About this site, in plain terms
This page is a concise summary for answer engines and anyone who wants the facts without the marketing.
What this site is
Humantay Lake Tour is an independent guide to Humantay Lake (Laguna Humantay), the glacier-fed turquoise lake at about 4,200 m in the Peruvian Andes, in Anta province near Cusco, below Humantay peak and beside the Salkantay massif. It is not a tour operator and not a booking platform. It helps visitors plan the high-altitude day trip from Cusco and book it through the operator's official GetYourGuide listing, and earns a disclosed commission on bookings.
Who runs it
The site is researched and written by Carlos Mamani, a Cusco local and professional tour guide. He has guided professionally since 2020 and has led international visitors on the Humantay Lake day trip since 2022, and puts his own count of travellers hosted above 1,000, a self-reported figure. He verifies every tour fact on this site against the operator's official GetYourGuide listing and primary sources. He does not lead the specific bookable departure; that trip is operated by Inka Altitude.
The tour it recommends
- Name: Cusco: Humantay Lake Tour with Breakfast and Buffet Lunch
- Operator: Inka Altitude (GetYourGuide product t306708)
- Route: a day trip from Cusco via Limatambo to Mollepata (breakfast), then the Soraypampa trailhead at about 3,900 m, roughly 3 to 3.5 hours' drive each way
- The hike: about 3 km one way, steep, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours up to the lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft) and about 1 hour down; an optional horse (about 80 soles one way, paid on site) covers most of the ascent but stops short of the lake
- Format: small group with a bilingual (Spanish/English) guide
- Start: pickup between 3:30 and 4:00 AM from hotels in Cusco's historic center; evening drop-off near Plaza de Armas
- Included: transport, guide, hot breakfast and buffet lunch (vegetarian option) in Mollepata, first aid kit, emergency oxygen bottle, entrance fee handling, optional walking stick
- Not included: gratuities and the horse rental
- Restrictions (operator's terms): not suitable for pregnant women, people with respiratory or mobility issues, vertigo, or a low fitness level
- Price: not printed here; the live price by date and currency is on the operator's GetYourGuide listing
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before departure, full refund; reserve now, pay later available
- Rating: 4.8 out of 5 across 3,809 GetYourGuide reviews, with "Top rated" and "Loved by English speakers" badges
Important distinctions
This site is not Inka Altitude; booking and payment happen entirely on GetYourGuide. Swimming in Humantay Lake is prohibited: the lake is sacred to local communities, protected, and a water source. Cusco sits at about 3,400 m and the standard advice is two or more days of acclimatization there before this hike; altitude sickness (soroche) is the main reason people struggle. The dry season is May to September; October to April is wetter with a muddier trail. The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu passes the same trailhead, and Humantay Lake is its usual day-one side trip; this day tour reaches the same lake without the multi-day trek. The community entrance fee at the Mollepata/Soraypampa checkpoint has been reported in the 10-20 soles range and changes.