Humantay Lake Day Trip Full Day

What you will see on the tour

Location of the Humantay Lagoon

The Humantay turquoise lagoon is located on the slopes of the Humantay snow-capped mountain, northwest of the city of Cusco, in the community of Soraypampa, district of Mollepata, province of Anta, Cusco region, in Peru.

Altitude

• Altitude: 4200 masl (13,780 feet).
• Coordinates: Latitude south: 13°24’41.72″ and Longitude west: 72°37’2.43″.
• Length: 618 meters long and 164 meters wide (approximately).

Climate and Temperature

The climate of Humantay Lagoon is generally temperate during the days of the dry season (April to November); frigid during the night and early morning hours; and rainy and cloudy skies during the rainy season (December to March).

And the temperature in and around Humantay Lagoon normally ranges between 4° C° and 17° C°.

Distance from Cusco to Humantay Lagoon

The distance between the city of Cusco and the Humantay Lagoon is 123 km and is divided as follows:

• Asphalted road between Cusco and Mollepata: 98.5 km
• Motorized trail between Mollepata and Soraypampa: 22 km
• Road between Soraypampa and Humantay Lagoon: 2.5 km

Difficulty of walking to Humantay

• The difficulty and level of exigency of the walk to the Humantay lagoon is: average – moderate.
• The path first climbs a steep slope, then meanders along a rocky slope, and finally descends to a small creek through which the calm and cold waters flow, born only a few meters from the Humantay Lagoon.
• Apart from the stones of the road, the cold and the altitude, the walk is relatively easy, and does not take more than 40 minutes, on average.

Coloration of the Humantay Lake

The turquoise waters of the Humantay Lagoon owe their magical colour to the crystalline waters of the snow melt and to the microalgae of the species Microcystis aeruginosa and Oscillatoria.

However, this impressive coloration is very vulnerable to human action. The unauthorized entry of some travelers into the interior of the lagoon has caused the shores to change from turquoise to grey. For this reason, it is forbidden to enter the lagoon.