Often, the urgency and lack of time with which we travel means we must choose between the attractions we want to visit. This is the case for many passengers, however, we aim to help your decision making with this Humantay Lake vs Rainbow mountain article, since each one demands an entire day.
In this post you’ll find all the information you need to make the best decision and make your visit unforgettable and unmatched.
Start Time and Duration of the Entire Activity:
Visiting either Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lagoon takes an entire day. However, you may want to take into account that the tour duration to Humantay Lagoon is longer than to Rainbow Mountain, approximately one to two hours longer, due to the longer route and slightly more congested traffic along part of the route. As for the start time for group service, both usually begin with pickups between 4-5am, departing around 5am. Of course, you can always hire a private service and depart punctually at the time of your choosing.
Cost
Despite one route being longer than the other, these services usually have the same cost, whether group or private, though this may vary depending on the operator.
For readers of our blog only, we offer a rate of 120 nuevos soles for the group service to either the Humantay Lagoon or Rainbow Mountain route.
As for entrance fees, both Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lagoon have a cost of 20 soles per foreign passenger and 10 soles per domestic passenger.
Food:
Both the Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lagoon routes have excellent restaurants like La Montaña, Retama or Mollechayoq, and Casa Salkantay respectively. Therefore, you just need to ensure your operators use these restaurants which, although a bit more expensive, are well worth it. However, for both destinies the lunch and breakfast is usually included in one of the restaurants in the closest towns from the attractions.
Altitude:
One of the determining factors in visiting Humantay Lagoon or Rainbow Mountain is undoubtedly the altitude. So for either route, we first recommend leaving the activity for the final days. Humantay Lagoon is located at approximately 4,200 meters above sea level and Rainbow Mountain at 5,200 meters. Therefore, that 1,000 meter difference can be a great help for those who may have had bad experiences during their first few days, even just in Cusco.
Facilities
Both routes have access facilities – part of the route in both cases is done on paved roads and the final part on compacted dirt roads.
As for restroom facilities, both routes have them at the start. Rainbow Mountain, however, has facilities along almost the entire route until arriving at the main viewpoint, while Humantay Lagoon only has them at the start, so take precautions.
In case the route becomes too strenuous, both offer horse riding services at similar rates.
Both destinations have medical assistance facilities for emergencies.
Climate and Temperature
Due to the altitude and geographical characteristics, both places have different climates. In the case of Humantay Lagoon, since this route is surrounded by mountains, the climate is more temperate with an average temperature of 14-16°C, although with freezing breezes due to the presence of the Humantay and Salkantay glaciers. The rainy season is present between October and March, so during this period you should take appropriate precautions, as fog or snow are very likely.
On the other hand, due to the altitude Rainbow Mountain is at and its completely open geography, it has freezing winds all the time and an average temperature of 11-12°C despite sunny days. The rainy season is also present from October to March and snow, rain or fog can occur.
Hiking
The hiking distances are similar on both routes. To complete the visits including visitation time in both cases, the distances are similar and take around 2 hours to finish.
Crowds
Both routes have quite a lot of crowds, so after Machu Picchu they are the most crowded attractions in Cusco, with Rainbow Mountain ahead of Humantay Lagoon.
Therefore, according to the analysis, you can now select the route that appeals to you most, although if you have the opportunity to visit both places, your experience will be much more complete.
