Rainbow Mountain vs Humantay Lake: Which Day Hike?

These are the two most popular day hikes from Cusco, and they’re often mentioned in the same breath. They’re quite different days, though: different directions from the city, different altitudes and very different rewards at the top. Here’s how they compare.

Side-by-Side

Rainbow Mountain vs Humantay Lake

Feature	Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)	Humantay Lake
Drive from Cusco	About 3 hours each way, southeast	About 3 hours each way, west
Trailhead	About 4,600 m (15,100 ft)	About 3,850 to 3,900 m (12,600 to 12,800 ft)
Top	Viewpoint at about 5,000 m (16,400 ft)	The lake at about 4,200 m (13,780 ft)
Walking	About 1.5 to 2 hours up, 1 to 1.5 down	About 1.5 hours up, 1 hour down
Difficulty	Challenging: very high	Moderate but steep
The reward	Striped slopes of red, ochre and green	A turquoise lake below a glacier
Fees	Community entrance fee; the Red Valley has its own	Community entrance fee

Altitude and Effort

Humantay Lake is a short, steep climb: most of it is a sustained uphill from the trailhead to the lake, about 300 m (1,000 ft) of elevation in thin air. Walk slowly, stop often, and you’ll get there. It’s about 800 m higher than Cusco, which makes it a useful test of how you handle altitude, and many travelers do it before a trek.

Rainbow Mountain starts higher than Humantay ends. The path is clear and the distance is short, but the whole walk takes place above 4,500 m (14,800 ft), and the last stretch to the viewpoint is steep. Even very fit people move slowly up there. Published heights for the viewpoint vary, from roughly 5,030 to 5,200 m; we use the rounder 5,000 m.

For both, acclimatize first: at least two nights in Cusco or the Sacred Valley before Humantay, two or three before Rainbow Mountain. Put Rainbow Mountain late in your stay, not early. Our guide to Cusco’s altitude explains why. Local families at both trailheads often offer horses for part of the way, which helps, but you still feel the altitude.

Rainbow Mountain’s Two Approaches

There are two main ways to reach the Rainbow Mountain viewpoint, from the Cusipata side and from the Pitumarca side of the mountain. Both involve about three hours of driving from Cusco, the last hour on a winding dirt road, and a walk of an hour and a half to two hours up to the viewpoint at around 5,000 m. The route used on a given day depends on the operator and conditions, and each community along the way collects its own entrance fee.

Should You Ride a Horse?

At both trailheads, local families offer horses for part of the way up, paid in cash. Riding saves a lot of effort at altitude, and there’s no shame in it; many visitors ride up and walk down. A few things to know: the last steep stretch to the Rainbow Mountain viewpoint is usually walked, horses depend on availability on the day, and you should agree the price and the distance before you set off. On Humantay, horses usually take you part of the way up the zigzags, not all the way to the lake.

Scenery and Crowds

Humantay is all about color and scale in a small space: a milky turquoise lake, fed by the glacier of Humantay peak, in a bowl of rock and moraine. The ridge above the lake gives a wider view, and on a clear day you see Salkantay’s snow peak nearby. The lake is considered sacred locally, and swimming isn’t allowed.

Rainbow Mountain is about the stripes: bands of mineral color running across the slopes of Vinicunca, with the glaciers of the Vilcanota range in the distance. The optional Red Valley nearby adds a landscape of deep red hills.

Both are popular. Rainbow Mountain is one of the busiest day trips from Cusco, and the viewpoint can be crowded in the late morning. Humantay is also busy, partly because it’s the first day of many Salkantay treks. Early departures help with both.

Weather and Best Months

The dry months, roughly April to October or November, give the best chance of clear skies at both. Mornings are cold at these altitudes, often below freezing at the Rainbow Mountain trailhead, and afternoons can bring wind and cloud.

In the rainy season, from about December to March, expect cloud, rain and sometimes snow. At Rainbow Mountain, snow can hide the stripes for a day or two; at Humantay, cloud can hide the glacier. The hikes are still possible, but the views are less reliable.

Can You Do Both?

Yes, but not on the same day: they lie in opposite directions from Cusco, each about three hours away. The usual plan is Humantay first, as a gentler high hike, and Rainbow Mountain two or three days later, once you’re better acclimatized. With a rest day or a Sacred Valley day in between, it’s a good way to build up.

7 Lakes of Ausangate: the Quieter Option

If crowds are what put you off, look at the 7 Lakes of Ausangate. The loop starts in the highland village of Pacchanta, at about 4,300 m (14,100 ft), and passes glacial lakes of different colors below the ice of Ausangate, reaching about 4,600 m (15,100 ft). It’s a longer day on foot, five to six hours, often finishing with a soak in the Pacchanta hot springs, and it sees far fewer visitors than Rainbow Mountain.

It’s also a serious day: longer at high altitude than either of the other two, on paths that can be faint, rocky or boggy. It suits hikers who are well acclimatized and happy walking most of the day. Our Ausangate trek guide covers the wider area.

A Typical Day on Each Hike

Both are long days with an early start, and they follow a similar shape:

• Pickup in the dark, usually well before dawn, for a drive of about three hours.
• Breakfast on the way or near the trailhead.
• The hike in the cool morning: about an hour and a half up to Humantay, or up to two hours to the Rainbow Mountain viewpoint.
• Time at the top for photos and rest, then the walk down.
• Lunch on the way back and arrival in Cusco in the afternoon.

On the 7 Lakes loop, the walking part is longer, five to six hours, so the day finishes later.

What to Wear and Carry

• Warm layers: mornings start below freezing at the Rainbow Mountain trailhead and cold at Humantay.
• A windproof, waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves.
• Sturdy shoes with good grip; the paths are steep, and loose or muddy in places.
• Sun protection: high-factor sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat for the strong sun at altitude.
• Water and snacks, plus cash in small bills for community fees, toilets and horses if you want one.

Which One Should You Choose?

• First high hike, or before a trek: Humantay Lake.
• You want the iconic stripes and feel well at altitude: Rainbow Mountain.
• You want solitude and a full day of hiking: the 7 Lakes of Ausangate.
• You’re traveling with children: start with neither; see our family planning guide and consider an easier day first.

Our day tours from Cusco compare all the day trips by effort and altitude.