How To Get From Cusco To Humantay Lake (Travel Guide)

Last updated on December 2nd, 2022 at 11:32 am

We will tell you how to get from Cusco to Humantay Lake. The distance from Cusco to Humantay Lake is 122 kilometers.

If you want to go on your own from Cusco to Humantay Lake will be possible. Keep reading below our Humantay Lake travel guide!

The travel time from Cusco to Humantay Lake by car is around 3 hours and 30 minutes. You can get a day tour from Cusco as we recommend you to avoid the hassle.

The cheapest way from Cusco to Humantay Lake is by bus to Mollepata 15 PEN which is $4 USD and take a taxi ride around 50-70 PEN which is $12-15 USD to Humantay Lake. Or just keep walking as people start the Humantay Lake 4-day trek from Mollepata to Machu Picchu.

Read here how to get from Cusco airport to city center, how to get from Cusco to Machu Picchu, Cusco to Sacred Valley and Palccoyo Mountain travel guide

Read here how to get from Lima airport to Barranco, Lima airport to city center and Miraflores, Lima airport to Huacachina, Huacachina to Cusco and Lima airport to San Isidro

Read Peru sim card for tourist, vegetarian food in Peru and Peruvian food

WHERE TO STAY IN CUSCO

The accommodation price can take you around $10–15 USD if you stay in a cheap room. For mid-budget accommodation starts at $30-50 USD and for more than $80 USD you will find luxury accommodation in Cusco.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION IN CUSCO BEFORE YOUR TRIP WITH BOOKING.

Having insurance while you are traveling outside your home country is very important. Make sure that you have one too, to keep you safe in your trips around the world.

Click here to book online Cusco activities and day trips.

Cusco To Humantay Lake

Cusco to Humantay Lake By Bus (Chespest Way)

The cheapest way from Cusco to Humantay Lake is by bus plus taxi. There is no direct bus from Cusco to Humantay Lake. You will have to get a bus from Cusco to Mollepata and get a taxi to Humantay Lake or start the hike that can be around 4 hours.

The bus fare from Cusco to Mollepata is around 15 PEN which is $4 USD one way. Once in Mollepata you will have to get a taxi from Mollepata to Humantay Lake for around $50-70 PEN which is around $12-15 USD. If you are sharing the taxi ride with a few people can be great as an experience if you go on a budget.

Make sure the taxi is waiting for you. Otherwise can be really hard to find transportation on the way back. There are a few places to stay )if you don’t get a ride no worries) since Humantay Lake is part of a popular 4 day hike from Cusco to Machu Pichu.

To be honest it’s so much hassle going on your own since prices are so competitive joining for tours leaving from Cusco.

Best Way By Tour From Cusco to Humantay Lake (Day Tour Cusco to Humantay Lake)

You can book a day tour from Cusco to Humantay Lake as we did with Exploor Peru. They will organize everything for you starting from the pickup, breakfast and lunch.

The best part of joining a day tour with Exploor Peru is that we got there the first ones to the top of Humantay Lake and we enjoyed the place for our own until the other tour companies got there.

The wake-up call is around 3 am (most of the tours are leaving around 4-5 am) and you get to Humantay Lake early morning. They will provide a breakfast box so you will have the choice of having breakfast before the hike or as we did after one hour hike having breakfast in Humantay Lake.

Click here to book Humantay Lake Day Tour with Exploor Peru!

Humantay Lake Travel Guide

Humantay Lake is one of the most popular day trips from Cusco. Humantay Lake is 4200 meters high which is less tricky for altitude sickness than Palccoyo or Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain near 5000 meters. The colors with the snow around and when the sun is shining are so beautiful in Humantay Lake.

Humantay Lake Hike

The Humantay Lake hike is little difficult since is too steep. If you are fit it can take 1 hour to reach to the top. If not it will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes and the way is steep.

There are also available horses for the hike just in case you don’t consider yourself fit enough for Humantay Lake hike. The horse ride costs around 80 PEN which is around $20 USD. And it will take 40 minutes to get to Humantay Lake with a horse 20 minutes faster than hiking.

HUMANTAY LAKE ENTRANCE FEE AND OPENING HOURS

Humantay Lake Entrance fee is 20 PEN per person which is around $5 USD and the opening hours start at 6 am.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH HUMANTAY LAKE TOUR

You will have a delicious and complete box breakfast with bread, juice and energy bars. On the way back you will stop in a restaurant for lunch.

The food was so delicious at Sarawasi with beautiful views before having 3 hours drive from Mollepata to Cusco. You will find vegetarian options!

WHAT TO BRING TO HUMANTAY LAKE

Food-only snacks if you are joining a tour since they serve breakfast and lunch.

Water you should be able to bring at least one liter of water per person.

Sunblock is important if you don’t want to get burnt.

Raincoat just in case is raining.

Proper shoes for hiking (it’s more than 1-hour hike to the top and not easy way to go down)

Camera and phone to get ready for pictures and videos.

ACCOMMODATION BUDGET IN CUSCO

The accommodation price can take you around $10–15 USD if you stay in a cheap room. For mid-budget accommodation starts at $30-50 USD and for more than $80 USD you will find luxury accommodation in Peru.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION IN CUSCO BEFORE YOUR TRIP WITH BOOKING.

FOOD BUDGET TRAVEL IN PERU

A total of $5-6 USD can be your daily food budget travel in Cusco. Local food in a local restaurant will start from $2-5 USD. You can get snacks like street foods for $1 USD. You can buy a combination of ceviche and lomo saltado with a drink for only $3 USD.

BEST TIME TO VISIT IN CUSCO

You can go to Cusco any time of the year. The months of December to February are the best time to visit Peru because is the sunniest and also the peak season. October to November is the months ideal for those working with a budget because it is considered the low season in the country.

Click here to know more about the weather in Cusco.

ATMS AND CASH IN CUSCO

The official currency of Peru is called Peruvian Sol (PEN). And $1 USD=3.75 PEN. ATMs and exchange offices are available all throughout the city. And it is also advisable to withdraw as much as you can because fees for transactions tend to be higher for foreign cars. Banco de la Nacion is the only bank which isn’t charging commissions for foreigner cards in Cusco and Peru.

Click here to check the exact change rate.

Bank Fees For Foreigner Cards In Peru

Most of the banks in Peru will charge fees for foreign cards in Peru. We only found Banco de la Nacion that wasn’t charging any fee.

Check the list below with the exact fees for foreigner cards in Peru and how much money are you allowed to withdraw in Peru with every bank.

Bank	Amount Allowed And Fees
Banco De La Nacion	400 PEN Withdraw And No Fees
Interbank	400 PEN Withdraw And 19 PEN Fees
BCP	700 PEN Withdraw And 27 PEN Fees
BBVA	400 PEN Withdraw And 25 PEN Fees
ScotiaBank	400 PEN Withdraw And 20 PEN Fees

Having insurance while you are traveling outside your home country is very important. Make sure that you have one too, to keep you safe in your trips around the world.

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Happy Travels!