Humantay Lagoon Cusco: Turquoise Lake Trek & Breakfast

Why the turquoise lake at 4,200 meters keeps pulling people back to Cusco

You start before dawn from your Cusco hotel, drive to Mollepata for breakfast, trek 1 hour 40 minutes to Humantay Lagoon at 4,200 meters, spend 30 minutes at the turquoise lake, descend for lunch, and return to Cusco by evening. The tour includes all transport, meals, trekking gear, oxygen support, and an official guide, so the only thing you arrange is showing up ready to walk.

Step-by-step itinerary

Humantay Lagoon full day tour

• Pickup from Cusco hotel at 4:00 am
• Travel to Mollepata and have breakfast
• Continue to Soraypampa
• Hike to Humantay Lagoon viewpoint
• Enjoy lagoon views and take photos
• Descend back to Soraypampa
• Lunch in Mollepata
• Return to Cusco, arrive around 6:00 pm

The experience

What is it about a lake that color that makes you want to see it in person, even though you've seen the photos? That's the question most people ask themselves before booking a Humantay Lagoon tour from Cusco. The answer is simple: the photos don't prepare you for the altitude, the silence, or the way the water shifts between turquoise and almost violet depending on where you stand. This isn't a casual half-day thing. It's a full commitment, starting at 4:00 am with a hotel pickup in central Cusco and ending around 6:00 pm. But that's exactly why it works.

The day moves in phases. First, the drive to Mollepata takes you through changing landscape, and breakfast waits there to fuel you before the real work begins. Then comes the walk from Soraypampa: roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes uphill through Andean terrain where you'll notice the vegetation thinning and the air getting thinner too. Your guide is official and knows the cultural weight of what you're walking toward. They'll point out the flora and fauna as you go, but mostly you're focused on the next switchback. At 4,200 meters, the lagoon sits in a bowl of rock and ice, and you get 30 minutes there to stand in it, photograph it, let your lungs catch up. The turquoise is real: mineral-fed, glacial, almost unnatural-looking. Then the descent, lunch in Mollepata to recover, and the long drive back.

What makes this Humantay Lagoon tour manageable instead of punishing is what's included: oxygen support, trekking sticks, a guide who knows the altitude risks, breakfast and lunch so you're not running on empty, and transportation that picks you up and drops you back without you having to navigate Cusco's early morning streets yourself. The altitude is the honest part: 4,200 meters is high, and your body will feel it. But the tour is built around that fact, not despite it. You're not racing. You're pacing yourself with people who've done this hundreds of times.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from central Cusco at 4:00 am, private transportation to Mollepata, breakfast before the trek, trekking sticks and oxygen support for the walk, an official tourism guide, entry to Humantay Lagoon, lunch in Mollepata after the descent, and return transport to Cusco by approximately 6:00 pm.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 49 years) · Senior (50 to 58 years) · Youth (15 to 17 years) · Child (10 to 14 years) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 8 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by JISA ADVENTURE

Is this one for you?Book this if you're acclimatized to Cusco's altitude (or willing to spend a day adjusting before) and want to see the lagoon without arranging your own transport, guide, meals and gear: the early start and full-day structure are what fit the trek and recovery into one push.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (15 to 17 years); Child (10 to 14 years). Children under 10 can't be included in the booking.

What time does the Humantay Lagoon tour start?

Hotel pickup begins at 4:00 am from central Cusco. The early start allows time for breakfast in Mollepata before the trek begins.

How long is the walk to Humantay Lagoon?

The trek from Soraypampa to the lagoon takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes uphill. The descent takes similar time.

What is the altitude of Humantay Lagoon?

The lagoon sits at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) above sea level. Oxygen support is provided as part of the tour.

What's included in the tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, breakfast, lunch, trekking sticks, oxygen support, entrance fees, and an official tourism guide.

How many hours is the full tour?

The tour runs approximately 14 hours, from 4:00 am pickup to around 6:00 pm return to Cusco.

Do I need to be very fit to do this tour?

Moderate physical fitness is required. The trek is steady uphill, and altitude affects everyone differently. The pace is manageable, and support (oxygen, sticks, guide) is provided.

What should I bring?

Bring layers (it's cold at altitude), sunscreen, a hat, a camera, and water. Trekking sticks and oxygen are supplied.