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 up you 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 hike itself starts at Soraypampa (3,800 m / 12,4670 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 / 13,779 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 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.
Please Note: Humantay Lake is included on the Salkantay Trek as part of the larger itinerary.
(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
- Level 1: 2-6 miles, less than 500 feet elevation change on good trails
- Level 2: 3-8 miles, up to 2000 feet of elevation change on good trails
- Level 3: 4-10 miles, up to 3000 feet of elevation change on good to rugged trails
- Level 4: 4-12 miles, up to 4000 feet of elevation change on rugged trails or off trail
- Level 5: 6-16 miles, up to 5,500 feet of elevation change on rugged trails or off trail
SOLITUDE LEVEL 3
- Level 1: around other hikers the entire time
- Level 2: around other hikers most of the time
- Level 3: around other hikers some of the time
- Level 4: see a couple other groups during the hike
- Level 5: most likely to have the trail to ourselves
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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