About this experience
This 5-6 hour tour from hotel pick up to hotel drop off will take you through Chinchero, Maras, Chicha, Moray, and Salineras, A couple highlights of the day will be visiting an archeological site and the salt mines. Learn the history and experience the culture of this region.
At a glance
- Duration: 5 hr–6 hr
Plan your experience
Set aside 5 hr–6 hr for the experience itself, with additional time to reach your meeting or pickup point.
Compare the available options before choosing: their itinerary, inclusions and pickup arrangements can differ. Check the price for your date and whole group.
Before you go
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
Local guides to help you plan
Maras Salt Mines Day Trip From Cusco
Plan a practical day trip from Cusco to the Maras Salt Mines, with route estimates, entry guidance, walking considerations, and an optional Moray stop.
A Slow Sacred Valley Itinerary: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Maras and Moray
Skip the rushed day tour. This three-day route gives the Sacred Valley the time it deserves, with honest notes on transport, food, and where to sleep.
Moray Day Trip From Cusco
Plan a Moray day trip from Cusco with practical advice on road transport, Circuit III tickets, site hours, altitude, weather, and heritage-site rules.
What is included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport
- Professional guide
- Small group tour
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Optional, for an extra cost transfer to Ollantaytambo train station
- Entrance fees (Admission tickets) to Maras-Moray and Salt mines
Itinerary and highlights
Maras is a town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 40 kilometers north of Cusco. The town is well known for its salt evaporation ponds, located towards Urubamba from the town center, which have been in use since Inca times. The salt-evaporation ponds are four kilometers north of the town, down a canyon that descends to the Rio Vilcanota and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
The Maras area is accessible by a paved road, which leads from the main road leading through the Sacred Valley between Cuzco and the surrounding towns. Tourist sites in the area include the colonial church, the nearby Moray Inca ruins, the local salt evaporation ponds, and the surrounding scenery.
Salt ponds of Maras.
Since pre-Inca times, salt has been obtained in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream,The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. That had been exploited from Inca times as means of economical trade.
The complex is located 74 km (46 miles) from Cuzco City, at 3,500 masl (11,483 fasl). An outstanding archaeological site because It is about of natural gigantic holes, that were used to build terraces around them with their own irrigation aqueducts; what is outstanding is the difference of temperature during the year between the upper part and the bottom of the hole, which can be 15 degrees C different. The biggest hole is 150 meters deep and the terraces are 1.8m tall (average). The terraces, built over retaining walls filled with fertile soil and irrigated with watered by complex systems allowed to grow more than 250 vegetal species. These terraces were used as Inca laboratories to make experiments with their crops. Moray has history and landscape beauty.
Other studies suggest that the site was used for astronomical observation and for monitoring climatic changes. This was done by following the sun light and shadows that appear on the area's high mountains.
Meeting and pickup information
- We pick up from all hotels and airbnb in central Cusco
Languages and tickets
- English — Guide
- Spanish — Guide
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Inversiones Andean Fusion Sociedad Anonima Cerrada - Inanfu S.A.C.
Meeting points and locations
Accessibility and practical details
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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