Moray Peru, & Salt Mines in Maras Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Moray – Maras – Salt Mines

Pick up at your hotel between 8:00am and 8:30am. We will travel north of the city reaching an altitude of 3700 meters above sea level (11000 feet) when passing through the town of Chinchero.   We continue until we reach the entrance of the Salineras de Maras (1 hour 15 minutes of travel approx ). The Maras salt flats are made up of more than 6000 pools where water enters from the mountains through small channels, or springs.

The amount of water is constant throughout the year and contains Sodium Chloride (NaCl) in abundance as well as other minerals.

The thermal water enters the pools every 3 days, then evaporates in the strong Andean sun. This creates salt crystals to form on the surface.

The time to harvest or obtain salt is in the dry months (from April to September), in which more than 150 kilos of salt from each pool is harvested. The owners of the salineras are the same inhabitants of the area, and have been in use from times before the Incas until today.

We continue from the salt flats heading west to Moray, passing through the town of Maras to which these 2 attractions belong. On the way we will observe beautiful scenery dotted with crops of potatoes, oats, wheat, quinoa and beans.

The contrast of vibrant colors against a backdrop of the imposing Andean mountains is truly breathtaking! Next will arrive at Moray, where we will be impressed by the perfection of the construction of the circular terraces formed by the Incas. Moray was a place of agricultural experimentation where it is believed that seeds were tested for adaptation to different temperatures.

The terraces are arranged in concentric circles and are reminiscent of an ancient Greek theater. Each terrace differs in degrees of temperature starting with the hottest at the bottom and the coldest at the top. Respect for Pachamama – or mother earth, is observed through the adaptation of the construction to be in harmony with the landscape. After a comprehensive discussion with your guide, we return to Cusco. (approx 1h 20 minute tour)

Included

• Professional Tour guided
• Bus transportation
• Maras, Moray, Chinchero + entrance fee

No Included

• Meals where not otherwise stated
• Tips

What you need to take

• Walking boots.
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho (depends on weather conditions).
• Wind breaker (depends on weather conditions).
• Sun hat, sun block, sun glasses.
• Water and snacks.
• Camera with extra batteries