Lake Humantay Day Hike
Cusco, Peru
5.0 (1 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Breathtaking Alpine Lake
- Stunning Mountain Views
- Towering Glaciated Peaks
- Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks
- Turquoise Colored Water
- Pick Up/Drop Off 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 5:30 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 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 220 PEN (approximately). Let your guide know the morning of your trip if you would like to take a horse. Before reaching the lake, hiking the last 10-minutes is required as horses cannot go past this point.
$185-$585 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 2
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
Hiking Distances:
Up to 6 miles
Backpack Weight:
10-15 pounds
Terrain:
Moderately Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
1300 ft
Heights Exposure:
Light
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 10-15 pound 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 solitude
We 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.
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