Half-Day Moray, Maras and Salt Mines Tour

This half-day tour begins in Cusco and takes you 31 miles to the northwest where you will visit the archaeological site of Moray and the ancient salt pits called the Salineras.

Half-Day Moray, Maras and Salt Mines Tour

You will be picked up from your hotel for the 50 minute (31 m) drive to the village of Maras. Maras sits on a high plateau at 11,500 ft. (3,500 m) to the north-west of Cusco. If the sky is clear, you will be able to view the glacier-capped peaks of the Chicon and Veronica mountains.
You will first visit the Inca archaeological site of Moray. Moray is an open terraced pit that is believed to have been an agricultural laboratory for testing crops at various elevations. These elevations were representative of the many agricultural environments in the Inca empire that spanned the territory from Ecuador to Chile to the north and south.

Next, you will visit the ancient salt mines that form a miniature city seven miles from Moray. The salt mines consist of over 3,000 small evaporation wells that are owned and operated by local families. The claims to these wells date back to Inca times and before. The water flows from a subterranean stream. The community owners form a cooperative to control the flow and access to the water source and sell the harvested salt in local markets.

End of Services

Included

• All services, tourist tickets, and entrance fees.
• All excursions come with a guide in the English language.
• Our prices include entrance fees and tourist ticket costs to determined historical, natural, or religious landmarks that are managed by the local authorities in many cases.

Not included

• Tips for guides, drivers, and waitresses, if not specified in the description.

Comfortable athletic clothing, hiking boots or shoes, hat, light jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen.