Category: Travel Guide

To travel to Humantay Lake is one of the most beautiful sites, which is located in the foothills of the snowy Salkantay. It is one of the most visited tourist places in Cusco, because all tourists want to travel to Humantay Lake to take a picture with its wonderful turquoise waters.

The energy and magic that surrounds this place can only be compared to the trips to Machupicchu. The hike to get here is totally pleasant because of the natural landscapes that surround it. Here we leave you everything you need to know about Humantay Lake.

What is the Humantay Lake?

The Humantay Lake is one of the most beautiful and sacred of Cusco. It is located in the foothills of the snow-capped Salkantay in the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 4,200 meters above sea level. It is one of the most famous tours in Cusco, famous for the beautiful scenery of its admirable turquoise waters decorated by the snow of Salkantay. A true jewel of the tourist places of Cusco.

How to get to the Humantay Lake?

To get to the Humantay Lake is necessary to get up very early, on average at 4 to 5 in the morning. In about 2 hours we are arriving at Mollepata and then Soraypampa from here begins the walk of about 2 hours. In these tours in Cusco you can enjoy breathtaking landscapes, snow-capped mountains and a wide variety of flora and fauna, not to mention that it is a great challenge for adventure lovers.

What to see in the Humantay Lake?

If you are a nature lover and you like hiking, the Humantay Lake is the ideal place. The main attraction of these tours in Cusco is the photography in its beautiful turquoise waters, but in addition to this you can feel the tranquility of one of the most incredible landscapes of Cusco. You can also leave your offering to the Pachamama (mother earth), putting an apacheta (mound of stones), thanking her for having arrived here successfully, and ask her to accompany you on your return.

When is it advisable to travel to Humantay Lake?

Like most of the tours in Cusco, it is more advisable to do them in the dry season (April – October), since there is less chance of rain. The hike can be more difficult if the road is wet. So don’t forget to prepare your tours in Cusco for these dates.

What will you need on the Humantay Lake Tour?

The weather in Humantay Lake is very cold. At night the temperature can be below 0 ° C and during the day the sunlight can reflect on the snowmaking it difficult to walk.

For all these conditions we recommend you to bring:

• Sunscreen, sunglasses and cap; to prevent any damage to our skin and eyes.
• Always carry a water poncho and a windbreaker and warm clothes for the beginning of the tour.
• Trekking shoes and comfortable pants for the hike.
• Bring a bottle of water, snacks, documents and of course a camera.
• We recommend you to hire the services of a travel agency, to make your trip with more tranquility.
• As you can see, Humantay Lake is one of the best options of tourist places in Cusco. It is one of the perfect lostours in Cusco for your next vacation. Do not leave Cusco without making the tours to the Humantay Lake.

Knowing the city of the Incas Cusco is one of the best places you can visit. It is a destination where you can find the perfect mix of history, nature, art, customs, the city of the Incas Cusco, and even adventure, not to mention the warmth of its people. There is a great infinity of tourist places in Cusco that many times are not visited due to lack of time or lack of knowledge. So here we let you know the city of the Incas Cusco, everything you need to know to make the most of your trip to Cusco.

What is Cusco: location and climate? Cusco is one of the most visited places in Peru, mainly for the Machu Picchu tours. The region of Cusco is located in the southeastern part of Peru, between the valleys of the Peruvian Andes. Cusco is located at an altitude of 3,399 meters above sea level. The climate in Cusco is generally semi-dry and temperate. With two very defined seasons:

DRY SEASON: (April and November) With sunny days and cold and frosty nights (between May to October). Ideal season to visit the tourist sites in Cusco.

RAINY SEASON: (December and March), with cloudy and rainy days. (between November to April).

How to get to Cusco city?

In order to get to the city of Cusco it is first necessary to arrive in Lima. Then either by air or land, we go to Cusco. If it is by air the trip takes an average of 1 hour. If it is by land it is a journey of approximately 16 hours in which you will have the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful landscapes of the coast and highlands, besides being able to get unique photos. Once here it is time to begin to know the tourist places of Cusco.

Sightseeing in the city of Cusco:

The city of Cusco has many cultural and natural tourist attractions. Among the most striking are: the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the cathedral of Cusco, the Qoricancha, the white Christ among others. All of these you can get to know better in Cusco tours. Here are some of the most important ones:

Archaeological Centers: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay.

Downtown: Cusco Main Square, Cusco Cathedral, The Stone of the Twelve Angles, Qoricancha, temple and neighborhood of San Blas.
Museums: Archbishop’s Palace, Garcilaso de la Vega Inca House, The Archbishop’s Palace or Museum of Religious Art, Larco Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.

What to do in your free time?

If you have free time from the tours in Cusco, we recommend you to do some of these activities.

• To walk the streets of Cusco is like traveling back in time. You will be able to appreciate the Inca and colonial architecture in almost all the buildings of the city.
• The city of Cusco is full of visitors from all over the world so it is not strange that you can make friends in the bars and restaurants near the main square. More reasons to visit the tourist sites of Cusco.
• Take lots of pictures of the tourist sites of Cusco.
• Get to know one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
• Undoubtedly Cusco is a city that will capture you completely, with its tourist sites of Cusco, the friendliness of its people and its immense history. Cusco, city of the Incas will always have more to offer, so you can not miss this spectacular journey through the city of the Incas.

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, one of Peru’s tourist jewels, reopened after a blockade of almost eight months due to the health crisis caused by the spread of Covid-19.

This emblematic point of the Inca culture returned to receive tourists since November 2, after months of solitude and forced silence due to the restrictions decreed by the Peruvian government to try to curb the impact of the pandemic.

So that tourists can marvel again in the middle of this mythical indigenous citadel, the authorities determined that the reopening will advance only with the reception of 30% of the visitors it normally receives, which is equivalent to 675 per day.

In its official Twitter account, the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism celebrated the measure and invited locals and foreigners to approach this place with all the biosecurity measures.

“Today Machu Picchu opens. It opens with health and safety protocols, it opens to say that we are reactivating, but with responsibility and great caution,” said Rocio Barrios, head of the Foreign Trade and Tourism portfolio.

During the morning of this Sunday, the first train with tourists arrived at Machu Picchu, after a journey of more than 90 minutes from the ancient town of Ollantaytambo.

The closure of this architectural jewel worsened the crisis of several sectors that benefited from the arrival of visitors to this area located in the mountainous area of Cusco.

Dozens of restaurants, travel agencies, hotels, tour guides and transportation companies were plunged into a deep financial crisis for almost eight months due to the blockade caused by the sanitary emergency.

According to what cab drivers such as Eberth Hancco, a worker at the Cusco airport transportation station, told the international news agency AFP, “the situation has been very bad, because Cusco depends on tourism”.

It is estimated that, before the onset of the crisis, at least 80 hotels operated in the Ollantaytambo area. However, due to the closure, many of them could not resist and went bankrupt.

The reopening protocol

In recent weeks, the Peruvian authorities have implemented a reactivation protocol aimed at guaranteeing the health safety of visitors to this corridor which, before the pandemic, could receive up to 5,000 tourists per day.

First of all, the use of masks will be obligatory for visitors during the entire tour, which can only be done in groups of a maximum of six people, with a distance of at least two meters between them.

The sanctuary, which was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO and subsequently catalogued as one of the seven wonders of the modern world in 2007, can only be visited by those who comply with the required measures.

According to official balances, the tourist operation of this attraction generated income to the national coffers for more than 5,500 million dollars per year.

Steps in the economic reactivation

In only the first five days of ticket sales, the first 8,000 free tickets offered for the visits to be made during the next 15 days of reopening were already sold out.

Since the beginning of October, Peru opened its air borders and reestablished flights with Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, a list that is expected to be joined in November by Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and the United States.

Travelers arriving from international destinations must present negative results of a molecular test (PCR) performed less than 72 hours before taking the flight, as well as a sworn statement of their health status, their itinerary and the commitment to announce if they present any symptoms of Covid-19.

So far, Peru has confirmed the detection of 902,503 infections and 34,476 deaths due to the virus, so health agencies insist on the need for citizens to comply with protective measures.

Undoubtedly the tourism sector has been the most affected by the pandemic in recent months and travel agencies in Cusco are no exception, Cusco, the capital of the ancient empire of the Incas and the city that moves most of the travelers who intend to travel through Peru has been paralyzed by the coronavirus pandemic.

But in the last few weeks and as part of the economic reactivation of Peru, Machu Picchu is expected to reopen in compliance with the safety protocols determined by the WHO and the Ministry of Health of Peru MINSA and respecting the rules of social distancing.

The phases of reactivation of tourism in Machupicchu will be:

The district mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca León, specified that there are three phases of reactivation that have been previously analyzed by the steering and technical committee of the Machu Picchu management unit (UGM). The decision to reopen Machu Picchu corresponds to the Ministry of Culture.

The first phase of the reactivation of tourism in Machupicchu includes the opening of section 5 of the Inca Trail (km 104) and the Llaqta of Machu Picchu.

The only entrance restrictions to the citadel before the pandemic were the visits to the areas declared vulnerable (Intihuatana, temples of the Sun and of the Condor), which were open for visits in three shifts; meanwhile, all accesses were open.

However, the first phase of reactivation includes a new protocol designed by the Deconcentrated Direction of Culture, which contemplates that the alternate routes will be closed.

Therefore, the following routes will be closed:

• Machu Picchu mountain
• The Huayna Picchu mountain
• The Inca Bridge
• The Inti Punku

Only the core area of the Sanctuary divided into four circuits will be available in a future reopening of the world wonder.

Whatever the process of reopening Machupicchu after the pandemic Machupicchu will always be an incredible place no matter where you look at it, its magic has not been affected by the pandemic and it would be an incredible place to travel and recharge your batteries after overcoming COVID19.

If you are thinking about traveling after COVID19, traveling to Machupicchu can be a great alternative and is something that will surely leave an incredible memory in you; also if you want to organize this trip with a travel agency in Peru serious, formal and with all the health protocols we offer you our travel packages to Machupicchu. Contact a travel agent now.

This was established by the Ministry of Culture, which approved the maximum capacity of the Inca citadel.

The Ministry of Culture established in 2,244 the maximum number of visitors per day that can receive the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the tourist icon located in the province of Urubamba, Cusco region.

This is stated in the Ministerial Resolution N° 173-2020-MC published today in the bulletin of Legal Norms of the Official Gazette El Peruano, which specifies that the decision to approve this number of visitors per day to the llaqta of Machu Picchu is based on the report prepared by the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco, through the document called “Implementation of the recommendations of the “Study of carrying capacity and limits of acceptable change for the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu – 2015″ and results obtained: 2016-2019”.

The recitals of the standard include the decision of the Unesco World Heritage Committee that urged the Peruvian State to ensure that the evaluation of the 2015 carrying capacity study focuses on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and, once conducted, is respected by applying clear limits along with regulations and differentiation of visitor flows and the promotion of alternative visitor sites outside the Llaqta and requests the State Party to finalize it and send it to the World Heritage Center, for review by the Advisory Bodies.

It adds that in Ministerial Resolution No. 070-2017-MC of February 21, 2017, the Regulation of sustainable use and tourist visitation for the conservation of the Llaqta or Inca City of Machu Picchu was approved, modified with Ministerial Resolution No. 216-2018-MC dated June 7, 2018, whose objective is to regulate the sustainable use and tourist visitation to ensure the conservation of the Llaqta or Inca City of Machu Picchu.

It also refers that, in accordance with the Sixth Complementary Provision of the aforementioned regulation, the maximum admissibility of visits for the Llaqta of Machu Picchu cannot exceed that established in the study of carrying capacity and/or limit of acceptable change approved by Directorial Resolution No. 035-2016-DDC-CUS/MC and as determined by the Master Plan of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu in force, managing shifts, schedules, visitor flows, respecting the circuits and implementing adequate monitoring systems.

It also underlines that the reports N° 00159-2020-DDC-CUS/MC and N° 000197-2020-DDC-CUS/MC that the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco sends to the Vice Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Industries the document called “Implementation of the recommendations of the “Study of carrying capacity and limits of acceptable change for the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu – 2015″ and results obtained: 2016-2019”, sustain that, based on the implementation of the recommendations proposed for the management, conservation and ordering of the tourist flow of the Llaqta of Machu Picchu, it is recommended that the number of visitors that should enter Machu Picchu should be a maximum of 2,244 visitors per day.

The regulation is signed by the Minister of Culture, Alejandro Neyra Sanchez.

At present, visits to the citadel of Machu Picchu are suspended. The measure was adopted in the second half of March as a consequence of the declaration of the state of emergency decreed by the Government to stop the advance of the coronavirus (covid-19) in Peru.

The resumption of visits to the Inca citadel will begin after the implementation of sanitary protocols for the transfer of visitors, as well as biosecurity measures that must also be implemented by guides and tour operators.

Machu Picchu celebrates today the thirteenth anniversary of its election as one of the seven new wonders of the modern world. A commemoration that takes place in the midst of growing expectations for the upcoming resumption of visits to the Inca citadel, the country’