Ausangate 7 Lakes vs Humantay Lake 2027: Which Day Trip to Choose?

Ausangate 7 Lakes vs Humantay? Choose Humantay if you want a shorter hike to a turquoise lake below Salkantay mountain and an earlier return. Choose the 7 Lakes if you’re after several colorful lakes, alpacas and a close-up view of Ausangate, and you’re already acclimatized. Both are day trips from Cusco, and you book them by paying just 40%.

We are a local operator based in Cusco and run our own departures to both lakes. This guide doesn’t repeat the history of each place or the route in detail, which we already cover in their own guides: it compares them side by side so you can choose by your fitness, your acclimatization days and the rest of your trip.

Ausangate 7 Lakes vs Humantay: The Short Answer

Both excursions leave before dawn, include meals and a guide, and take you to high mountain lakes at the foot of a snow-capped peak. What sets them apart is how much you walk, how high you go and how long the day lasts:

• Humantay Lake: a single turquoise lake at the foot of Humantay mountain, with Salkantay in view. The climb is short but steep, and you get back to Cusco earlier. It’s one of the most popular day trips, so you won’t have it to yourself.
• Ausangate 7 Lakes: a long loop hike between lakes of different colors, with alpacas and llamas, at the foot of the highest mountain in the Cusco region. It goes higher, lasts longer and requires you to arrive well acclimatized.

Ausangate 7 Lakes vs Humantay Compared: What Each Day Trip Offers

Figures from our tours; elevations are approximate.

	Humantay Lake	Ausangate 7 Lakes
Highest point	The lake, at about 4,200 m (13,780 ft)	About 4,850 m (15,910 ft); the hike runs from about 4,300 m (14,110 ft) to 4,850 m
Hike	1.5 to 2 hours uphill and about 1 hour down; moderate, with a steep gradient	A 5- to 6-hour loop with ups and downs; moderate to difficult
Schedule	Departure around 4:30 a.m.; back between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.	Pickup at your hotel around 4:00 a.m.; back around 7:00 p.m. (about 15 hours)
Drive from Cusco	About 3.5 hours to the trailhead, with breakfast in Mollepata	About 3 to 3.5 hours to the community of Pacchanta
What’s included	Transport, breakfast, buffet lunch, lake entrance fee, guide and trekking poles (optional)	Hotel pickup, transport, breakfast, lunch, community entrance fee, guide, first-aid kit and oxygen
Crowds	Groups of 8 to 12; very popular, busier from June to August	Groups of 8 to 12, or a private service
Optional extras	Horse at the trailhead, paid directly to the muleteers	Horse and trekking poles, paid separately and booked when you buy the tour; Pacchanta hot springs, also extra
Season	All year; best from April to October	All year; best from April to October
From	US$55	US$60 (private from US$108 per person)

On both tours your guide speaks English, Spanish or Portuguese. Travel insurance, personal expenses and tips, which are optional, are not included. The price difference is small: what really changes is the effort and the hours on the trail.

Humantay Lake: Who It’s For

Humantay is the short option. From Soraypampa, the trail climbs steadily and gets steeper toward the end; the challenge isn’t the distance but the gradient and the altitude. The path isn’t technical, so you don’t need trekking experience, but you do need reasonable fitness and a few days in Cusco. At the top you have free time to rest and photograph the turquoise water, with Humantay mountain rising right behind it.

Keep in mind that it’s one of the most requested day trips from Cusco. From June to August there are more people on the trail and along the shore; May, September and October are usually dry and a little quieter. If the climb feels hard, horses can be rented at the trailhead and are paid directly to the muleteers, and on our tour we lend you trekking poles. In the rainy season the trail is muddier, it can snow and there are sometimes temporary closures: if you travel between November and March, leave a free day in case the date has to change.

It’s for you if… it’s your first high-altitude hike, you only have a few days in Cusco or you want the classic shot of a glacial lake without spending all day walking. Check our Humantay Lake tour and, for altitude, the route and what to pack, our Humantay Lake guide.

Ausangate 7 Lakes: Who It’s For

The 7 Lakes is the long option. The hike starts in Pacchanta, a herding community at the foot of Ausangate, and makes a full loop past lakes such as Azulcocha, Otorongo and Q’omercocha, each a different color. Along the way you’ll often come across alpacas and llamas grazing in the wetlands, and when you finish you have lunch in Pacchanta. Compared with Humantay, Vinicunca or Palcoyo, it’s the longest hike.

The price of that scenery is effort: hours of walking at high altitude, uphill and downhill, on a day that starts before dawn and ends late. That’s why your guide carries a first-aid kit and oxygen. If you think you’ll need help, the horse and trekking poles are booked with us when you buy the tour, not on site. After lunch you can take an optional dip in the Pacchanta hot springs, paid separately: bring a swimsuit, a small towel and cash in soles.

For local families, Ausangate is an apu, a sacred, protective mountain that receives offerings; the same goes for Salkantay, above Humantay. We explain this in our guide to Pachamama and Andean beliefs, which also covers the stone apachetas you’ll see on these routes.

It’s for you if… you’ve already spent a few days in Cusco, you enjoy walking for several hours, you want to see alpacas and several colors of water in one day, or you’ve seen Ausangate from afar and want to reach its foot. See our Ausangate 7 Lakes tour and, for elevations, weather and local culture, our guide to Ausangate.

Ausangate 7 Lakes vs Humantay: Which One Fits Your Trip?

• Your first high-altitude hike: the Humantay Lake tour, lower and with the shorter hike. If you’re doing both, start with Humantay and save the 7 Lakes for the end of your stay.
• You want to see alpacas and communities: the Ausangate 7 Lakes tour. In Pacchanta, many families live from herding alpacas and llamas. To tell them apart, read our llama vs alpaca guide.
• You’re short on time in Cusco: Humantay. It’s lower, the hike is short and you get back to the city earlier.
• You’re doing the Salkantay: our Salkantay trek already climbs to Humantay Lake on day 1, with the entrance fee included. To avoid repeating it, choose the 7 Lakes or the Rainbow Mountain tour.
• Photographers: the 7 Lakes gives you more variety, with lakes of several colors, alpacas and the glacier on the same day. Humantay gives you the classic image of turquoise water below the snow. On both, the dry season brings clearer skies.
• One day isn’t enough: the 5-day Ausangate trek circles the mountain with camping, muleteers and a cook. It’s private only, for groups of 2 to 10 people, and ideally you’ll have done a high-altitude day hike first, such as the lakes themselves.

Also weighing up a rainbow mountain? Vinicunca, Palcoyo and Pallay Punchu are other day trips from Cusco, and from Vinicunca and Palcoyo you can see Ausangate in the background. We compare them in our guide Rainbow Mountain vs Palcoyo vs Pallay Punchu.

Altitude and Acclimatization: What to Know Before You Choose

Cusco already sits at about 3,400 m (11,150 ft). Humantay Lake is about 800 m higher; the highest point of the 7 Lakes, about 1,450 m higher, and you also walk for many hours at that altitude. That’s why we recommend spending at least 1 or 2 days in Cusco before Humantay, ideally 2 or 3, and 2 or 3 days before the 7 Lakes. Never go the day after you arrive. We explain why in our guide to Cusco elevation.

On the hike, go slowly with short steps, drink water all day, eat light and avoid alcohol the night before. Coca tea and coca candies are traditionally used for mild symptoms, though they do not replace acclimatization; medicines such as acetazolamide only after talking to your doctor. If you have a heart or respiratory condition, or you’re pregnant, see your doctor before you travel. Tell your guide if you have a strong headache, dizziness or nausea: our guides know how to spot symptoms early, and on the 7 Lakes they carry oxygen and a first-aid kit. More tips in our guide to altitude sickness in Peru.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is harder, the 7 Lakes or Humantay?

The 7 Lakes. Humantay is moderate: a short climb, though a steep one. The 7 Lakes is moderate to difficult, because it means many more hours of walking, uphill and downhill, and at a higher altitude. On both, the altitude is what weighs most.

Can I do both on the same trip?

Yes, on different days: each one is a full-day excursion from Cusco. Start with Humantay, which is lower, and save the 7 Lakes for when you’ve had more days to acclimatize.

Can you go on horseback?

On both, but in different ways. At Humantay, horses are rented at the trailhead and paid to the muleteers. On the 7 Lakes, the horse is booked with us when you buy the tour and paid separately; don’t count on finding one on site.

Is there a private service?

For the 7 Lakes, yes: from US$108 per person, also booked with 40% online. If you’d like to visit Humantay with just your group, write to us with your dates and we’ll get back to you.

Do the tours run in the rainy season?

Yes, both run all year. From November to March it rains more often and clouds can hide the peaks. At Humantay, the trail is also muddier and there can be temporary closures, so it’s worth leaving a free day in your plan.

What isn’t included in the price?

On both, travel insurance, personal expenses and tips. At Humantay, the optional horse. On the 7 Lakes, the horse, trekking poles and hot springs. Bring cash in soles for those costs and for small purchases along the route.

Choose Your Lake and Book with a Local Operator

If you want a short hike to a turquoise lake and an early return to Cusco, book the Humantay Lake tour. If you’re after a full day among colorful lakes, alpacas and glaciers, the Ausangate 7 Lakes tour. On both you pay just 40% online and the rest when you arrive in Peru.

Still unsure? Write to us with your dates, how many days you’ll have spent in Cusco and whether you’re planning other hikes, and we’ll help you choose the lake that best fits your trip.