In a city like Cusco, we sometimes get the feeling of not having had enough time to know the most important places and even less unique and not very popular places which leaves us with the desire to stay and return to the mind. Cusco is an incredible destination, where there is so much to see and know, it is common that places of great interest are ignored by most visitors.
And this is how the thousand-year-old city of Cusco once again surprises us by presenting a new alternative for travelers who wish to enjoy nature, landscape in a place at the foot of a snow-covered mountain above 4,200 m.s.
Humantay Lake is located in the province of Anta, area of Cusco that in recent months has been presenting other interesting places.
In this unique place in the district of Mollepata (Anta), the snowy Humantay creates a surreal scenario thanks to the thaw, the only access is walking (this corresponds to the Salkantay trek) and in which you can practice incredible activities (in its surroundings).
This jewel is sheltered by the mountains of Salkantay and Humantay, at 4,300 m.s. The Humantay Lake is located in the Vilcabamba mountain range in southern Peru.
As part of the route to the Salkantay mountain, you can access walking or mountain biking, as well as lending itself to some other camping activities.
With a mystical air, the lagoon is visited by shamans and tourists from all over the world to leave offerings to the Pachamama, deity that represents mother Earth in the Inca culture.
Through the placement of stones, an offering is offered to the Pachamama thanking him for having successfully arrived at the lagoon, as well as asking him to accompany us on our journey.
The Humantay Lake Salkantay is a place that impacts with its immensity, traces and colors in the landscape, which make it one of the unmissable tourist destinations in the bowels of Peru.
An offer to the Pachamama
When arriving at the Humantay Lake Salkantay you will be able to observe several offerings or apachetas.
The apachetas are the mounds that are seen in the Andes, one stone on top of another. They can be small, or very large mounds.
The offering consists in choosing a stone before starting the path. Make an order to the pachamama. Contemplating the Humantay Lake and when you reach your destination, leave it at some point along with three coca leaves.
Humantay Lake tour
Initially the visits to the Humantay Lake were on the part of the travelers that made the Salkantay Trek, however for some weeks in Machu Picchu Peru Tours we have been doing direct excursions to this fantastic place.
The first section is two and a half hours (2: 3o min), in a small bu, to the town of Mollepata, at 2,900 meters high, a little lower than Cusco.
Place where we have breakfast and make the last appointments before starting the trekking.
After a well-deserved breakfast to fill us with energy we will continue our trip to Soraypampa (3900msnm) after a short break, we will begin our trek to Humantay Lake Salkantay located at 4200mt 13779 feet, after the ascent of 1 hour and 30 min approximately we will be able to appreciate such a wonderful place and we will return to our camp to have our lunch with beautiful panoramic views of the snowy peaks and later return to the city of Cusco.
Add a Spiritual Experience
You will hear many locals refer to the mountains throughout the Andes as “apus.” Apu in Quechua literally means “lord.” The Incas used the term to refer to the god-like spirits that inhabited the towering mountains of their territory and often made offerings to appease them. To this day, local Andean people will make offerings to the apus, usually of coca leaves.
To make your own offering to the apus and gain favor for the rest of your trip, be sure to bring some coca leaves with you on the hike. Once at the lake, make a small hole in the ground.
Choose several coca leaves that are in the best condition and place them in the hole. Next, find a few flat rocks nearby and build a little tower, or hito de piedra, over the leaves.
When is the best time to hike to Humantay Lake?
The best season is during the dry season, which covers the months April to the end of September. In October the rains begin and you can find Machu Picchu covered by clouds. If you travel in June, we recommend you to book the Inti Raymi 2022 Tour that takes place in June 24th, and also hike the Palcoyo Mountain Tour, which is an incredible Rainbow Mountain located in the Andes.
Other Hiking Tours near Humantay Lake
Many are the routes that take you to Machu Picchu, but none is like the Inca Trail Tours, the most famous pedestrian path in the Americas. After flying from the capital of Perú, Lima, you will arrive in Cusco to walk for four days along a path through forests and dense fog, millenary stone steps and discovering the ruins of ancient fortifications and Inca cities, and all the time enjoying majestic views.
- Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu 5 days
- Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 5 days
- Inca Quarry Trail 4 Days
- 2 Day Inca Trail Tour
- 2 Day Inca Trail with Camping
- 3 Day Inca Trail
- Vilcabamba Hike to Machu Picchu 6 days
- Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu 9 days
- Ausangate trek 7 days
If you want to visit Machu Picchu, we recommend you to book your Machu Picchu Ticket in advance, so you will enjoy your Vacation in Machu Picchu without any problem.
