Humantay Lake, also known as Laguna Humantay in Spanish, is one of the most beautiful lakes on the planet. Humantay stands for “The Head of the Gods” and is a worship site for the Incan people.
The trailhead is located 3 hours and 30 minutes from Cusco. Hiking to the lake takes approximately 1.5 hours from Soraypampa with a start elevation of 12,700 feet (3870.96), while the the lake is at 13,900 feet (4236.72 meters).
The turquoise lake is fed by the melting snow of Humantay mountain.
How do I get there?
Join a Guided Tour
The night prior to the trek, I took a walk from my hotel towards Plaza de Las Armas and found a small agency on the way.
I stopped by and luckily they had two open spots to join a group headed to Humantay lake in the morning. The cost per person is 90 Soles = $27 USD. Most guided tours pick travelers up between 03:30 am and 5 am.
What’s included in the guided tour?
- Pick up from your hotel in Cusco
- Transportation from Cusco to the Humantay Trailhead
- Experienced bilingual guide (Spanish and English)
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Entrance to the park
- First-aid kit
- Hiking poles (ask your travel agency if they offer them)
With that being said, you can either get to Humantay Lake by either joining a guided tour (recommended) or renting your own Taxi.
Rent a Taxi
You would want to talk to your hotel to arrange a taxi ride for you or head to Plaza de los Armas in downtown Cusco. Your driver would drive you to the trailhead and wait for you till you finish your hike.
A private taxi company told me that they charge $130 USD for 2 people and you get to choose what time you want to leave Cusco. If you leave around 7:00 am you will most likely have the lake to yourself.
The only beef with a Taxi is that you will not be accompanied by a guide, which is important in case you are encountering high altitude issues and need an oxygen tank or some sort of help.
It really is up to you, either way you will have a lot of fun!
Must Pack
- Camelback
- Water (I packed 3 liters of water for this hike)
- Coca leaves to shew on or Coca candies (I will talk in detail about it in an upcoming article)
- Passport
- Sun hat
- Sunscreen
- Rain poncho/ Rain jacket (Regardless of the season)
- Sunglasses
- Snacks
- Cash (In case your entry fee is not covered by your travel agency or if you need to by snacks)
How did we do it?
The travel agency picked us at 04: 30 am in the morning. We hopped in the mini bus with a group of less than 20 people. We started the drive from Cusco, we stopped for breakfast and carried on to the trailhead.
The road was not the best, but way more maintained compared to my terrifying experience going to Rainbow mountain.
How to Plan your next trip to Rainbow Mountain
Once at the trailhead, we started making our way up to the lake. The hike up is steep, so take it one step at a time. If you are joining a guided tour, expect a lot of people on the trail.
The Hike
Ascending
Though tough, the ascent offers a lot of scenic views of the snowy peaks and green lands.
You can also rent a mule from the trail head to make your way up to the lake.
I personally couldn’t picture how in the world a lake will be at the top of our climb up. Once there, I truly couldn’t believe my eyes and the beauty of the glacier feeding the lake. Just unbelievable!!
The lake
I wish I could have the place all to myself. It was very soothing and calming.
Our guide gave us a briefing about this natural gem in both Spanish and English. One thing that caught my attention:
Before the Spanish invaded the Incan empire, the locals worshiped Humantay mountain for it is beauty and majestic presence. In the 16th century When the Spanish brought orthodoxy to the region, they placed a Jesus Christ status at the bottom of the mountain by lake. The Incans thought it was a sign from god and followed the Spanish who tricked them into this belief (Needless to say that the Incans were not at all familiar with horses or armor, let alone a statue of Jesus)
That is that!
We spent some time at the lake getting creative in snapping some photos and learning a bit more about the area.
Descending
The descent was a piece of cake for me to be honest, I even came up with a strategy to run my way down and save time. Not that I encourage you to do so, but I just found joy in doing so!!
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Wildlife on the trail
The trail itself has a lot to offer, we saw a lot of mules that people can rent to get up to the lake, horses, cows, and a lot of wild flowers.
Animals
Flowers
The trail is not 100% clean, there is some plastic trash along the way. I witnessed a very responsible gesture from one of the hikers, she had a plastic bag with her and took the initiative to pick trash on her way down.
I was watching her for few minutes, rushed to her to say thank you and I thought to myself “I wish I had a trash bag to do the same”
While I was not able to contribute, maybe you can next time! By the end of the day, it is our responsibility to keep treasures like this alive for next generations. and this starts with small gestures like that.