Humantay Lake Guide: Altitude, Hike, Fee and Best Time

About 4,200 m up and 3 hours from Cusco, with a 1 to 1.5 hour climb from Soraypampa. Fee, best months, packing and Humantay vs Rainbow Mountain.

Humantay Lake sits at about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) under the glaciers of Nevado Humantay, roughly 120 km northwest of Cusco by road. A day trip means about three hours each way in a van to the trailhead at Soraypampa (3,900 m), then a steep walk of one to one and a half hours up to the water. The best months are May to November, when the days are dry and sunny, and the local entrance fee is collected by the district of Mollepata. This guide covers the altitude, the hike itself, when to go, what to pack and how Humantay compares with Rainbow Mountain.

Humantay Lake on a clear day in May. The color comes from glacial meltwater and the light on it. Photo: Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0

The short version

• Altitude: about 4,200 m (13,780 ft) at the lake, according to Peru's official tourism inventory and INAIGEM, the national glacier research institute. The trailhead at Soraypampa is at 3,900 m.
• Distance from Cusco: 97 km to the town of Mollepata (about 2 hours), then 25 km more to Soraypampa (about 1 hour 10 minutes).
• The hike: 1 to 1.5 hours up from Soraypampa, steep in the last section.
• Opening hours: 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all year.
• Entrance fee: charged by the district municipality of Mollepata. The inventory record lists S/10 for foreign visitors and S/5 for Peruvians.
• Best time: May to November. December to April brings rain and cloud.
• Difficulty: short but hard, because of the altitude. Spend at least two nights in Cusco first.

Where Humantay Lake is and why it looks like that

Humantay is a glacial lake in the Vilcabamba range, in the district of Mollepata, province of Anta. It sits at the foot of Nevado Humantay, and across the valley stands Salkantay, which climbs to 6,271 m. The name, according to the regional tourism office's inventory, means "head of the gods" in Quechua.

The inventory gives the lake's size as about 618 m long and 164 m wide. INAIGEM measured its depth at around 20 m and its volume at roughly 500,000 cubic meters. It is a small pocket of meltwater, and from the rim you take it in with one look: turquoise at the edges, darker in the middle, with the ice wall rising straight behind it.

You will see piles of stacked stones along the shore. These are apachetas, offerings to the Pachamama, and the inventory notes that the lake is still a place of ritual for Andean healers as well as visitors. Leave them as they are.

A note on altitude figures. Some official promotion pages list the lake at 5,473 m. The regional inventory and INAIGEM both put the water at about 4,200 m, which matches a trailhead at 3,900 m and a one-hour climb. We use 4,200 m.

How to get to Humantay from Cusco

The road leaves Cusco through the province of Anta to the town of Mollepata. From there it climbs into the Salkantay valley to Soraypampa, where the vans park and the trail begins.

Distances and times come from the official tourism inventory and from PromPerú, which estimates 3.5 hours by road from Cusco to Soraypampa. In practice that means leaving Cusco before dawn. Our Humantay Lake day tour picks you up at 4:00 a.m., serves breakfast at Soraypampa and has you back in Cusco in the evening.

Soraypampa has more than a car park. The inventory lists campsites and domes, restaurants, small shops, toilets and horse rental. Mollepata has the ticket office, a health post and a police station.

The first part of the trail leaves Soraypampa across open grassland, with the glaciers ahead the whole way. Horses for hire wait near the start. Photo: Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0

The hike: what to expect step by step

The walk starts gently. For the first stretch you cross the flat ground of Soraypampa on a wide path, with the snow ridge of Humantay filling the view ahead. Then the path turns uphill and the switchbacks begin. This is where the altitude makes itself felt: short steps, heavy breathing, frequent stops. The last section climbs a steep moraine slope, and the lake stays hidden until the very top. You reach the rim and it is suddenly there below you.

How long it takes depends almost entirely on how well you have acclimatized. The official inventory gives about an hour from Soraypampa, PromPerú gives an hour and a half. Fit hikers who have had a few days in Cusco land at the low end; first-day arrivals from sea level struggle.

Horses. You can hire one at Soraypampa for the way up, paid on the spot. It is a good option if you have mobility problems, but you still need warm clothes for the ride.

At the lake. Take your time at the rim before you start down; the descent on loose ground is where tired legs slip. The temperature can change fast when a cloud covers the sun: PromPerú gives a range from 1°C to 20°C.

Avalanche risk. In July 2026, after a video of an avalanche falling into the lake spread on social media, INAIGEM asked the local authorities to carry out a formal risk assessment. The institute said the lake has no early warning system and that the visitors who stand along its edges are exposed. Follow your guide's directions on where to stand, and do not go down to the waterline under the ice face.

Difficulty and altitude: who can do it

Humantay is a short hike, but at 4,200 m it is not an easy one. The climb from Soraypampa is around 300 m, all of it above 3,900 m.

The rules that matter:

1. Acclimatize first. Give yourself at least two nights in Cusco before the hike, or do the Sacred Valley first, which is lower. Our guide on Cusco altitude and acclimatization explains the timing and the warning signs.
2. Walk slowly from the start. The people who suffer most are the ones who rush the first flat stretch.
3. Turn back if symptoms get worse. A pounding headache, nausea or confusion are reasons to go down, not to push.
4. Talk to your doctor if you have heart or lung conditions.

The CDC warns that high-altitude destinations in Peru, such as Machu Picchu, carry a real risk of altitude sickness, and Humantay is far higher. It is also worth checking that your travel insurance covers hikes at this height; our guide to Peru entry requirements for US citizens covers insurance and health basics.

Best time to visit Humantay Lake

The regional inventory describes two seasons: from May to November it is cold, with strong sun during the day; from December to April it is milder but with rain. That is the same split that governs the rest of the Cusco highlands.

The color of the water depends on the light. The inventory explains it by the clarity of the water, green microalgae and the reflection of the sky, so a sunny day makes all the difference. For a month-by-month picture of the whole region, see our best time to visit Machu Picchu guide.

Crowds. The inventory recorded 102,475 foreign and 40,560 Peruvian visitors in 2022, and INAIGEM mentions days of up to about 1,500 visitors. Expect company at the rim.

Entrance fee

Humantay is managed by the district municipality of Mollepata, under a tourism-use regulation approved by municipal ordinance in 2021. The fee is collected at the ticket office on the way in. Peru's official tourism inventory lists S/10 for foreign visitors and S/5 for Peruvians, with local residents free, but the record dates from 2022. Carry small bills in soles and check the amount on the day.

On an organized tour, ask whether the fee is included. On ours, the guide tells you before you leave Cusco.

What to bring

You go from a cold dawn to strong high-altitude sun within a few hours.

• Layers: a thermal base, a fleece and a windproof jacket. A rain shell from December to April.
• Warm hat and gloves for the early start and the time at the lake.
• Sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen and a cap. PromPerú lists sunglasses first among the essentials.
• Water: at least two liters.
• Snacks: light food for the top.
• Trekking poles, especially for the descent on loose ground.
• Cash in soles for the entrance, toilets and a horse if you want one.
• Your passport or a copy. Migraciones advises tourists to carry ID for document checks.

Our Peru packing list has the full gear list for the highlands.

Vinicunca, the Rainbow Mountain. A full kilometer higher than Humantay, with a very different kind of view. Photo: Steve FUNG, CC BY-SA 4.0

Humantay Lake vs Rainbow Mountain

These are the two classic day hikes from Cusco, and they feel completely different.

Choose Humantay if you want water, ice and a shorter climb, or if you are already planning the Salkantay trek, because the lake sits right on that route. Choose Rainbow Mountain if colors and a high summit matter more and you are well acclimatized: at 5,200 m it is a full kilometer higher. Andina, quoting the Geological Society of Peru, explains that the stripes come from layers of marine, lake and river sediment, oxidized and exposed over time.

If you have the days, do both, Humantay first because it is lower. Our complete guide to Rainbow Mountain, Palcoyo and Pallay Punchu compares the three colored mountains.

Humantay and the Salkantay trek

Soraypampa lies on the Salkantay route to Machu Picchu. Andina describes the classic sequence: trekkers rest at the camp under the stars and walk up to the lake the next morning. In August 2025 the regional government created a management committee for the whole Humantay, Salkantay and Machu Picchu route, with the municipalities, the Ministry of Culture and SERNANP, the protected areas service. If you are deciding between hikes, read our comparison of Salkantay and the Inca Trail.

Frequently asked questions

How high is Humantay Lake? About 4,200 m (13,780 ft), according to Peru's official tourism inventory and INAIGEM. The trailhead at Soraypampa is at 3,900 m.

How long is the hike to Humantay Lake? Between 1 and 1.5 hours up from Soraypampa, depending on acclimatization. On a day tour you leave Cusco around 4:00 a.m. and return in the evening.

How far is Humantay Lake from Cusco? About 122 km by road: 97 km to Mollepata and 25 km more to Soraypampa. Count on three hours or a little more each way.

Is Humantay Lake hard? The trail is short but steep and entirely above 3,900 m. With two or three days of acclimatization in Cusco, most healthy adults manage it.

How much is the entrance fee to Humantay Lake? Peru's official tourism inventory lists S/10 for foreign visitors, collected by the district of Mollepata. Confirm the amount on the day.

Can I swim in Humantay Lake? Do not. The water is glacial meltwater, and in 2026 INAIGEM warned that ice and rock fall into the lake pose a hazard to people at its edges.

Humantay or Rainbow Mountain: which is better? Humantay is lower and shorter, with a lake and glaciers. Rainbow Mountain reaches 5,200 m and is about colored slopes. If you are short on acclimatization, choose Humantay.

Hike Humantay with us

At Viajes Cusco Perú, the Cusco tour operator behind this blog, we run Humantay all year. The Humantay Lake full-day tour, from US$137 per person, includes hotel pickup, transport, a guide, breakfast and lunch. If you want it inside a complete trip, the Machu Picchu and Humantay Lake tour in 6 days, from US$1,028, builds in the acclimatization day before the hike. For the colors instead, there is the Rainbow Mountain tour and the shorter hike at Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain. Longer legs can do the Salkantay trek in 5 days, which spends its first night at Soraypampa. See all our day trips from Cusco and, for the days in between, the best things to do in Cusco.

Altitudes, distances, hours and fees checked on October 15, 2026, against the MINCETUR tourism inventory record for Laguna de Humantay, PromPerú's Peru.travel page, and reports by Andina, Peru's state news agency, on INAIGEM's 2026 survey and the 2025 destination committee. Fees are set by the district of Mollepata and can change, so confirm the amount on the day.