Machu Picchu & Humantay Lake 6 Days
Six days from Cusco: city tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu with a guide, then Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain on two mountain days. From US$1,028.
From, per personUS$1,028
Humantay Lake
A turquoise glacier lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft) under the Humantay peak, three hours from Cusco by road plus a 90-minute uphill walk from Soraypampa.
13,780 ft4,200 m above sea level
3 packagesinclude this destination
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Humantay Lake (Laguna Humantay) is a glacier-fed lake at about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) below the Humantay peak in the Salkantay range, about 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Cusco by road. It is a day trip: three hours in the van to Soraypampa at 3,900 m (12,795 ft), then 90 minutes to 2 hours of steep walking up to the lake, and the same back. The water is an opaque turquoise from the glacial silt suspended in it, and it is the one photo from Cusco that looks the same in real life as it does online.
Where it sits
Soraypampa is the trailhead, a high meadow at the end of the road from Mollepata, where the vans stop for breakfast. From there the trail climbs about 300 m (980 ft) in roughly 3 km (1.9 mi), on a wide path that steepens on the last third. The lake sits in a bowl under the glacier. On the far side, the Salkantay peak at 6,271 m (20,574 ft) shows when the cloud lifts, which is usually before 11 a.m. Soraypampa is also the first camp of the Salkantay Trek, which visits the lake on its first afternoon.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Altitude of the lake | about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) |
| Trailhead (Soraypampa) | about 3,900 m (12,795 ft) |
| Elevation gain | about 300 m (980 ft) |
| Distance | about 3 km (1.9 mi) each way |
| Walking time | 90 minutes to 2 hours up, 1 hour down |
| Drive from Cusco | about 3 hours each way via Mollepata |
| Day length | about 13 hours, pickup 4:00 to 4:30 a.m. |
| Humantay peak | 5,473 m (17,956 ft), with Salkantay behind it at 6,271 m (20,574 ft) |
The hike in numbers
The table gives the altitude, the gain, the distance and the times. The honest version: the day runs about 13 hours from your Cusco hotel, of which three to four are walking and six are in the van. The walk is short but steep for the altitude, and most people take the last switchbacks in twenty-step bursts. Hire a horse at Soraypampa for the way up if you want one, paid in cash. Breakfast and lunch are in Mollepata, so you walk on breakfast and eat lunch at about 2 p.m.
When to go, and the mistake
May to September is the clear season, with the lake brightest between 9 and 11 a.m. before cloud builds. December to March the trail is muddy and the glacier is often hidden, but the lake keeps its color. In any month, expect frost at the trailhead at 6 a.m. and strong sun by 10 a.m. The mistake is swimming in it. The water is just above freezing and the lake is protected by the community that manages the entrance, which does not allow swimming. The second mistake is doing it on your second day in Cusco. Day three at the earliest, and day four if you also plan Rainbow Mountain.
Packages that include Humantay Lake
The day trek from Cusco at US$137, the 5-day Salkantay Trek that camps at Soraypampa, the 6-day Machu Picchu and Humantay Lake package, and the 9 to 15 day Peru itineraries that put it near the end of the Cusco days are listed below.
Humantay Lake in photos
Photos: Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Nicolas Rénac, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source)
Where it is
Interactive map loads from OpenStreetMap when the page is online.
Packages that include Humantay Lake
Grouped by type of trip. Prices per person in a double room.
Machu Picchu tours
Treks from Cusco
Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
Five days from the Humantay Lake side over the 15,190 ft Salkantay Pass, down through cloud forest and coffee farms to Aguas Calientes and a guided Machu Picchu visit. No trail permit needed.
From, per personUS$707
Day trips from Cusco
Humantay Lake Day Trek from Cusco
A day trek from Cusco to Humantay Lake, 13,780 ft (4,200 m), a turquoise glacier lake under Salkantay. Breakfast and lunch in Mollepata. US$137.
From, per personUS$137
Questions about Humantay Lake
How high is Humantay Lake?
About 4,200 m (13,780 ft), which is 800 m (2,600 ft) above Cusco and higher than any point in the continental United States except a handful of peaks. The trailhead at Soraypampa is at 3,900 m (12,795 ft), so the climb itself is about 300 m (980 ft). The altitude, not the distance, is what makes the last stretch slow.
How long is the Humantay Lake hike?
About 3 km (1.9 mi) each way with 300 m (980 ft) of gain. Going up takes 90 minutes to 2 hours at the pace the altitude allows, and coming down about an hour. With the three-hour drive each way and the meal stops in Mollepata, the day is about 13 hours from your Cusco hotel. Horses are available for the way up.
Can you swim in Humantay Lake?
No. The water is glacial melt a few degrees above freezing, and the community that manages the entrance does not allow swimming or wading, to keep the lake clean. People do sit on the shore, and some walk up to the higher viewpoint on the right side of the bowl for the photograph with both the lake and the glacier.
Humantay Lake or Rainbow Mountain?
Humantay, if you can only do one, because the lake is lower (4,200 m against 5,036 m), the walk is shorter, the color does not depend on the sun and the drive is an hour less. Rainbow Mountain is the bigger name and the harder day. Fit travelers with five days in Cusco do both, with Humantay on day three and Vinicunca on day four or five.
What should I bring?
Layers for 30 F (minus 1 C) at the trailhead and 65 F (18 C) by noon, a rain shell from October to April, sunscreen and sunglasses for the glare off the water, 1.5 liters of water, snacks, and cash for a horse (about S/80 to S/100 one way, as charged at the trailhead) and the bathroom. Trekking poles help on the way down. Passport, since the entrance checks it.