As part of our 5 day, 4 night Salkantay Trek, the first day included the Humantay Lake Hike. This was a conditioning hike that served several purposes. First, it allowed us to take a few hours to get accustomed to the high elevation. Second, explored a high altitude lake with vibrant blue water. And third, it allowed the cooks and muleteer to get organized without us hanging around. I’ve pulled this out of the main Salkantay Trek post because we saw a number of people there, some of whom were definitely not hiking the Salkantay trail. Upon investigating, there are tours from Cusco to visit this and other high altitude lakes. Consider Humantay Lake in your trip planning.
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Humantay Lake Hike
After the second half of our drive, we stopped at a lush grass-covered valley. Salkantay peak peeks out between two mountains on either side. There are a few buildings and resorts located in this beautiful valley. We begin to head up a road with a very gradual incline and I can already tell that it is going to be a challenging day because we were already breathing hard. At this point we were already at 12,000 ft, which is no joke for us Californians.
We made a left behind a building and headed up a steep grassy slope that looked like someone’s backyard. There were horses grazing on the grass and we stopped every now and then to catch our breath and absorb the idyllic scene around us. Our guide chit chatted on the way up, pleasantly introducing us to different Peruvian concepts without getting into anything too deep. I am sure he was assessing how long the different parts of the trek would take based on how long it took us to reach the lake.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, loved it!
- Length: 2 hours
- Location: Peruvian countryside as you make your way to Machu Picchu
- Restrooms: None.
Highlights:
- Incredible high altitude lake
- Beautiful blue glacial melt with mountain views behind
- Conditioning hike for a longer trek ahead
Humantay Lake
After a steep section, we see a flat ledge above us. When we reach it, we are looking down at a vibrant blue lake filled with glacial melt from the mountain above. The snow covered mountain above feels like it is only a short distance away . When we visited the lake, clouds were passing overhead, making the mountain that much more ominous. An ampitheater of rocks surrounds the lake, but you can make your way down to the shore. If it was a little warmer, it would be tempting to take a dip in the water. Vibrant and beautiful, I am glad we took this conditioning hike to Humantay Lake.
We saw other hikers who made the special trip to see the lake or stayed in one of the hotels in the grassy valley below. After our photos, we make our way back the steep hill. We noticed the horses make a zig zag line down the hill to control speed while descending, so we gave it a try as well. It works!
Pack this for Hiking peru!
Overall Thoughts
The Humantay Lake hike was a lovely addition to our Salkantay trek. If you take the Salkantay Trek to Aguas Caliente, you will encounter a range of climates. The Humantay Lake felt like an entirely different world than most of the Salkantay trek and allowed for our legs to have a warm-up. If you are interested in a multi-day trek but do not have the gear or the desire to carry around your gear, hiking with a tour company is a perfect solution. We hiked with the company called Peru by Locals and you can read about our entire trek here.
Have you visited any high altitude lakes in Peru? If so, let us know in the comments which ones you visited! We are always looking for great new areas to explore.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
