ONE DAY TOURS CUSCO - RAINBOW MOUNTAIN AND HUMANTAY LAKE

Trek to the Rainbow Mountain

7 Colors Mountain Tour - This picturesque summit used to be an attractive 4 day trek to the snowy Ausangate. Over the years, this mountain gained popularity on its own. Today, the most widespread way to visit this summit is through a tour. There are 1-day and 2-day services. Most include transportation, food, entrance fees and professional guide. In the city of Cuzco there are many tourism agencies offering these services.

Traveling on your own? - It is also possible to visit the ‘Cerro Colorado’ on your own. For this, the visitor must take a bus to Sicuani from the city of Cuzco (2 hours and 40 minutes away). Once there, a bus is taken to the town of Quesiuno. Then a walk begins (you can also hire a horse ride) to the Mountain of the 7 Colors. The price of the entrance ticket is 10 soles.
Difficulty of the mountain - The 3 or 4 hour walk (depending on the tourist's physical condition) is not dangerous and requires moderate-high physical effort. There are considerable sections of slopes up and down. However, one of the biggest difficulties is cold weather and icy wind. The altitude of the area can cause altitude sickness or soroche. A previous acclimatization of 1 or 2 days in the city of Cusco is recommended.
Recommendations - Spend a day or two acclimatizing in the city of Cusco. Take warm clothes to do the walk. If you do not consider yourself in good physical condition for the trek, rent a horse to one of the locals. On that day, don't forget a hat or cap, sunscreen, jacket, pants, ideal shoes for trekking and a rain poncho. MORE INFORMATION OF RAINBOW MOUNTAIN

The Trek to the Humantay lagoon

Can I go to the lagoon on my own?
- Yes. To go to the lagoon on your own you must take public transportation from the city of Cusco to the town of Soraypampa. The buses leave from the ‘Arcopata’ terminal and cost approximately 15 Peruvian soles (5 USD).
Once in Soraypampa you must get a collective taxi service to the Soraypampa community. There are times when you will not find this transport so you must get a taxi. This service could cost 50 Peruvian soles (15 USD).
Finally, in Soraypampa you must make the walk to the Humantay lagoon. Due to the complexity of the trip by public transport, it is recommended to choose a tourist package with transport included. It can be cheaper and safer than going on your own.

How much does the entrance to the lagoon cost?
- In the town of Mollepata you must pay to enter the Soraypampa camp where the lagoon is. The cost for foreign tourists is 10 Peruvian soles (3 USD). The cost for Peruvian tourists is 5 Peruvian soles (2 USD). Some tour packages include this entry while others do not.
How long does the walk last?
- The final section of the trip is the walk from Soraypampa to the Humantay lagoon. This section is approximately 2 kilometers long and can take from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the physical condition of the visitor. Tourists who are not used to this type of hiking can rent a horse as transportation to the lagoon. It is common for tourists to feel the symptoms of altitude sickness, whether in Cusco, Machu Picchu or Humantay.
How to rent a horse? How much?
- The residents of the Soraypampa community offer horse rental at the starting point of the trek to the Humantay lagoon. The service is only for the upstream section and has an approximate cost of 90 Peruvian soles negotiable (30 USD).
What kind of clothes to wear?
- Due to the cold climate of the Humantay lagoon, it is recommended to wear a warm jacket as well as gloves and chullo. Of course, during the walk wear light clothing since the visitor will inevitably perspire. A rain poncho is also important since it can rain at any time.
With which tourism agency to travel?
- In Cusco there are several tourism agencies that offer the 1-day tour to the Humantay lagoon. All services must include: full transportation, breakfast, lunch and tour guide service. Choose the tourism agency that meets your expectations. Remember that you can also contract the service through the website of the tourist agency.
Can I get a tour once in Cusco?
- Yes. Unlike the Inca Trail tours or the entrances to Machu Picchu, there is always availability for the tour to the Humantay lagoon. Therefore, you can get a tour to the lagoon once in Cusco, without any problem. MORE INFORMATION OF HUMANTAY LAKE

Read More

INFORMATION OF HUMANTAY MOUNTAIN

The Humantay Lagoon is the most beautiful lake in Cusco, and it certainly surprises us every day, it is a turquoise lake and is in the middle of the Andes mountains.

The Humantay lagoon is formed as a result of the snow thaw of Humantay, part of the Salkantay mountain.
What differentiates the Humantay Lagoon from other lagoons, is the natural color that it has because not having much marine flora in its waters it has an indescribable color in words, but understandable to the eye.
It forms a unique landscape, where travelers seek to capture the ideal moment with their cameras capturing a wonderful and magical landscape at the same time.
All this and more makes Humantay a place visited by all the tourists who visit Cusco.

Location

Lake Humantay is 2 hours walk from the community of Soraypampa, in the district of Mollepata, province of Anta, department of Cusco, about 2 hours by car from the city of Cusco.

How to get to Humantay Lagoon?

To get to this natural wonder you will have to take a car from Cusco to Mollepata, at the Arcopata bus terminal for about 2 hours.
After breakfast you have to hire the services of a taxi driver to take you to Soraypampa, the taxi will charge you an approximate rate of S / 20.00 and if by chance there are more people who want to go it will be less.
Then you must pay the entrance to Lake Humantay (S / 10.00).
After arriving in Soraypampa you will have to walk at least 2 hours to reach the Laguna (if you do not want to walk you can rent a horse), the first 30 minutes of walking are half flat and the rest is already uphill.
You have to keep in mind that you will probably not find mobility to return, so I recommend that you agree with the taxi driver to wait for you or come to pick you up, there you will enter into your abilities to negotiate prices.
If you cannot find mobility, there are accommodations that range from 20 to 40 soles, there are also camping areas (take your tent) where you can stay. If you plan to camp, make sure you are well wrapped, since it is very cold at night.

Read More

HUMANTAY LAGOON TOUR

After we pick you up at your hotel, we will start our adventure to the Humantay Lake with a 4-hour-drive in private transport to Soraypampa (3850 m.a.s.l.). Soraypampa is the campsite for the first day of the Salkantay trek. (more info click here) In Soraypampa we will have a delicious breakfast to start our day well before beginning our trek. In Soraypampa we will start our trek up to the Humantay Lake (4200 m.a.s.l.) with beautiful views and if the sky is clear enough, we can see the impressive snow-capped Salkantay and Humantay.

It is a 1.5-hour-walk to the lake with a low to moderate difficulty, and more than worth it when you see the magical view. It is also possible to rent a horse instead. We will have enough time to take pictures, bring an offer to the Apus, and for the real brave ones; swimming in the lake when it’s sunny! After some free time, we will start our descent to Soraypampa of about 1.5 hours, which is a lot easier than the way up. In Soraypampa lunch will await us and after some rest we return to Cusco where we will arrive at 6 p.m.

Read More

humantay lake info

HUMANTAY LAKE

Our adventure begins around 5:00 am with the pick up at your hotel. On a touristic van we will head to the Mollepata village in Apurimac river valley. Breakfast will be with the tour group and afterwards there’s a hike towards Soraypampa (3.900 m), a large green plain where we will have a stop.
From here, we hike towards our final destination. After an hour and a half of walking along the magnificent Cusco geography, we will arrive to the wonderful spot: the high snowy mountains standing around the incredible beauty of the Humantay Lagoon. Don’t waste this chance to appreciate the view and take all the pictures you can of this wonder of nature at 4.200 meters above sea level. After this incredible experience, we go back to the campsite for lunch. Around 6:30 pm we return to Cusco city, leaving the group downtown.

Read More