Lake
This Lake Humantay 1 Day Hike in Cusco, is perfect activity for all mountain and nature lovers, as well as for those looking for short hikes or interested in one day trek in Peru

Duration
Full Day
Difficulty
Moderate
Group Size
12 Guest
Height
4,200 m
- Mollepata - Soraypampa - Humantay Lake
Hike to the Andean Mountain Gem
The immense mountains of Peru hide countless precious stones in their basins: Blue, turquoise, green, yellow, and red lagoons. Among them, one of the most dazzling jewels that’s located in the Cusco region stands out—Humantay Lake. Its emerald waters and the imposing presence of the whiter-than-white glacier come together in blazing harmony at over 4,200 m / 13,780 ft.
No photograph can do justice to this absolutely stunning natural wonder. So don’t miss the opportunity to visit this gorgeous lake when you come to Cusco. Take a day away from the city and head out with nature to visit Humantay Lake on the ultimate trip with Know Machu Picchu. It’s the perfect respite from busy Cusco and is a must when in the region.
- ITINERARY
- INCLUSIONS
- BEFORE YOU GO
- PRICING
- ENQUIRE NOW
You can join us on this exciting day out any day of the week. It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling with a partner, or as part of a bigger group; we can accommodate you. Don’t miss out on seeing this glorious natural wonder when in Cusco.
Humantay Lake is one of the many hidden gems in Peru’s highland region. It sits in front of the shocking presence of two sacred snowy mountains, the Salkantay and Humantay, the famous Apus or Andean gods. The white backdrop will make you feel like you’re in a fantasy dream.
During the day, you’ll witness incredible scenery as you drive to the hike’s starting point and hike up to the lake. Then, have plenty of time for lunch and take in the most beautiful landscapes imaginable before returning to the city.
Book with us, and we’ll cover every last detail. All you need to do is relax and enjoy yourself. We’ll collect you and drop you off at your accommodation door. What are you waiting for? Join us on this trip to a paradise in the Andes.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Be astounded by the gigantic glaciers, Humantay and Salkantay, that tower over you.
- Stare in awe at the absolute beauty of the turquoise waters of Humantay Lake against the snowy white background.
- Feel the powerful energy of Mother Nature as you immerse yourself in her world.
- Enjoy a tasty and lavish lunch made in the middle of the mountains.
- Spend the perfect day away from the city in the peace and quiet of the Andes.
DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 1: Cusco | Mollepata – Soraypampa – Humantay Lake
Highlight of the day: Without a doubt, reaching the lake and looking at the stunning scenery all around.
Day Out at the Incredibly Beautiful Humantay Lake.
To begin our exciting one-day tour, hike to Humantay Lake from Cusco, we’ll pick you up from your hotel at 4:00 am, very early morning to avoid the crowds at the beautiful Humantay Lake.
Then, we’ll start driving in our private roomy and comfy van for about 2.5 hours by the route Cusco-Mollepata, passing through small towns and communities like Izcuchaca, Limatambo, and make our way towards Mollepata, where we’ll stop for a taste breakfast, stock up the latest provisions, and enjoy the mountains against the early morning light.
After breakfast, we’ll continue our trip for one more hour in our transport; the road we will take is dirt (path) to Soraypampa, which is located in the lush valley of the Apurimac River and at an altitude of 3900 meters above sea level (12,795 ft.), where we will begin our Humantay Lake trek.
- Soraypampa has the extra benefit of being a prime location from which we can appreciate the majestic Salkantay mountain (6270 m / 20,571 ft.), the second highest mountain in Cusco.
Once we reach to the trailhead of Humantay Lake tour; if the sky is clear enough, you’ll begin to feel the powerful presence of the impressive snow-capped Salkantay and Humantay glaciers, as well as impressed by their haunting snowy faces that defy any force or evil.
After listening to brief instructions from your guide and get ourselves ready for the short hike to Humantay Lake! We’ll begin our ascent to the gorgeous Humantay Lake and it will take us about an hour and a half to two. The first 45 minutes are fairly moderate difficulty, but then the trail get steeper during the latter half and as we approach Laguna Humantay.
While we do the walk towards the impressive turquoise Humantay Lake, we will see a panorama of snow-capped mountains, impressive natural landscapes and a great diversity of flora and fauna. After the effort of hiking uphill with adjacent verdant fields and the surrounding snow peaks and magical views
Finally, we’ll arrive at Humantay Lake in Peru (4230m / 13,878 ft), sparkles in the Andes mountain range like an emerald jewel. Here, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy this natural marvel in all its splendour, as well as enjoy the views in quiet contemplation, or capture that perfect Insta photo.
This beautifully still, turquoise-emerald Humantay Lake is truly a stunning lake, hidden among the rocky landscape, that offer tourists an all-encompassing, breathtaking scenery; and this day hike is an easy way to take it in.
On our Humantay lake tour, we also have the opportunity to explore the area a bit more, hiking uphill for about 15 minutes to reach another viewpoint for even more spectacular views of Laguna Humantay, as well as the stunning Apu Humantay mountain (5480m / 17,979 ft). Being so close to the mountains will really shake you, and you’ll likely understand why they’re so sacred in the Andean culture.
After basking in nature’s beauty on this Humantay Lake day trip and some free time, we’ll start our hike back down to Soraypampa, where our day hike began. In Soraypampa or in the town of Mollepata, we’ll enjoy the lunch. After lunch, our private transport will take us back to the city of Cusco, thus ending our hike to the Humantay lagoon for 1 day, at approximately 6:30 in the afternoon with a drop off at your hotel.
At Know Machu Picchu, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may be different for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
WHATS IS INCLUDED?
- Entrance for Humantay Lake.
- High Quality Service & Safety.
- Pre-departure Briefing Phone Call: The evening before the tour, you will receive a phone call via WhatsApp from your guide, who will provide you with important information about your trip. To ensure that you receive all the necessary information, it is essential that you provide us with accurate and complete personal information.
- Experienced Tour Guide: All our guides have professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness and passion, which will make your trip safe and comfortable.
- Trekking Poles.
- Medical Kit or First AID Kit: All Know Machu Picchu guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers’ diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.
- 24/7 Customer Service: We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Know Machu Picchu leading up to your trek.
- Breakfast and Lunch: Our chef prepares the best dishes in the middle of the mountain. Our passengers love our food! We respect all diets (vegetarian, vegan, or special menus are available at no extra cost), so let us know if you have any particular allergies or restrictions on your reservation form and remind your guide during the briefing.
- Transport: All your transportation is included in this package. We will pick you up from your hotel. Once you complete the tour, we will take you back to the door of your hotel.
WHATS IS NOT INCLUDED?
- Dinner,
- Personal Hiking Gear.
- Travel Insurance.
- Tips for our staff: Tipping is usual on any excursion to Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our team, something extra is always welcome.
- Additional costs or delays beyond our control: Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemia, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, act of God, etc.
PACKING LIST
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL.
- Valid Passport.
- Extra Money (recommended soles).
- Personal Medication.
- Water bottel or camelback.
- Sunblock (factor 70 or more).
- Insect repellent.
CLOTHING
- Light footwear or sandals.
- Trekking pants.
- Trekking socks.
- Shorts.
- Long sleeve t-shirts.
- Warm jacket.
- Waterproof jacket.
- Raincoat or rain poncho.
- Sun hat to protect neck and face.
- Neck gaiter or buff.
- Sunglasses with UV protection.
EQUIPMENT
- Medium trekking backpack (15 – 25 liter).
RECOMMENDED
- Camera and charger.
- Power bank.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Know Machu Picchu in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Briefing or Informative Meeting
The evening before your trip, our staff will contact you to provide full instructions on the tour at your Hotel (between 6 to 8 p.m., by phone call and Whatsapp)
Please make sure you are available at that time. If not, please contact us by email or phone to schedule a different time.
Trek Balance Payment (in Cusco)
If you still have a pending balance, you must pay it 2 days before your hike/tour. Otherwise, your trip reservation will not be confirmed.
If possible, it would be greatly appreciated if you could settle the remaining balance for the trek/tour in cash, either in US dollars or the local currency, at our office in Cuscoor your Hotel. You can withdraw funds from various ATMs located along Avenida Sol, offering both US dollars and Peruvian Soles. Alternatively, you have the option to pay using a credit/debit card or WETRAVEL, either online or in person, but please note that a 6% service charge will be applied by our payment gateway (IZIPAY) and WETRAVEL. We regret to inform you that we are unable to accept bank checks or traveler’s checks as forms of payment for the balance.
Can I store my luggage at your office?
Of Course! During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Pick up of guests
Please note:
- All pickups are within Cusco City, but we recommend booking a hotel in the historic center for its convenient location.
- Our guide or staff will confirm the pickup time the day before the tour.
- Due to traffic conditions, the pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes.
- Cusco is an old city and has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs are located on streets without car access or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. For such reasons, we strongly advise you to book accommodation with good access.
Return To Cusco
Returning from Machu Picchu requires quite a bit of logistics, but don’t worry. Everything is included in your tour!
- From Machu Picchu, you’ll board a bus for 25 minutes to the town of Aguas Calientes. The buses are boarded according to arrival.
- In Aguas Calientes, you’ll board a train to Ollantaytambo. Your guide will give you the train tickets with the boarding time. Make sure you’re on the platform 30 minutes early. The train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo takes 1:45 hours.
- Once you arrive at the station, our representative, will be waiting to transfer you to Cusco. The trip from Ollantaytambo to Cusco takes 1:30 hours.
- In Cusco, we’ll drop you off directly at your hotel and, depending on your hotel’s location, as close as possible.
Group Tours
Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.
It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.
Strikes and demonstrations
Strikes and demonstrations are common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.
Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.
Lost objects
Please pay attention to where you leave your belongings and remember to take everything once you leave a place or a transport. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
«Humantay Lake One Day Tour» can leave any day of the week, from January through December.
2024 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 130.00 per person.
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that Wetravel charges a fee of %6, which we ask the client to cover since it’s due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits so that you will pay the remaining in cash (the briefing day in Cusco) without charges.
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in know Machu Picchu. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
«Our Pledge: Your privacy is respected and protected. The Know Machu Picchu Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties».

Customer Support
Feel free to write us about your doubt or questions you have. Do you have any questions?
- +51 950 705034
- info@knowmachupicchu.com

Enjoy the best tours and hiking adventures to Machu Picchu, The Lost City of the Incas…
- Sol Avenue N°610, Office 2, Cusco -Peru
- info@knowmachupicchu.com
- (+51) 950 705034 - 941 701080
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