Peru’s ‘other’ hike is one of the world’s most spectacularly Insta-worthy locations

Dawn usually brings with it relief from the unknowns of the night. But up here above Mollepata, high in the Peruvian Andes, you soon discover that the strengthening light only delivers new terrors.

Namely, you can see out the window and realise how high up you are. You can see just how dizzying is the sheer drop a metre or so from the minivan’s wheels. Crunch-crunch go the tyres on rocks and dirt as the vehicle whips around corners with no barriers and the bottom of the valley appears far, far below.

It pays to keep your sleepy eyes above the horizon, where jagged, snow-capped peaks are also emerging from the gloom. Up here the twin pillars of Salkantay (6270 metres above sea level) and Humantay (5473 metres) dominate the skyline, though tight mountain passes reveal ever more skyscrapers in this former domain of the Incas, riven with ancient pathways.

I’m here today to follow one of those pathways, as soon as our van grinds to a halt at Soraypampa, a tiny village at the edge of a verdant high valley. I’ll be climbing to Humantay Lake, a gorgeous pool of sparkling glacier melt beneath sheer cliffs invisible from the base below, a trek that’s short on distance but long on effort as you struggle to draw enough oxygen at these heady altitudes.

Humantay Lake is the perfect destination for those who want to nibble just a small amount of the alpine hiking experience in Peru. This isn’t the Inca Trail (three full days) or the equally spectacular Salkantay Trail (five full days). It’s up and back in the space of a morning, with time to return to Cusco for afternoon tea.

Of course, that means departing the city at the ungodly hour of 3.30am to make the three-hour drive to the Humantay trailhead before the bulk of the crowds, but it’s worth the effort to be one of the first to place boot on track and begin what will turn out to be a spiritual experience.

Because this part of the Andes is not just beautiful: Humantay Lake was and continues to be a significant site for the Incas and now for the Quechua people, a place with deep connections not just to Pachamama, the Earth Mother, but to the spirits of the mountains. “Human” in Quechua means head; “tay” means god. This is the godhead.

And so it seems fair that there should be a struggle to get to a place like this. It’s only three kilometres of walking from Soraypampa to Humantay Lake, but an ascent from 3850 metres above sea level to 4200 metres. To put that into perspective, the lake is almost twice the elevation of Australia’s highest peak.