Maras Salt Ponds + Moray Terraces

This is a fantastic half day tour to explore three popular tourist attractions of the sacred valley: The salt pools of Maras, the inca terraces of Moray and the Chinchero's textile market.

You will be picked up from your hotel in the Historic center in Cusco at approximately 8:00am (08h00) and you will travel through the Sacred Valley of the Incas until you arrive to Chinchero. You will visit an artesan center and get a demonstration by the locals on how they make their beautiful textiles surrounded by the Chinchero inca ruins at the distance. From here, we will travel to the Village of Maras and visit the Maras salt pools ("Salineras") to discover how the Incas ingeniously tapped a natural salt water stream to create evaporating pools for collecting salt, a system that is still used to this day.

Then we will continue to the inca site of Moray, a site of circular terraces, some as deep as 98 feet (30 meters), that once offered a testing ground for agricultural products. Each terrace has a unique microclimate which subsequently experiences its own temperature. Without even having to leave the valley, the Inca had created an agricultural laboratory which mimicked the temperature throughout the empire.

After your tour, you will be dropped off at the Cusco historic center. This tour also gives you amazing views of Urubamba mountain range with stunning views of the Veronica mountain and the green farming valleys. On this tour you will learn about agriculture , textiles, and the history of the incas.

Tour Photos

What Is Included?

• 08h00 Pick-up from your hotel in Cusco
• Professional tour guide
• Return back to Cusco historic center

What is not included?

• Entrance tickets to Moray not included because some travelers may have already purchased the 10-day Tourist Ticket for S/. 130 PEN ($45 usd) which covers entrances to Moray. Or you can purchase the 1-day entrance ticket for S/.70 PEN ($25 usd).
• Entrance to Maras salt pools S/.10 PEN ($3.50 usd)
• Lunch not included