The spectacular Humantay Lake is a hike that takes place in the Andes of Cusco – Peru and takes you an entire day to complete, from the moment you leave the city of Cusco until you return to it.

In this post we mention everything you need to know about this wonderful place so that you can enjoy its beautiful landscapes, as well as reach this destination without having to go through hardships along the way.

1. How to get to Humantay Lake?:

To reach this incredible destination, you must first take a flight from Lima to the city of Cusco and acclimatize for at least a couple of days before doing this hike.

The most advisable way to get to Humantay Lake is by booking a tour, since it is quite far away and public transportation only takes you to a small town called Mollepata, which is a one-day walk away. By booking a tour you will save a great deal of time to visit other parts of the beautiful city of Cusco.

2. Altitude and type of clothing to wear:

The altitude of Humantay Lake is 4,200 meters above sea level. It is certainly not as high compared to other destinations in Cusco. When you get out of the car to begin the hike, you will find yourself at 3,800 meters, consequently you will have to ascend an elevation of 400 meters.

The type of clothing you need to reach this beautiful landscape should be light or cool on the legs but a little warm on the upper part of the body, so that you do not become exhausted as you continue ascending.

3. What is the hike like compared to other tourist routes?:

The hike to Humantay Lake has a distance of 8 km round trip, which on average takes you about four and a half hours of hiking round trip.

After getting out of our tourist vehicle, the first section of the trail is a gentle 2 km incline. Along this section, two snow-capped peaks can be seen: Humantay and Salkantay.

Of the entire hike, this is the easiest part, where you will not have difficulty breathing. Likewise, along this section you can rent horses for a cost of 100 soles, only for the uphill section.

Once you have completed this section, the real challenge begins when you turn to the left, where the slope starts and gradually becomes more and more prominent.

Although every step you take leaves you a little short of breath, the truth is that the landscape and the destination are something out of the ordinary that is truly worth it.

Once you reach Humantay Lake, you will find yourself at the foot of the snow-capped mountain that bears the same name, where you will have this entire beautiful landscape to take many photos and, above all, walk around the surroundings. There are different rocks with interesting shapes that will serve as a pedestal so that you can take unique photos.

3.1. Important considerations regarding horses:

Horse rental is solely and exclusively for the uphill section, due to how steep the route is, especially in the second section.

The locals in the area rarely rent these animals for the downhill section, since the route is very steep and an unexpected accident could occur.

In that sense, if you travel with older adults or people who have any knee problems, we do not recommend doing this route, since it does require a certain level of physical condition to complete it satisfactorily.

3.2. Humantay Lake vs. Mountain of 7 Colors:

In terms of elevation, Humantay Lake is located at 4,200 meters above sea level, compared to the Mountain of 7 Colors, which is located at 5,026 meters above sea level.

As for the distance of both routes, it is quite similar, being 8 km round trip at Humantay and 7 km round trip at the Mountain of Colors.

Regarding difficulty, it is complicated to give an answer that fits each person perfectly, since we all have different levels of physical condition.

Humantay Lake is much steeper, but being at a lower elevation compared to the Mountain of 7 Colors makes walking less exhausting for your breathing, although your muscles become more tired.

The Mountain of Seven Colors, on the other hand, is at a much higher elevation, making it harder to breathe, but the route itself is much easier than Humantay Lake; in that sense, muscle fatigue is hardly noticeable when finishing this hike.

4. Altitude sickness in Humantay:

Since this trek is located at an elevation of 3,800 to 4,200 meters, the chances of altitude sickness affecting you are very low compared to other destinations. To this, we must also add that you will not walk a super long distance, but only 8 km.

Likewise, we know that this kind of discomfort can occur on very rare occasions with some tourists, which is why our guides always carry a small oxygen tank throughout the hike.

4.1 Tourists with diabetes or other health conditions:

In our years of experience, we have noticed that some of our travelers are super adventurous and, even if they have some health condition, they are encouraged to do this kind of hike.

In that sense, for tourists with diabetes, we recommend carrying a couple of chocolate bars and candies, as well as a bottle of water. It may sound counterproductive regarding not consuming sugars; however, given the physical effort you will make, it is essential to have these suggestions in mind.

In any case, we are aware that there are different degrees or levels of each illness, so we always recommend visiting a doctor so that you can have the advice of an expert.

5. Cost of entrance tickets to Humantay Lake:

The cost of entrance tickets to Humantay Lake as of 2023 is 20.00 soles per person for all foreign tourists and 10.00 soles for all tourists of Peruvian nationality.

These entrance fees are administered by the District Municipality of Mollepata, and are used for road maintenance and support for agricultural communities in matters of basic sanitation, as well as the construction of irrigation canals.

6. How many people visit Humantay Lake daily?

Humantay Lake receives approximately 800 tourists daily, making it the third most visited place after Machu Picchu in the department of Cusco.

It is worth highlighting that unlike the Mountain of Seven Colors, at Humantay Lake it is possible to find horses for rent for all the people who may request them, with an average of 200, because the local community members are mainly dedicated to the activity of renting horses not only for this route but also for the previously mentioned Salkantay snow-capped mountain route.

7. The weather at Humantay Lake:

In the Peruvian Andes, only 2 types of seasons are experienced, dry and rainy, and Humantay Lake is no exception to the rule.

The dry season runs from May to October, being the best time of the year to visit this majestic place, since the sky is always sunny with few clouds and with a beautiful blue tone.

On the other hand, the rainy season runs from November to April, the rains begin gradually and also stop gradually, with February and March being the months when seeing the Humantay snow-capped mountain in order to have a complete landscape photo takes a little patience, because you have to wait for the sky to clear.

7.1. What is the best season to visit Humantay Lake?

Honestly, everything depends on the person and their perspective; personally, I love the rainy season, since the photos come out with an artistic and unique touch compared to the dry season, when you arrive at the place, take the photo and that’s it.

On the other hand, during the rainy season, Humantay Lake together with the clouds that can be seen create a beautiful contrast with the landscape, making each photo seem as if it had been taken on different days.

If you ask me which month I would choose to have the best chance of taking an ultra spectacular photo, that period would go from the second half of March to the first half of April, when the rainy season is ending and the dry season begins. In that sense, for this particular geographical area, this 30-day period is the best of the entire year.

8. Final conclusions:

Humantay Lake is one of those unique and wonderful destinations that Mother Nature offers, a divine creation that is worth admiring while we have the energy and strength to see it in person.

Wearing the right type of clothing and staying hydrated will undoubtedly make things much easier for you, since this destination will be quite demanding on your body, and you will be rewarded with the majestic landscape that this place offers.

Like other trekking destinations in Cusco that are above 4,000 meters above sea level, I recommend scheduling this itinerary for one of the last days of your stay in Cusco, taking as a basis a period of two days of acclimatization prior to this hike.

Thank you very much for reading this post. If you plan to visit this majestic place, click on the WhatsApp button to your right and get in touch with one of our travel advisors, and we will be happy to help you make this experience possible.