Everything You Need to Know Before Hiking to Humantay Lake in 2026

Humantay Lake is a popular hiking spot in Peru, known for its stunning turquoise-blue water and the Andes Mountains towering behind it. It honestly looks like something out of a postcard! The hike to get there can be a bit tough, especially with the high altitude, so be sure to read this article to know what to expect before you go!

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How to Get There

The best way to visit Humantay Lake is by joining a tour group. Or hiring a private guide if you prefer a more personal experience. What you definitely shouldn’t do is rent a car and attempt to drive there yourself.

Peru’s roads can be challenging to navigate, and the route to Humantay Lake is especially tricky. The final stretch is a narrow, unpaved road with room for only one vehicle in many spots. To make matters worse, the designated parking area is quite small, so many drivers end up parking along the tight roadside. Trust me, you’ll want someone who’s familiar with these roads behind the wheel.

Altitude of Humantay Lake

Before jumping into this trail, I want to stress how important it is to acclimate in Cusco for 2–3 days beforehand. You’ll be starting at over 12,000 feet and hiking even higher—up to around 13,400 feet. Unless you already live at a high elevation, your body will need time to adjust. Without it, this hike will feel much tougher and you could end up dealing with altitude sickness

Humantay Lake: About the Trail

The trail to reach Humantay Lake from the parking area is about 1.8 miles one way—or at least it used to be. In March 2025, a landslide caused by heavy rain washed out part of the road leading to the trailhead. The trail reopened in April, but now you have to walk an extra mile along a narrow path just to reach the original starting point. That brings the total distance to around 6 miles round trip instead of the previous 3.6 miles.

The first mile is relatively flat, but hiking at over 13,000 feet is no joke. Even the easy parts feel tough at that elevation. After about a mile, you’ll reach the old parking area, which still has bathrooms and a small stand selling snacks and water. Be sure to bring Peruvian soles, as it costs 2 soles to use the restroom.

Renting a Horse

From there, it’s another half-mile or so before you reach the spot where you can rent a horse to take you up. It costs 80 soles, and they only accept cash. Be sure you have some on hand just in case you decide to go for it! There’s also another snack stand and bathroom here.

If you’re already feeling winded at this point, I’d highly recommend taking the horse—it only gets steeper from here. We’ve done some challenging hikes before, so we thought we’d be fine, but the elevation made this hike 10x harder. We were taking 5–10 steps at a time and then stopping to catch our breath. Thankfully, we found someone with horses farther up the trail, but by then we were already exhausted.

You only get a limited amount of time at the top, so if you’re unsure about the hike, I recommend renting a horse from the start. That way, you’ll have more time to enjoy the views once you reach the lake

After the second snack area, the trail gets very steep, with about 1.5 miles to go. If you choose to ride a horse, know that it won’t take you all the way to the lake. You’ll still need to hike the final 10 minutes or so on foot. Also, there are no horses available for the way down, so be prepared to hike that steep trail back.

Reaching Humantay Lake

Once you finally reach Humantay Lake and get to take in it’s beauty, the pain of the hike up (hopefully) starts to fade. The water is absolutely beautiful, but for me, it was the Andes towering behind the lake that really stole the show.

At the lake, there’s also a small stand selling water and snacks, in case you didn’t pack enough.

You can hang out on the rocks around the lake to soak in the views, or continue up the trail to the left for a higher perspective. We personally stayed by the shore to admire the view—we were way too out of breath to climb any higher!

What to Expect from a Humantay Lake Tour

Odds are you will be going with a small group and tour guide to Humantay Lake. We booked a tour through GetYourGuide and paid around $30 per person. Below is a few things you can expect on your tour:

• You’ll be picked up between 3:30am – 4:00am, It takes about 3 hours to get to get to the trail head so you will be picked up pretty early.
• The bus will be chilly in the morning so dress accordingly. The nights can dip into the 30s and 40s so be sure to wear a coat and bring your travel blanket if you have one. They don’t use the heat on the bus so it won’t warm up in the van until late in the day.
• After 2 hours, you’ll stop for a buffet breakfast. Pretty much all the tours stop at this same location so you should expect it to be busier. Breakfast was okay but nothing special. They had variety of fruit, bread, eggs, pancakes, juice and coffee. We made a breakfast sandwich by putting the eggs in the bread. I recommending grabbing a pastry the day before and bring a few snacks incase the breakfast isn’t enough. They do have a small gift shop with snacks and such here and a free bathroom.
• The last hour of the trip is down a bumpy dirt road. You probably won’t be able to sleep this last hour because of how bumpy the ride will be.
• Snacks/Water will be more expensive at the trail. I understand why it is, but if you want to avoid paying extra buy water and snacks in town and bring with you. I didn’t want to carry extra weight from the water so I was fine paying a few extra soles at the snack shops
• You’ll stop at the same restaurant on the way back for lunch. I thought lunch was much better than breakfast. They had rice, lentils, pasta, beef stir fry, soup and salad. I felt pretty full after lunch and was happy with the meal.
• You’ll get dropped off by the Plaza de Armas. Most tours won’t take you back to your hotel, but instead will leave you by the square.

Buffet Restaurant

What to Bring

• Cash: Make sure you convert your money to soles ahead of time. You’ll need to bring 25 soles for tour fees, 80 soles in case you want to rent a horse, and some extra coins for the bathroom and in case you need to buy water or snacks.
• Extra Snacks: While breakfast and lunch are included, you should bring extra snacks in case the meals aren’t enough or just to refuel on the trail.
• Water: Water isn’t provided by the tour guides so be sure to bring some to start the day off with. You will have opportunities to buy more at the restaurant and at the trail.
• Jacket: It was a warm day when we went so I didn’t need my jacket on the trail but once we reached the lake it was pretty chilly and I needed to wear it.
• Cocoa Leaves/Candy: To help with the altitude, I recommend bringing some coca leaves or candies. You can find them at snack shops near the hike, but they’re usually cheaper if you pick them up in town beforehand.
• Sunscreen: At this elevation you will get sunburn soo much faster than at sea level. Be sure to pack a high SPF sunscreen and remember to reapply.
• Motion Sickness Pills: If you struggle with car or motion sickness, be sure to pack medication and take it ahead of time. The drive can be really bumpy and windy in some areas.

Best Time to Visit Lake Humantay

The best time to visit Lake Humantay is during Peru’s dry season, which runs from May to September. During these months, you’ll have the clearest skies, most stable weather, and the best chance to see that vibrant turquoise color the lake is famous for.

The rainy season (November to March) can bring cloudy skies, muddy trails, and a higher chance of afternoon storms. While it’s still possible to visit during this time, you’ll want to go early in the morning and pack rain gear just in case.

Humantay Lake Hike: Is it Worth it?

I’m not going to lie, this trail was HARD. It would be tough even at sea level, but at such a high elevation, it completely kicked my butt. That said, the views are absolutely incredible. I’ve never seen anything quite like that mountain—it’s seriously breathtaking.

I definitely still recommend doing it. But if I had to do it again, I’d take the horse from the very beginning when it’s first offered, instead of trying to tough it out and only giving in after hiking half a mile uphill. Learn from my mistake!