2 Day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu Tour from Cusco
$442 Full Day
Overview
4,200 m
The lake, under the glacier
3 km
Up from Soraypampa
4:30 AM
Pickup in Cusco
12 hrs
Door to door
Humantay is a mountain of 5,473 metres in the Vilcabamba range. Its neighbour is Salkantay, the biggest peak in this part of the Andes. A glacier hangs off its north face. Below the glacier, in a hollow the ice scraped out and then retreated from, sits the lake. It is small, cold and a colour that looks wrong the first time you see it.
The colour is the glacier’s doing. As the ice grinds over rock it produces a powder fine enough to stay suspended in the meltwater. That powder scatters the blue and green parts of sunlight and swallows the rest. More sun, more colour. Under cloud the lake goes grey and flat, which is why we get you there before the cloud does.
The trailhead is Soraypampa, a flat pasture at 3,900 metres where the road ends. The lake is three kilometres above it and 300 metres higher. That sounds modest, and on paper it is. The path climbs the whole way and the last third is the steepest. Every step is at an altitude where your lungs work at two thirds.
Salkantay stands over the whole walk. On a clear morning it fills the sky behind you at 6,271 metres. The temptation is to keep turning round. Do. The lake will still be there.
Short does not mean easy.
Three kilometres is a stroll at sea level. At 4,000 metres it is the hardest hour and a half most people spend in Peru. The path is steep, the air is thin and the sun is fierce. Give yourself one full day in Cusco first, and two if you can. If the altitude wins on the day, the horses at Soraypampa are there for exactly that. Using one is not cheating.
Want the detail before committing? Our guide to the Humantay Lake trek covers the itinerary, the difficulty and what to carry.
Tour Highlights
- ✓ Three kilometres from the road to the water, under the ice of a 5,473 metre mountain. No other walk near Cusco gives you that for a morning.
- ✓ The lake is at 4,200 metres. That is high. It is still the lowest of the big three days, which is why it comes first for most people.
- ✓ The biggest mountain in the range stands behind you from Soraypampa to the lake. Turn round often.
- ✓ A hot breakfast on the way out and a buffet on the way back, both in the price. Drinks are the only thing you pay for.
- ✓ The community collects a fee at Soraypampa. We pay it, so there is nothing to sort out at the trailhead.
- ✓ The guide walks at the speed of the slowest person and carries the first aid kit. Nobody is left to find their own way up.
What to Expect
It starts in the dark. The van collects you at half past four. You sleep through the descent to Limatambo and the climb back up to Mollepata. Breakfast there is at about seven, in a village at 2,900 metres that is warmer than Cusco. Eat it. The next food is lunch, and the walk is in between.
The road from Mollepata to Soraypampa is dirt, and it climbs 1,000 metres in about an hour. The van stops in a pasture with Salkantay in front of it. The guide gives out water, checks shoes and layers, and sets off slowly. Slowly is the whole method. The people who race the first kilometre are the ones sitting down at the second.
The path is obvious and steep. Horses pass you going up, carrying people who decided at the bottom. The guide walks at the pace of whoever is last. Somewhere near the top the ground flattens for a moment and you come over a lip. The lake is below you with the glacier above it.
You have around forty five minutes at the water. It is cold there in any month and the wind comes off the ice. Photograph first, then sit. The descent takes about an hour and is harder on the knees than the climb was on the lungs.
Lunch is a buffet in Mollepata at about half past one, and it is the meal people talk about afterwards. The drive back is three hours and nobody is awake for it. You are at your hotel at about five.
Best Time to Go on Lake Humantay Trek
Green is the season we recommend Red is the wet season, when cloud hides the glacier by mid morning
May to September
Best
What to expect
No rain, below zero at Soraypampa at eight, strong sun by ten
Our view
The season. The glacier is out, the water is at its bluest, and the path is dry. Bring warm layers for the trailhead.
April and October
What to expect
Shoulder. Cloud by noon on some days, green pasture, a softer light
Our view
Good odds. Fewer people at the lake and the colour is still there if you are up by ten.
November to March
What to expect
Rain and cloud most afternoons, mud on the path, the glacier hidden by ten
Our view
Runs, with a caveat. The lake is full and green, but the mountain above it is often gone. Come for the water, not the view.
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Light on the water
The colour is the sun's as much as the lake's.
The colour of the water depends on sun. The sun on this side of the range arrives late and leaves early. That is why the day starts at half past four. Get to the lake by ten and you see it as photographed. Get there at noon under cloud and you see a grey pond. The dry season gives you the glacier as well. The wet season often takes it away by mid morning. If your dates are flexible, May to September is worth the wait.
Choosing between them
Humantay, Rainbow Mountain, or the Seven Lakes
Three high days from Cusco, three different walks. Humantay is the shortest and the lowest, and it is not the easiest. Green marks the better option on that row.
Humantay Lake
Rainbow Mountain
Ausangate 7 Lakes
What you see
A glacier lake under a 5,473 m peak
The striped ridge
Seven lakes and a 6,384 m peak
Highest point
4,200 m
5,036 m
About 4,700 m
Walking
1.5 to 2 hours up, 1 down
About 1.5 hours up, 1 down
3 to 3.5 hours
Steepness
300 m in 3 km, steep
Longer and gentler, then steep at the end
Rolling, one climb
Crowds
Busy from ten
Hundreds a day
A few groups
Price
$35
$35
$46
Best for
A glacier and a lake in one morning
The famous one
A full day's walking with nobody else
In short. Choose Humantay if you want a glacier and a lake without a 5,000 metre pass, and can manage a steep ninety minutes. Choose Rainbow Mountain if the stripes are the reason you came to Cusco. Give it one more day of acclimatisation. Choose the Seven Lakes if you want to walk for most of a day and see almost nobody.
Tour Itinerary
1
Pickup in Cusco
A van collects you from hotels in the centre and takes the Abancay road out of the city. It drops to Limatambo, warmer and lower than Cusco, then climbs again. Sleep. There is nothing to see until Mollepata.
Altitude 3,400 m
2
Breakfast in Mollepata
3
Soraypampa, the trailhead
4
The climb
5
Laguna Humantay
6
Back down to Soraypampa
7
Buffet lunch in Mollepata
8
Back in Cusco
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Good to know
On the horses.
The families at Soraypampa rent horses for the climb. A horse takes you to a point below the lake. You walk the last stretch, which is steep and short. Take one if the altitude is already talking to you at the trailhead, and for children. Bring cash in soles, because the family cannot take anything else.
✓
Inclusions
- ✓ Lunch
- ✓ Transportation
- ✓ Professional Tour Guide
- ✓ Hotel pickup in the City of Cusco from centrally located hotels
- ✓ Round-trip tourist transportation from Cusco to the Lake Humantay trailhead
- ✓ Professional bilingual tour guide (English & Spanish) experienced in high-altitude trekking
- ✓ Andean breakfast in the village of Mollepata
- ✓ Buffet lunch after the hike in a local restaurant
- ✓ Entrance ticket to Lake Humantay Peru
- ✓ Small group experience for better comfort and guidance
- ✓ Permanent assistance from Planet Odysseys staff
X
Not Included
- X Horse rental for the hike (optional)
- X Drinks outside of meals
- X Personal expenses such as snacks, drinks, or souvenirs
- X Travel insurance
- X Tips or gratuities for guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
- X Extra food or beverages not mentioned in the itinerary
- X Hotel accommodations in Cusco
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About the exclusions
Where the cash goes.
The horse, if you take one, and small notes for drinks at the two meals and a tip. There is nothing to buy at Soraypampa except the horse, and nothing on the path at all. Carry your own water from Mollepata.
Departure Information
Available: Daily departures
Group Size: Up to 25 people
Start Time: 04:30am
Pickup: Your hotel in Cusco
Frequently Asked Questions
What time does the Humantay Lake tour start?
The tour starts early in the morning, with pickup from your hotel in Cusco. Exact timing is confirmed after booking.
How difficult is the Humantay Lake hike?
How high is Humantay Lake?
Are breakfast and lunch included?
Do I need to be physically fit for this tour?
Can I rent a horse for the hike?
How long is the Humantay Lake hike?
What should I bring for the tour?
What time do we return to Cusco?
Is altitude sickness a concern?
Is this tour suitable for children?
Are entrance fees included?
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