Guide to Humantay Lake Peru: What Other Blogs Leave out

Humantay Lake, known in Peru as Laguna Humantay, is a stunning high-altitude lake located in the Peruvian Andes. 

The lake is known for its breathtakingly bright turquoise waters, surrounded by snow-capped peaks. 

It’s absolutely worth the trek to Humantay Lake, in the Cusco region of Peru, but the hike isn’t as easy as you might think!

The high altitude at Humantay Lake challenges even avid hikers!

A Complete Guide to Humantay Lake in Peru

Cusco to Humantay Lake Tours: The Best Day Trips

The easiest way to visit Laguna Humantay is to take a day trip tour from Cusco. The drive will take three-to-four hours (each way).

I’ll get into the challenges of driving later, but trust me: it’s easier to have someone else navigate and drive!

These are two excellent, highly-rated tour options from Cusco:

➡️ Click to Book: Private Tour to Humantay

• A guide and driver will pick you up from a hotel in Cusco, for a full-day tour and hike (plus food stops)

➡️ Click to Book: Small Group Tour to Humantay

• A guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco for a trip to Humantay (plus food stops)

You’ll be in plenty of company. The trailhead lot is full of tourist shuttles!

Key Advice: Know Before You Go 

• There’s no swimming at Humantay Lake. As inviting as the beautiful turquoise water may be, it’s off-limits to visitors. Watchful guards will blow whistles and scold you for even getting too close to the water! Even crossing the rope line, like this woman, will end up in a loud rebuke:

Hotels and Glamping Near Humantay Lake

While Humantay Lake is relatively close to Cusco, it’s still in a remote part of Peru.

It’s such a beautiful area, you might consider spending the night. Your options are limited!

Mollepata is the closest town. It has just a handful of small restaurants, along with a few hostels.

Pincopata Ecocamp is a glamping option near Humantay Lake. 

It’s made of a series of domes, a few miles outside the town of Mollepata.

It’s one of the few options serving full meals in the region.

It’ll still take you 45 minutes to an hour to drive the windy dirt road from Pincopata to the trailhead for the Humantay Lake hike.

➡️ Click to Book: Pincopata Ecocamp

The trail itself offers a few more glamping and dome options. Among them:

• Salkantay Sky Domes
• Salkantay Lodge
• Refugio Nacho
• Alpaca Expeditions Glass Cabanas

You can plug dates into this interactive map to check out the availability of rentals during your trip:

Laguna Humantay Lake Location

Laguna Humantay is located in the province of Anta, within the Cusco region of Peru.

It sits in the Vilcabamba mountain range, about 60 miles from Cusco. The drive isn’t lengthy (mile-wise) but it’ll still take between three-and-four hours to get to Humantay, because of the windy, narrow, dirt roads.

You can see on the map how far it is from Lima:

How to Get to Humantay Lake

Humantay Lake is in a remote area, and the final hour of driving will be along a windy, steep single-lane dirt road.

You can take one of the day trip tours above, or hire your own driver from Cusco.

You’ll have to share the narrow road with large sprinter tourist shuttle vans, buses, and horses.

The Cost: Humantay Entry Fee

It will cost each hiker 20 Soles to hike to Laguna Humantay. That’s roughly $5 USD.

You can buy your pass right on-site at the trailhead.

There are other costs involved.

Hiring a driver from Cusco for two days will run between $200 and $300 USD.

You can stay overnight at hostels or lodges in the region, which cost between $30 and $300 per night.

The views are well worth the price of admission!

The first half of the hiking trail to Humantay Lake is flat. The dirt road will take you past a few domes, hostels, and lodges.

You’ll reach a split in the road at a sign for Soraypompa. Don’t follow the larger road. Instead, follow the path to the left (northwest). This sign is the marker:

Again, from there, take a left on the dirt path:

You’ll pass more camping and glamping spots along the trail, before you arrive at the incline. 

At the base of the mountain, you have a chance to use bathrooms and buy snacks and water.

You can actually rent mini cabins here, at the Soraypampa Hostel.

This is where it starts to get tough!

It may not look overly challenging from this photo (looking up from the base of the mountain) but you have a long, slow slog ahead at a very high altitude.

This is from the halfway point, looking down, at what’s usually the busiest time of day (mid-morning). You can see the constant line of tiny people making the trek up:

Once you get to the lake itself, don’t be discouraged if you find a large crowd at “the rock” everyone takes photos on. There will likely be a line of people formed to allow everyone to “have their moment” in the perfect post in the perfect spot.

Hiking just a bit farther up the trail, the crowd will thin quickly. Only a handful of people will bother hiking up the trail, so you’ll find more viewpoints to enjoy for photos or just for the views themselves.

Hike Difficulty

The second mile of the hike is pretty challenging and exhausting! While the incline is a part of it, the challenge mostly comes from the high altitude. 

The Humantay Lake hike is rated as “moderate,” and I suppose that’s relatively true, compared to the multi-day hikes people embark on in Peru. Still, for a day-hike, I’d consider it more challenging.

I hike a few days a week at an elevation of 1,000 feet. The main climb up to Laguna Humantay wiped me out! I had to stop to rest several times. 

The entire hike, from the trailhead to the lake, took almost 90 minutes. At certain points, you’ll start to feel like you’re making very little progress.

The trail itself is very well-marked and easy to follow. It finally curves around a bend (below) to reveal the lake.

Horses at Laguna Humantay

If you want to enjoy the views of the glacier lake, but don’t think you can handle the hike, you can have a horse haul you almost all the way to the top!

Humantay Lake Elevation 

How Much Time to Spend

If you’re on your own, or if you’ve hired your own driver, I’d suggest budgeting five hours for a hike to Humantay Lake.

The hike up took us 90 minutes. But rather than take a few photos and head down, you should spend some time on the trails around the lake itself. Again, hiking beyond the crowd at the water’s edge will bring you to a much quieter place. Very few people make the extra effort, but it really pays off:

We spent a full two hours at the lake, hiking around, and just sitting down to enjoy the views and watch the clouds and fog roll overhead.

There’s also a small snack shack at the lake, selling water and beer. But at 14,000 feet I was light-headed enough without alcohol!

Humantay Lake Weather

The weather at Humantay Lake varies significantly throughout the year due to its high-altitude location in the mountains of Peru.

The climate is generally split into two main seasons: the dry season and the wet season. 

Temperatures at Humantay Lake really don’t vary much at all, month-to-month, but precipitation certainly does!

Here’s a breakdown of the weather at Humantay Lake by seasons and month:

The Wet Season

• January falls within the wet season, and temperatures can range from 12°C (54°F) during the day to as low as 1°C (34°F) at night. Expect frequent rainfall and cloudy days.
• February is still part of the wet season in Peru, with similar temperatures and precipitation as January.

Transition from Wet to Dry

• March usually marks the beginning of the end of the rainy season. It tends to taper off through the month, but showers are possible. Temperatures at Laguna Humantay remain between 13°C (55°F) and 2°C (36°F).
• April marks the transition between the wet and dry seasons. Rainfall decreases significantly around Humantay in April, but temperatures (on average) remain the same.

The Dry Season

• May is the beginning of the dry season, with limited rainfall. Daytime temperatures can reach around 14°C (57°F), while nighttime temperatures still drop to about 1°C (34°F).
• June’s weather is generally dry, with clear skies and only slightly milder temperatures. It’s great hiking weather! Daytime temperatures can average around 15°C (59°F), while nighttime temperatures still drop to near-freezing.
• July is one of the driest months at Humantay Lake. Expect mostly sunny days with temperatures ranging between 15°C (59°F) during the day and 1°C (34°F) at night.
• August continues the dry weather pattern, with temperatures remaining similar to those in July.
• September still experiences dry weather, with similar temperatures. Toward the end of the month, there might be a slight increase in rainfall.

Transition from Dry to Wet

• October marks the transition into the wet season, but you can still expect plenty of sunny days. Temperatures remain constant.

The Wet Season

• November falls within the wet season at Humantay Lake, with increased rainfall. Temperatures don’t drop much. Expect daytime highs to be around 13°C (55°F), while nighttime temperatures can drop to 2°C (36°F).
• December is part of the wet season, with frequent rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures.

The weather at Humantay Lake is likely to be different from the conditions in Cusco, so prepare for cold temperatures and rainfall any time of year. Peru’s mountain climate can be unpredictable!

What to Pack & Wear on Your Hike

You’re likely to be both freezing and sweating at different points during your hike to Humantay Lake.

It’s important to dress in layers, which you can peel off as you hit the incline.

Just to be on the safe side, you should bring these extra items:

• Gloves
• Hat
• Hiking poles (I wish I brought them for the hike *down* especially)
• Water
• Snacks
• SPF (you’ll burn quickly in the sun)

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Humantay Lake depends on your personal tolerance for the weather and crowds.

The trail and shoreline are most crowded during the summer months, from July through August. You’re most likely to get dry weather and blue skies at Humantay in the summer.

While the weather in the Peruvian mountains is unpredictable, generally April, May, September, and October are the best times to hike to Humantay Lake. Those months see more dry days than rainy days, and you’ll avoid the larger crowds that visit in July and August.

As for the best time of day to visit Humantay Lake, most tours from Cusco will arrive around 8:30am – 9:30am, so the trail and lake will be most crowded in the late morning hours. If you have flexibility with your schedule, an afternoon visit would be less-crowded.

Humantay Lake to Machu Picchu

“As the crow flies,” Machu Picchu is relatively close to Humantay Lake. But there’s no road that easily connects the two sites.

After a day at Humantay Lake, consider heading to Ollantaytambo (a two-plus-hour drive). You can catch one of the trains from Ollantaytambo’s station to Machu Picchu Pueblo, or Aguas Calientes (the base for Machu Picchu).

Humantay Lake is often included as a side excursion or additional stop for hikers on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. It’s an alternative to the Inca Trail. 

FAQs About Humantay Lake Peru

Let’s tackle a few frequently-asked-questions about the Humantay Lake hike.

Many of these have already been answered above.

Why is the Lake so blue?

The vivid blue-green water in Humantay Lake is the result of glacial runoff from the Andean Mountains, which carries fine rock flour. 

Where is Humantay Lake in Peru?

Humantay Lake is situated in the province of Anta, in the Cusco region of Peru. The closest small town is Mollepata.

How far is the hike to the Lake?

From the trailhead, it’s about a 4-mile roundtrip hike to Humantay Lake. The distance is extended if you choose (as I’d recommend) to hike the trails around the lake itself once you get there.

Can you swim in Humantay Lake?

Swimming at Laguna Humantay is off-limits. If a polar plunge is tempting, be prepared for a scolding from the security guards posted at the spot where the main trail reaches the lake’s shoreline.

Can you go without a guide?

You can certainly visit Humantay Lake on your own, but as discussed above, be prepared for an adventure. You’ll have to navigate (without great cell service) the single-lane dirt roads through rural Peru to get there. 

Where does the Humantay Lake Hike start?

Here are the GPS coordinates of the Humantay Lake trailhead parking lot: 13°24’01.3″S 72°34’20.4″W

The GPS coordinates for Humantay Lake parking are:

13°24’01.3″S 72°34’20.4″W

The lot will be filled mostly with white tour shuttle buses from Cusco.

Is Humantay Lake on the Inca Trail?

No, Humantay Lake is a side excursion for hikers on an alternative hike to the Inca Trail, called the Salkantay Trek.

Can you fly a drone at Laguna Humantay?

No, drones are prohibited. If you’d like, you can apply for a special permit from the tourism office in Mollepata. 

Requests can be sent to: munimollepataoficial@gmail.com.

Is Humantay Lake harder than Rainbow Mountain?

The two hikes are actually very similar!

Both are at high altitudes, so both will be a challenge.  

How do you pronounce Humantay?

It’s: “oo-man-TAI”

Wrap: Is the Hike to Humantay Lake Worth It?

If you find yourself wondering if the hike is worth it, as you huff and puff through the thin, high-altitude air, you’ll get your answer as soon as you arrive at Humantay Lake.

The pristine beauty of the lake, set against the backdrop of the Andean peaks, creates a truly awe-inspiring and unforgettable sight!

It’s even better if you continue along the trail after arriving at the lake. You’ll escape the crowds, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

You’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment upon reaching the lake. Coupled with the stunning views, you’ll find a hike to Humantay is well worth it on a trip to Peru!