The Humantay Lake (Spanish: Laguna Humantay) is a glacial lake located near Cusco in Peru. It’s nestled between mountain peaks at an altitude of 4.200 m above sea level. A tour to the Humantay Lake is a must for travellers who stay in Cusco.

The famous Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu includes a visit to the Humantay Lake. This trek takes 3-5 days so not everyone will have the time or fitness to do that. For those not doing the Salkantay Trek there’s the option to visit the Humantay Lake as a day trip from Cusco.

Tour to the Humantay Lake, Day Trip from Cusco, Peru
How to get to Humantay Lake

Starting from Cusco you can either take a tour to Humantay Lake or you go by yourself, taking a taxi.

Go by yourself

You can hire a taxi in the center of Cusco and with some negotiation you should get a driver for a whole day for around 70€. They bring you there, wait for you and then bring you back to Cusco.

The advantage of going by yourself is that you can make your own schedule and spend as much time at the lake as you want. But it’s also more expensive – depending on how many persons you are.

Go with a tour

There are lots of agencies in the center of Cusco offering a tour to the Humantay Lake. Most of the agencies offer a standardised itinerary.

You can either ask at the front desk of your accommodation if they help you to book it or you go around the town and compare offers.

Price: 20€
Includes: Pick up at the accommodation, transport, bilingual guide, entrance fee, breakfast and lunch

The tour usually starts between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning when the driver comes to pick you up at your hotel. Then you drive for 2-3 hours and stop to have a small breakfast on the way. Once you arrive to the starting point of the trail you meet your guide who will do the trek with you.

After the trek you drive to your lunch spot to have a delicious meal before heading back to Cusco in the afternoon.

Why a tour is the best option

Usually I always prefer exploring places on my own instead of taking a tour. However, in this case a tour has several advantages.

You have the chance to talk to a local Peruvian guide during the hike. It was truly interesting to talk to him and get an insight into his life. He came from a small village in the Peruvian jungle. Drug traffic dominated the community there which is the reason why he wanted to leave. He went to University to learn English and studied to become a tour guide. Photography was his passion, he told me. It took him three years to save up for a camera.

I really enjoyed talking to him and he answered many of my questions about Peru and the life there. In exchange he was curious to learn more about my home country Austria. For me, such intercultural exchanges with people from other countries are one of the most valuable aspects of traveling. It helps to get different perspectives and understand other cultures.

Even though most tours to the Humantay Lake start at around the same time, we had the trail and the lake to ourselves almost all the time. There were no crowds and our guide didn’t stress but gave us the time we needed at the lake and during the hike.

Plus, a price of 20€ is really affordable considering that it includes two meals, transportation and a guide.

Hike to Laguna Humantay

Best time to go

Cusco only has two seasons: Dry season and rainy season.

Dry season is from May to November. You will have the best climate during this time so I recommend doing the tour to the Humantay Lake in dry season.

Rainy season is from December to April. There’s a higher chance of rain and the temperatures are lower during this time. I went to Cusco in December and it rained almost everyday, but always just for a couple of hours.

However, as the Humantay Lake is elevated at a high altitude in a mountainous area it might also be cold and foggy during dry season. There’s no guarantee for good weather.

What to pack

  • Sun protection
  • Hiking boots
  • Layers: It can be quite cold in such high altitudes but you might get hot during the hike. Be prepared for both.
  • Water
  • Snacks

Trek to the Humantay Lake

The trek to the Humantay Lake starts from Soraypampa at 3.900 m above sea level and takes around 1-1,5 hours, depending on your level of fitness.

Due to the high elevation there’s a lower amount of oxygen in the air. Because of this, every movement feels more exhausting to our body. A hike that I would normally easily do without exhaustion is much harder in such high altitudes. The trail is steep and we had to take several small breaks because we were out of breath. Slow but steady we kept going forward.

Humantay Lake Tour

When we finally reached the Humantay Lake after a bit over an hour of trekking we were amazed by the view. The lake shimmers in a pristine blue and is surrounded by greenish mountains.

In the backdrop you can see the waterfall of the glacier that feeds the lake. It was so peaceful there and we were lucky to be almost the only ones at the lake.

Laguna Humantay

Our guide suggested that we could climb further up to see the lake from a different perspective. He didn’t need to say this twice and my friends and I were already climbing the slippery path to get higher up.

Laguna Humantay

Looking at the Humantay Lake from above, the colour looked completely different. Instead of the blue colour we had seen before it looked much more saturated and turquoise from further up.

I loved the tranquility and the peacefulness of this place. There’s something about being outside in nature that calms my mind and makes me feel relaxed. Reaching the peak of a mountain gives me a feeling of achievement and I love looking down, seeing how far I’ve climbed.

On the way back down we could appreciate the view much more because we weren’t focused on our exhaustion anymore. We descended really quickly and headed to our lunch spot before going back to Cusco.

The tour to the Humantay Lake was my absolute favourite day trip from Cusco and it should be on everyone’s list during a stay in Cusco.

Humantay Lake

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