them.
Our experience of hiking to Humantay Lake
On the day we hiked to Humantay Lake we had a VERY early start. We were picked up at 4:30 am and found it impossible to sleep on the bus thanks to the windy roads. We stopped after 2 hours to have breakfast in a small village. It was a buffet-style breakfast and very yummy. Plenty of options for me as a vegan too.
We then had around another hour of driving to reach the start of the hike. The views along the drive were also pretty amazing.
Our Guide was brilliant and kept us all motivated on the hike because it wasn’t exactly a stroll in the park.
You start off on flat trails past several places where you can use toilets or buy drinks before heading up up up. It got very steep quickly and did feel a little like it would never end. You can see the whole trail up ahead of you but is the end getting any closer?
Of course, it was! After about 2 hours of hiking, we climbed over the summit we had been aiming for and there it was…Humantay Lake!
We were in awe of the incredible scene before us and also a little in shock at the enormous crowd of people up there too. But don’t let this put you off.
It feels busy because most people get to the lake and just stop. We were told how much time we had up there which was about 45 minutes so it gave us plenty of time to climb up on the surrounding rocks and mini peaks to get better and far less crowded views.
Our experience of hiking to Rainbow Mountain
We hit the jackpot with our hike to Rainbow Mountain because we ended up being one of the first buses to arrive, meaning we had the hike to ourselves.
However, this did come at a price. a 3 am pick-up meant we could arrive first but it is never easy waking up that early. The day had a very similar agenda to Humantay Lake where we drove for about 2 hours before stopping for a buffet breakfast.
We drove one last hour on some hair-raising roads before we reached the start of the hike. We were briefed on the way about altitude sickness and ways to take it if we started to feel bad and off we went.
The hike to Rainbow Mountain was longer and much flatter for the most part, you walk through a valley, surrounded by impressive mountains and there are alpacas along the way too.
It is the last 30 minutes or so of hiking that you have to walk up steps to get to the viewpoints and these were hard. We are moderately fit, we love to hike and we had acclimatised but wow every step was like running a marathon.
But we made it to the top and I was so pleased that the views were just as I had hoped they would be.
In fact, what you don’t often see on the internet are the views in the opposite direction, they are equally as spectacular.
â Book your spot on the same tour we did to Rainbow Mountain and BEAT THE CROWDS!
Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain – Final Thoughts
Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain, which will you choose?
I hope this post helped to give you some more insight into both of the hikes and ultimately help you decide which you like the sound of the most. We were in Cusco in June and the conditions were ideal for these hikes, to see when you should visit check out our guide on the best time to visit Cusco.
I will say that if I had to do just one of them again it would be Rainbow Mountain. It was the more physically challenging hike but I think that also made it more rewarding.
Whichever one you choose I’m sure you will love it and don’t forget to drink lots of water!
