Humantay Lake Day Trip From Cusco

Amazing experience! Unbelievably beautiful location and our guide Joel was great answered our every question

The tour is great! Early pickup but worth it to be one of the first at the lake. The hike is hard but just make sure to take lots of breaks and acclimate before going. Our tour guide Cesar was wonderful

We thought this was just okay. If you like tours off the beaten path, less crowded, with a thoughtfully planned day- this is not the tour for you. The trail is so crowded, frustratingly so. People kept taking breaks in the middle of the trail and blocking the path. The buffet was pretty sad- when my group arrived at breakfast, there was probably 6 other groups there (around 100 people total), and lots of the food was gone. The food that was there was not filling and didn’t taste great. Lunch was at least better but still very few options and you had to pay for any drink besides hot tea. The guide and driver were great and the views were beautiful, but it was hard to enjoy while starving and slowing inching along the trail due to the hundreds of other people.

The tour to Humantay Lake was very good. The guide was friendly, attentive, and provided accurate information throughout the entire trip. However, the tour description on TripAdvisor is not completely accurate: oxygen is not provided, and hotel pickup is not included, despite being stated in the listing.

We were blessed to have Yonatan as our guide, he spoke Spanish and English. He was so very accommodating to the whole group. He checked in as we hiked up to make sure everyone was doing good. He don’t rush us and let us take our time to hike up. He took group pictures and sent them to us.

Excellent experience. Johnathan the guide was great! The driver was a bit too fast for comfort. Overall, great experience

Great support and adventurous trip. The weather also did not disappoint. Nice clear skies. The tour guide supported with altitude struggles with a natural Peruvian spice spray to support with breathing!

Everything was perfect!! Amazing experience! Our guide Javier was very funny guy and keen to answer our questions

Humantay Lake was an amazing experience and our guide Cesar was knowledgable and patient with all of the different skill levels in the group. It was a tough hike but horses were offered at the beginning of the hike at an additional cost. Aside from the trip itself, the agency was communicative and gave us all of the necessary information we needed prior to our meet up.

The experience was epic, I thought there was a catch because it’s so cheap, but the service was great and the food was amazing! Javier was our guide and he really looked out for everyone! Highly recommend!

We ended up being part of this particular touring group, after having been 'diverted' from a different company. Didn't know this until they showed up (I guess they all work together to keep the buses full?). The tour was very good. The guide was very capable, and made sure everyone made it to the top at the pace they could handle. Needless to say: this is a gorgeous place. Plenty of people there at peak tourist season, but it was still fantastic.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do Humantay Lake due to landslides in the area when we visited Peru in late March 2025. Viator’s partner for this excursion - Willka Travel - was extremely supportive and communicative through the whole process though! They informed us of the closure a few days before, and offered us Rainbow Mountain (we which had already booked for later) or the Seven Lagoons of Ausangate, which we opted to do. We were picked up at 4:00 AM and given the rundown, then given time to sleep a bit on the drive into the mountains. Raul, our driver, was wonderful, and expertly handled some of the spooky mountain roads in Peru. It was pretty easy to sleep, but if you get motion sickness, some Dramamine can be helpful. Once we got the base camp site, breakfast was provided. It was nice and light for the hike ahead, and they had coffee and tea. Also, local vendors were there selling sweaters and scarfs. It was EXTREMELY cold at points, so as everyone says - wear layers! It’s also a good idea to have some small denominations of cash for the restroom or small items. Our guide, Jenkins, did a great job explaining the trek ahead, and then allowed everyone to move at their own pace, with a rendezvous point at the first lagoon. Jenkins did the tour in both English and Spanish, and was incredibly thoughtful and kind throughout. He was extremely informative and also had some practical insights for managing the trail. We are fairly experienced hikers, but this was TOUGH. The combination of the altitude and incline at the beginning of the trail are brutal, but once you get to the first lagoon, it evens out. The lagoons themselves are beautiful and unique, but more amazing are the views of the glaciers behind. Absolutely stunning stuff, and well worth the difficult hike. It was a challenging but rewarding experience! Definitely recommend it, but come ready for a tough trek!

It was really great! The views are incredible. The path is a little bit difficult to hike but you can get to the top on horseback. Landscape is beautiful. Our guide was Javier Pro and he was really helpful, nice, professional. I had a great time.

Make sure you get a good guide, one who is enthusiastic and passionate, because this one was anything but.

Definitely a breathtaking view of the lake. The hike was worth it! Our tour guide Hilton was nice and checked up on everyone during the hike to make sure we were doing fine with the altitude. Definitely recommend this hike!

Amazing experience! My kids (20 and 17 yo) loved it! They will cherish this experience their whole life

It’s super nice place and views are amazing but you need to get up early and the food for breakfast and lunch is always the same in these stations - but overall it’s positive experience

Good tour - early start in the morning but well worthwhile. Breakfast and lunch options were fine - would recommend.

Everything went as planned. Our driver was excellent. The trip was beautiful. We had plenty of time to take pictures and enjoy.

We had an amazing time! Our guide Gilthon was extremely helpful and took some great photos of us at the lake. It snowed on our hike so it was a little slick, but our guide was very helpful in making sure everyone had help during slick sections of the hike.

Amazing experience. Travel Company does a great job. Humberto(?) was our Guide, and he was AMAZING. Truly special person. Pickup is early. You’ll go to a restaurant on the way for breakfast buffet and lunch after the tour (included in the price). Trip from Cusco is ~2 hours, and another 1+ hour to wind up the mountain to the starting point. That road is very small, bumpy and curvy, so take motion sickness meds if you are at all pre-disposed to it. Hike is strenuous. Roughly 1.5 hours up. You can rent horses (more like burros) for 80 Sol each way. Would recommend for the trip up, if you don’t want (or can’t) make the hike. Down is fine, just slippery on loose rock. Make sure to wear hiking shoes. You are walking on rocks most of the time, and it would be very easy to twist an ankle. Lake itself is extremely beautiful and well worth it. Others on our tour who saw our pics (but didn’t go on the hike) were jealous - and for good reason!

Despite I asked 5 times the day before about pick up time and woke up at 3:50am the day of the tour, texted a few more times, called, waited until 4:50am, the tour operator NEVER RESPONDED and NEVER SHOWED UP. Just terrible. Avoid at all cost.

About Humantay Lake: This is one of the most beautiful hikes around Cusco (we liked it more than Machu Pichhu). The beautiful turquoise glacial lake at the top make the strenuous continuous incline hike totally worth it! About Willka: * Entire tour was smooth. We had some confusion on the dates since we booked two tours with Willka but it was resolved over emails and WhatsApp. Alls well that ends well. * Our guide Ruberto was fantastic. He was supportive, paced himself with the slowest hikers in the group. He was a mountaineer and shared his hiking tips with us throughout the hike. It definitely helped us all completing the strenuous hike within 1h and 15 min to the top. He also gave us enough time at the top to absorb the beautiful views.

Highly recommend booking the small group day trip with Hilton.. we had a great experience and enjoyed our Wilka team. Great stop for food and got to the hike before the big crowds. Worth it!!

Absolutely stunning trek. Early start but well worth it as you beat the crowds. Food was good and our guide Cesar was fantastic!

Absolutely amazing scenes, the guide ghilton was wonderful and very knowledgeable, always offered to take photos and spoke good English.

I was very happy about my rainbow mountain day tour, so I purchased my humantay lake hike from Willka Travel, again. As a return customer, I’m very satisfied with their service. My guide Gilthon is fantastic. I had a wonderful day.

The views of the lake were amazing. The trek was strenuous going up but the views made it amazing. The tour provided walking sticks which helped. Buffet breakfast and lunch was good with vegetarian options. Great tour!

The Humantay trek/tour was great. The breakfast and lunch was a buffet with good variety. The hike was strenuous but the views were beautiful.

The rainbow mountain is wonderful, it worths every difficulty. Alejandro is a great guide and made this experience even better

It was a very nice and fun day! The pick up was easy, the drive very safe and comfortable. The breakfast and lunch were really delicious and had many options to choose. The guide was very kind and had a lot of knowledge about the history. Definitely would recommend!

Amazing trip with Freddy Cruger, one of the best guides we had. Professional, experienced, fun and caring. Also the best spot for breakfast and lunch. Thanks a lot!!!

Being in Peru is a dream that came true. And our guide Javier Pro was a very importante part. His knowledge and commitment were great

My husband and I got picked up at our hotel at 3:45 am. We got picked up by our guide Javier who was punctual and very polite. We drove more or less two hours to our breakfast spot. Breakfast was buffet style, lots of variety and we were the first ones there. Javier provided ample time for my husband and I to eat. We then drove to our destination, Humantay Lake. Once we got there Javier offered us walking sticks for the hike and showed us the bathrooms before we got started. He kept checking up on my husband and I along the hike to make sure we were doing ok and provided breaks if we needed it. Once we reached the top the view was amazing. I am very happy we arrived early because it was only a handful of people there. Javier our tour guide showed us the best picture spots and took lots of pictures of me and my husband. He allowed us ample time to spend at the lake, my husband and I had our snacks. It was so peaceful and tranquil we didn’t want to leave.. lol. After a while Javier gave us a lesson on Humantay Lake and the Inka culture, which was very informative. Once we hiked back we drove to our lunch spot which was also very good. It was buffet style and a vast of variety was available. The restaurant offered drinks for purchase. Complaint: my only complaint during the trip was my driver. It was a small 4 door sedan. He had the music very loud at 3:45 am. On our way back in the afternoon after the hike the driver was speeding. It was very scary because the roads were very narrow with pebbles that could easily slide. One incident he was going around a curve and didn’t see a tractor trailer coming and he had to break very fast. 2nd incident he was coming off the highway in high speed that he got pulled over by police for speeding. That didn’t stop him because once he continue driving he kept speeding. 3rd we were going around another curve and because he was speeding the car started sliding, I was very scared. I could t wait to reach my hotel Overall my tour guide Javier was very polite and knowledgeable about the area. Visiting Humantay Lake was breathtaking

Cesar was a fantastic host! It was an early morning (4am start!) and right from the beginning he answer our questions and provided us with warm blankets for the road trip. Breakfast was light and delicious, exactly what we needed for the hike ahead. The hike was definitely a challenging one but Cesar was encouraging and aloud everyone in our group to work at their own speed. The early start was worth the view. WOW. We were the first group on the mountain which allowed for amazing pictures and moments of reflection. Couldn’t have asked for a better morning.

Today was an amazing experience! The full day was very well planned by Cesar our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and kept the group motivated with the hike. He was also very patient during the hike and offered help when needed. The food was very good also on the tour, great variety and clean washrooms. The bus was comfortable and the bus driver Now was also very good. He got us there safe and sound. we had a great day.

Cesar (tour guide) is incredible. Wealth of knowledge and even made sure that our bus trip back wasn't delayed by local construction. Was considerate and caring of all the tourists under his care. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to make this day trip! Thank you Cesar!

No words to describe the feeling, I had the most incredrible day of my life. Everything was perfect!

Excellent guide and driver. Communication was great. Alejandro was very good and thorough. Made the experience fun. Pick up was on time.

Our experience was great, special thanks for Freddy Krueger, the guide! He encouraged us all the time, suggested the best places for pictures and gifted us with an alternative route to come back. Thank you Fred for being so important on our trip! Guys, I did this trip on my last day in Cusco (6 days after arriving) and I recommend you to do the same. We didn't get the horses and it was enough time to be properly acclimated.

The tour is amazing and Freddy helped to get the most of this experience. He gave us confidence that we could get to the summit and told us the best spots to take pictures. He was amazing.

Our tour guide Fredy was amazing!! Super helpful and knowledgeable! Definitely would recommend 10/10

Highly recommend this tour of Laguna Humantay!! We were one of the first groups at the lake. The tour was very organized and the breakfast/lunch included were delicious. Also our guide Alejandro was awesome!

Just amazing !! It started raining unexpectedly.. however the hike guide was really helpful and he was taking us thru at a slow pace to get acclimated to the altitude. When we were about to reach the summit - it stopped raining and the clouds cleared up to get awesome views of the lake. Guide took time to provide some background and history of the place around the lake area.. helped us to sink in the serene water and landscapes and then head back..:) breakfast and lunch was offered at a really cool and cute spot and food was really good (they had vegetarian options) - totally recommend it !!

Alejandro was our tour guide, 3 of us just arrived the day before the trip so he worried about us and wait for us as we are slowest group. He communicated very clearly both languages. The breakfast and lunch was nice! There is coca tea. 4am departure is very cold and heater in the bus is not enough. You better bring your blanket and leave it in the car as temperature will be hot in the afternoon. It is very very steep. Need physical fitness more than other hike. We enjoyed experience with this tour so much. He gave us tips and deep knowledges about the place. Highly recommended this tour

We had an excellent day with Fredy. Not a single complaint about him…the tour was great from start to finish. He made sure everyone in the group was well looked after and gave the slowest members of the group the best encouragement during the hike! I would recommend Fredy and Willka travel to anybody visiting Peru, we had an incredible day. Thanks Fredy!

Wonderful, "easier" trek with a rewarding view of the ever-changing colors of Lake Humantay. It rained at the beginning and stopped once we got to the top, which made it more magical. Our guide, Cesar, gave a clear and informative talk about the lake, the Incas, and the mountains. He also asked for questions throughout, which I appreciate. He seems deeply connected to Pachamama (giving offerings before chewing the coca lead) and told us about the various ruins that are sometimes overlooked. Also, the entrance ticket to the Lake and whatever you buy on the trail goes straight to the Quechua community there! The food was so good and I never felt rushed like I have on past tours. They had various options for breakfast and lunch. I enjoyed the ambiance and decorations of the restaurant as well. Props to our driver for getting us through the curvy mountains and Cusco traffic! In the end, we survived the trek to Humantay Lake and even received t-shirts to remember it! Great company and great people :)

Thank you to our native Quechuan- speaking tour guide Cesar and 4:am early driver Noei of @willkatravel 🥾🥾🇵🇪. That three hour drive back to Cusco was a gnarly one, but the #vegan food this tour company made sure would be available for lunch (thank you Cesar) made it possible for me to skip dinner and go right to bed to rest these worn-out old legs!! GREAT TOUR, thank you for the t-shirt too!!

Excellent tour, the guide Cesar and driver were both awesome. Highly reccomend to anyone wanting this tour