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Four Epic Lakes to Discover in Peru
- eovillafuerte
- 21 hours ago
- 7 min read
Whether you're altitude-hardened or still catching your breath, Peru's high-mountain lakes leave a mark. Some are famous for their surreal colors. Others are tucked away in glacier valleys that don’t make the Instagram rounds. I visited these four—some by tour, some through my hostel, and one along a trek I still daydream about. Here’s a guide to Lake 69, Lake Llaca, Humantay Lake, and Arhuaycocha—why they’re worth it, what’s around them, and how you can get there without overthinking it.
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Lake 69: Famous for a Reason
The Experience
Yes, it’s popular and yes it felt crowded. It reminded me of a Colorado 14er on a weekend if you've been in the area you know exactly how that feels. The trail is well marked and it's impossible to get lost because you will see maybe 300 other people trying to get there.
But none of that hits you when you finally crest the last switchback and see Laguna 69 glowing in a glacial bowl beneath the jagged white peak of Nevado Chacraraju. The water is impossibly turquoise—an almost tropical tone in a land of rock and ice.
The trail starts gentle, easing through Llanganuco Valley with wide views and quiet grazing cows. Then it gets steep—proper switchbacks that’ll have you gasping if you’re not acclimatized. But every turn opens up something wild: waterfalls and ice-draped cliffs. The hike itself can take about an hour and a half to 3 hours depending on your speed and most agencies will give you at least 30 minutes.
Getting There
You’ll almost certainly go via Huaraz. Most hostels offer early morning transport (around 4:30–5:00 AM), which costs 50–70 soles ($13–18). They’ll drop you at the trailhead and pick you up in the afternoon. Some groups offer guides, but it’s not essential if you’re reasonably fit and want to move at your own pace. Our group had a guide, but I did not see him until the end. I went at my own pace and tried to beat the crowds up.
It’s not really practical to go fully solo unless you’ve arranged private transport—hitching is unreliable and the trailhead is remote. So even if you’re allergic to tours, the shared hostel bus is a perfect middle ground.
Lake Llaca: Glaciers, Silence, and No Crowds
The Experience
This one felt personal. I was the only person on the trail that morning, except for a local who said he was the National Park gatekeeper luckily I had my 30 day pass that is 150 soles ($42) for foreigners. Lake Llaca isn’t on most people’s radar, which makes the silence and glacier views even more surreal. The lake sits in a U-shaped valley carved by ancient ice, hemmed in by Nevado Ranrapalca and Oshapalca. You might hear the crack of ice falling into the water long before you see it like I did.
You'll definitly see more cows than people, and I would not have it any other way. There is a mountain hut at the top near the lake, but I am not 100% if it's abandoned. There was a landslide that took out the road up and there were even abandoned cars near the hut. Th cars usually drop you off about 5 minutes from the start of the trail. The walk is pretty much on the road as the old trail isn't useable anymore. Your guide or taxi driver will explain the whole thing but it's very easy to follow the road and there's a small trail to cross the landslide as well.
Personally, it was my favorite lake. I was all alone. The views of the glacier and the 6,000 meter peak Ranrapalca were my favorite out of the 4 lakes I am writing about today. The trail itself is very long about ten miles(16km) but gradual. It only has one true steep spot which takes about ten minutes to climb. It's mostly a gentle walk unless you have to bypass a bull or two like I did.
Getting There
Ask your hostel in Huaraz to help arrange a taxi or find others to share a ride. It’s not a regular tour stop, so flexibility is key. Some travelers bike down from the top after being dropped off, which sounds epic if you’re into it.
Bring food, layers, sunscreen, and plenty of water. There is a mountain hut with restrooms but the hut was locked when I was there. If you want solitude and something offbeat, Llaca is gold.
Humantay Lake: The Turquoise Jewel of the Salkantay
The Experience
This one is a tourist hotspot—and honestly, it kind of earns it. Humantay Lake hits you with pure color: an insane blue-green surrounded by spiky glacier walls, with Nevado Humantay towering like it’s watching over everything. If you get there early, before the tour crowds fully roll in, it’s magical.
The trail climbs steeply from Soraypampa, a high-altitude camp at around 3,900 meters. You’ll pass prayer flags, llamas, and views that reach all the way to Nevado Salkantay behind you. The lake sits at 4,200 meters, so take it slow—this one’s short but sharp.
I went in a tour. There was also a landslide not too long ago as of May 2025, so the trail is a bit longer than it used to be so heads up. There are plenty of restrooms and places to buy food and snacks along the way before you start the big climb up to the lake. Once you reach the end of the plateua, you will see and array of horses and people offering to take you up on horses. It was about $25 or 100 soles to ride up. The walk itself does not take too long. It took me about 30 minutes to hike up. Granted, I am a fast hiker so most people took about 45 minutes to an hour to get up to the lake.
Getting There
Day tours from Cusco are the go-to—usually 80–120 soles ($20–30) including transport, breakfast, and lunch. It’s an early wake-up (3:30–4:00 AM pickups), a 3-hour drive, and a couple hours of hiking.
While it’s technically part of the Salkantay Trek, most travelers just do the day trip. If you're already trekking Salkantay, it’s your reward on day one. Otherwise, make sure your tour gets there early to beat the selfie crowds.
Lake Arhuaycocha: A Hidden Gem on the Santa Cruz Trek
The Experience
If you’re hiking the Santa Cruz Trek, don’t skip the side trip to Lake Arhuaycocha. It’s not technically on the main route, which is exactly why many people miss it. But it was one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. We ended up staying there for a couple hours. The advantage of not doing it in a tour. The kind of spot where you drop your pack, forget you’re tired, and just sit quietly, not even talking to your trekking partner for a while because the place sort of demands your silence.
You’ll likely arrive here on the third day if you started in Vaquería, just after crossing Punta Unión Pass—a brutal but spectacular high point at 4,750 meters. By then, you’ve already been handed some of the Andes’ greatest hits: glacier valleys, high-altitude lakes, and raw open spaces that mess with your sense of scale. But descending into the next valley and taking that quiet turn toward Arhuaycocha feels like entering a hidden world.
The side trail gently rises again through a narrow glacial valley surrounded by sharp, snow-drenched peaks. You’ll start to see Artesonraju come into view—its perfectly triangular summit looking uncannily like it was designed in a studio. (That’s no accident—this is the real-life inspiration behind the Paramount Pictures logo.) On a clear day, the symmetry is so striking it looks fake, like a matte painting dropped into the skyline.
Eventually, the trail crests a low ridge, and there it is: Laguna Arhuaycocha, a glacial basin with cold, milky-teal water fed directly by the ice cliffs towering above. There’s something distinctly still about the place, even with the wind sweeping down from the glacier. The air smells like minerals and moss, and the only sounds are meltwater streams and the occasional echo of rockfall from somewhere deep in the cirque.
Above the lake, Alpamayo peeks out in the distance—a sharp pyramid of ice that’s often called the most beautiful mountain in the world. Below, the lake glows like a forgotten gem at the bottom of the world.
We spent almost two hours there—just us, our aching legs, and that silence you only get at high altitude, far from roads and phone signal. I remember eating a crushed granola bar while sitting on a boulder, watching clouds swirl around Artesonraju like smoke. It felt ancient. Quiet. Sacred, even.
Getting There
You’ll need to be on the Santa Cruz Trek, which runs from Vaquería to Cashapampa (or vice versa), usually over 3–4 days. Most people pass near Arhuaycocha on Day 3 if they’re hiking east to west, and this is when you can make the detour.
Some guided treks skip the lake entirely, either to save time or because they assume most people are too tired to care. If you're going with a tour, ask ahead—make it clear you want to include the side trip. It’s easy to miss if you don’t know to look for it.
We did the Santa Cruz independently, which allowed us to stay 2 hours at the lake. When we got to the fork in the trail, we just dropped our packs, grabbed a water bottle, and walked up. It took maybe 30 minutes up and a little less to return. The path is marked, and even without a map or GPS, you won’t get lost—it’s intuitive.
Even if you’re exhausted from Punta Unión, do it anyway. The views of Alpamayo, Artesonraju, and the haunting blue of the lake itself are unlike anything else on the trek.
Final Thoughts
There’s no single way to do Peru’s lakes. Tours, hostel connections, and self-guided treks all have their place. What they all share is altitude, effort, and reward. Whether you’re panting on the way up to 69 or just sitting beside Arhuaycocha in stunned silence, these lakes stick with you.
They’re not just pretty pictures—they’re part of the mountains’ story. And now, maybe part of yours too.
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