Humantay Lake from Cusco
Our experience starts in Cusco where we had spotted dozens of agencies offering day-trips to this turquoise water lake surrounded by snowy mountains. The pictures looked great and, for the good ‘mountainous lakes enthusiasts’ that we are, it seemed obvious to try our best making it to this place. So, we consulted various agencies organizing tour to Laguna Humantay but were not this convinced of the tours’ conditions: big groups, early departure, very touristic stops which include their commission. In brief, nothing this unspoiled for such a natural attraction. We were about to book the tour with one of these above-mentioned agencies right when we started our volunteering at Wild Watch Peru tour agencies.
When their main domain of activities is based in the Manu National Park, Wild Watch Peru is currently trying to expand its offers while respecting the following values: giving travelers an authentic experience, providing the traveler with knowledge on local culture and wildlife and aiming at more personal interactions by restricting the groups’ size.
During our volunteering we have had the occasion to hop on tours for the Manu National Park, the Rainbow Mountain is when Luis, the guide and company founder offered us to hit the road for the Laguna Humantay, we instantaneously said YES with big smiles on our faces.
Let’s start the adventure!
It is 6 am and we woke up quite quickly already excited about exploring this asset of Peru that we had several times heard about. We packed some snacks, sunscreen, waterproof jackets and sweaters, wore our hiking shoes, grabbed a good breakfast and got in the car. Our group was made of 8 people: Hebert our guide and his wife, his little 4 years old one, a 13 years old relative of them, two friends and us, a French couple. The road is nice and passes through animated districts of Cusco, colorful villages and stupendous landscapes of snowy mountains, rivers, valleys, and Andean pastures.
The Journey to the Humantay lake
On the way, Hebert who is knowledgeable about wildlife spotted some rare species of birds. The few stops we made were always to discover one animal or to admire the beauty of the surrounding landscapes. After a few hours in the car, we arrived at the charming town of Mollepata which contains a few restaurants, hotels and necessary-provisions for hikers. At the entrance of the city, there is a small wooden kiosk where you can purchase your entrance ticket for the Laguna. Mollepata’s main square displays a nice architecture and a small park.
It is a sort of microcosm of the little-sized Peruvian village where the folk wears traditional clothes. We stopped in Mollepata and had a delightful lunch menu and heading toward the Laguna. We left the macadam road to take a nice rocky trail that goes up the mountain. The road’s conditions are good, and the traffic is relatively low as most. After a 1-hour ride, we reached the parking where the hike for the Laguna starts. All the big tourist buses had already left so we encounter a nice trail only frequented by a few visitors.
We started the hike
The trail begins near the parking area, passing rural accommodations and horse pastures before following a pleasant river for half the hike.
The trek, which is not difficult and caused no altitude-related pain despite being over 4000 meters high, led us to the stunning Laguna after an hour and an ascent of nearly 400 meters. The impressive turquoise water, the glacier in the background, and Mount Humantay’s pastures captivated us, prompting us to extend our hike by 10 minutes to climb a nearby hill for an even more breathtaking view of the lake and its vibrant colors.
We nearly spent an hour staring at the landscape and we felt grateful to the company for allowing us such a unique tour. There were not more than 10 other people in addition to the members of our groups.
After an hour of taking pictures and standing in front of a majestic natural setting, we decided to head back. In less than an hour, we were back to the car and we returned happily and with lots of memories in mind to the city of Cusco.
Recommendations for Humantay Lake.
-A correct waking hour
-Good company and lots of information about the wildlife and the culture
-Restricted groups, better interactions with the guide
-Good transportation (4X4 car will all comfort) and good road conditions
-Few people at the Laguna Humantay as we avoided the crowded hours
-More flexibility while on the tour. Hebert accepted to do stops whenever we wanted to stretch, to take pictures or to grab some snacks
-The friendly atmosphere while on the hike and in the car
-Excellent organization and good food for having and incredible Humantay Lake from Cusco experience.
