Lake Humantay Day Hike
Cusco, Peru
Trip Highlights
- Breathtaking Alpine Lake
- Stunning Mountain Views
- Towering Glaciated Peaks
- Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks
- Turquoise Colored Water
- Pick Up at Your Hotel
Description
This day tour and hike in Peru is a wonderful way to extend your Peruvian adventure. If you’re staying in Cusco an extra day or two, this trip is well worth the time and effort! Lake Humantay is an alpine lake surrounded by Andes giants like Mount Salkantay and Mount Humantay. These mountains are towering, sheer, icy peaks that provide a breathtaking backdrop to our destination, the turquoise-colored waters of Lake Humantay!
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in Cusco at 6:30 PM the evening before the hike to finalize details and answer any last minute questions you have. Getting an early start the next morning (4:00 AM) we will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. We will stop for a delicious, Peruvian breakfast in Mollepata to ensure we have plenty of energy for today’s hike. After breakfast we’ll drive another 1.5 hours to our trailhead. The (7 km/4.3 mile) hike itself starts at Soraypampa (3,850 m / 12,631 ft) where we ascend into the Andes, surrounded by phenomenal views of towering peaks like Mount Salkantay and Mount Humantay as well as ancient glaciers. Our destination is Lake Humantay (4200 m / 13,789 ft), whose waters are a stunning turquoise color. The towering, glaciated mountains frame the lake for outstanding photographs and an unforgettable rest spot. We’ll enjoy dipping our feet in the icy waters before completing our hike by descending the (350m/1,149ft.) back to the trailhead. This is an absolutely stunning day in the Andes!
On our way back to Cusco we’ll again stop in Mollepata, this time for a wonderful lunch at a hand-picked restaurant. Eventually, we’ll arrive back in Cusco at your hotel, ending our amazing day.
You can also enjoy this tour on horseback for an additional $40.
(Important: We run hikes in almost all weather conditions and very rarely cancel. See our terms and conditions for information on cancellations and refunds.)
$250 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 2
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
This hike is between Level 2 and 3, mainly because the entire hike is above 12,000 feet, and tops out at 13,789 feet, which makes the hiking more difficult.
Hiking Distances:
Up to 6 mi
Backpack Weight:
8-12 lbs
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
1300 ft
Heights Exposure:
Light
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 8-12 lb backpack for 7-8 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on variable, uneven terrain
- Hiking at high elevation of up to 13,789 feet
SOLITUDE LEVEL 3
- 1 least solitude, 5 most solitudeWe rate this Peru day hike a solitude 3. You can expect to have as much as a couple hours of solitude at a time while hiking.
Travel to and from Cusco are the guest’s responsibility. Multiple airlines operate flights into Cusco, and nearly all connect through Lima. You can reach Lima from many U.S. and European international airports. Some of the primary U.S. departure cities include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The duration of nonstop flights to Lima is 5-9 hours. The duration of flights from Lima to Cusco is 80 minutes.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- A professional, knowledgeable, medically trained, friendly wilderness guide.
- A commitment to make the tour as exciting, challenging, informative, and full as you’d like, and as is possible in a day
- Breakfast, lunch and trail snacks
- Roundtrip transportation from Cusco
- Use of a top of the line, technical day pack
- Use of trekking poles
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED (REQUIRED)
- Lightweight hiking shoes or hiking boots
- Waterproof rain jacket or poncho
- Warm wool or fleece top (Spring, Fall, Winter)
- Warm hat and gloves (Spring, Fall, Winter)
- Water bottles or bladder (2 liters total capacity)
- Sunhat
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED (RECOMMENDED)
- A cold or frozen bottle of water or Gatorade (Spring, Summer, Fall)
- Sunglasses
- Knee braces (if needed)
- Sunscreen
- Camera
- Gratuity for your guide and driver
FOOD: WHAT TO EXPECT
Day hike tours include energizing trail snacks and a delicious, Peruvian breakfast and lunch at hand-picked restaurants enroute and on the way back from the trailhead.
Trip Logistics
WHERE DO WE MEET?
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in Cusco at 5:30 PM the evening before the hike to finalize the details and ensure all your questions are answered. Then we will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 4:00 AM the day of the hike.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. We’ve developed comprehensive risk management protocols that our guides adhere to in case of an emergency, and all tours carry an emergency communication device. If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
GUIDES
This trip is led by expert, local Wildland guides. Our approach to international travel is to combine the best of two worlds: the dialed-in details, professionalism and consistency Wildland trips are known for; and the cultural immersion and intimate regional knowledge that only locals can provide. To excel with this approach, we vet and hire the best local guides, welcome them into the Wildland family and train them to meet our standard of excellence with every aspect of a trip. But along with managing logistics and safety, your guides will teach you about the area’s history and culture, and provide a level of familiarity and intimate detail only locals can.
Check out our Meet Our Team page for staff bios.
GROUP SIZE AND AGE RESTRICTIONS
The standard group size on this hiking tour is 12 guests. If you have more questions about group size, please give us a call at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) and we’ll answer all your questions.
Age restrictions are as follows:
- 12 and older to join daily departures (mixed groups)
- 5 and older to join private tours, with final approval on a case by case basis
WEATHER IN PERU
Peru is home to part of the Amazon Rainforest as well as the towering Andes Mountains. Machu Picchu is at an elevation of 7,710 feet (2,350 meters), but most of our treks in the region reach elevations well above 10,000 feet, some reaching nearly 17,000 feet. Because of the significant elevation changes and alpine hiking, the temperatures and weather can also vary widely. At elevations above 10,000 feet you can expect cold temperatures.
The average temperatures and precipitation in the Machu Picchu region are:
| Month | Hi | Low | Precip |
| March | 70° F | 45° F | 11 days |
| April | 72° F | 40° F | 8 days |
| May | 70° F | 36° F | 3 days |
| June | 70° F | 34° F | 2 days |
| July | 70° F | 30° F | 2 days |
| August | 70° F | 34° F | 2 days |
| September | 72° F | 40° F | 7 days |
| October | 72° F | 43° F | 8 days |
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