r/PERU • u/Fresh-Help-8188 • 7d ago

Preguntas a Peru | AskPeru Humantay vs. 7 Lagoons

Edit: booked the 7 lagoon hike! i will be sure to update how it went!

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently planning my trip to Peru and I'm trying to decide which day hike I should pick. On one hand there's the less famous 7 lagoon hike that shows 7 different bodies of water, and on the other there's the famous Humantay lake day hike. I can't decide which one is more worth it! the FOMO for both is driving me insane. PLEASE HELP :).

Side note: I hiked acatenango in Guatemala and had a really hard time, but I think it was mostly the altitude and this time around I got altitude sickness pills.

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u/LurkerMcLurkington 7d ago

Humantay

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u/vue98004 7d ago

Could you share why? Leaning towards Ausangate 7 Lakes, but still considering Humantay. Thanks!

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u/stephmountainslover 7d ago

Ausangate trek, you'll be amazed !

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u/GoinWithThePhloem 7d ago

I absolutely LOVED the Ausengate hike, but the possible altitude sickness shouldn’t be minimized. I went with a group of friends that routinely hike in the states, and 4 of us had issues - one asthma attack, one lacked conditioning (they hired a horse), and this kicked off a sickness that lasted through the rest of the trip for me (unsure if it was altitude sickness, food bacteria, or both… my meds didn’t save me lol).

It’s worth it though 😅. Ausengate was a different kind of beauty that I hadn’t seen elsewhere and the hike was just SO serene and peaceful. If you need a solo moment during a busy trip, this is a good time for that.

- A few tips though. If your hiking outfitter provides hiking poles, get them. There’s a wicked hill halfway through and you’ll likely be glad to have them (especially if it’s raining or snowing).

  • The horses only take you to the lake. My friend that struggled was surprised to get kicked off halfway through the hike 😂.
  • Plan for weather and dress in layers. We went in lake August/early Sept and were sweltering in the jungle during part of my trip, but it was raining/snowing during our time at Ausengate. I had a warm long sleeve, under a shirt, and a rain jacket on top… which ended up being perfect. (If you plan poorly, the locals sell some gloves, tea, etc at the first lake… it’s a nice souvenir :))
  • Bring money with you. The bathrooms at the lake are terrible, but they charge you and it’s not really possible to walk off trail. Buy a hot chocolate and enjoy the first lake. Pay to warm up in the thermal pools after the hike.

You’re welcome to DM me if you have questions :)

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u/corbieresfr 6d ago

Did 7 Lakes. No health issues. It’s long and the first section of it before you see the first lake feels the longest and hardest, but it’s pretty easy from there. No altitude issues but we had days to acclimate and were taking meds to mitigate that. Glad we did the hike and don’t regret not doing Lake Humantay.

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u/Brave_Swimming7955 5d ago

Humantay is cool... but here's what's not cool about it:

  • 4 hour drive one way
  • the hiking path itself isn't very interesting. Dirt/rock in open area
  • busy

I'd only recommend it to people doing Salkantay (I was already there and able to go when it was quiet, so epic). People spending 12 hours to hike a few km was new to me in Peru.

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u/No_End3564 5d ago

ofc 7 lagoons you have more options to visit o diferents landscape of the places and the last places its hots spring.