The Maras, Moray & Salt Mines tour involves 5 hrs tour on the Sacred Valley of the Incas.At first glimpse Moray looks like a Greek amplhitheater, but closer inspeccion reveals what researchers believe may have been a crop laboratoy
used by the Incas to find the best conditions for allowing particular species to thrive. There are four overlapping muyus (slightly elliptical terraces) with each tier experiencin a differet temperarute due o varying levels of sun, shared, and elavation, and the largest being 148 ft (45m) deep. Built on retaining on retaining walls filled with soil, and watered by a complex irrigation system, the 7ft (2 m) high terraces show traces of about 250 cereals abd vegetables.
The nearby Salinas de Maras (salt mines), dating back to pre-Columbian times, are in stark contrast. The natural salty water is channeled into 3000 man-made wells and left to evaporate in the sun. Hundreds of niners work on the site even now, demonstrating their ancient working techniques.
Overview:
- Discover the history of the Incas
- Guided tour of Moray, Maras and Salineras
- Enjoy the best landscapes of the Sacred Valley of the Incas
- Taste the roasted corn with salt
Quick Itinerary
- 08:30 We pick you up from Hotel
- 10:20 Guided tour of Moray
- 10:50 Driving to Maras
- 11:00 Guided tour of the Maras Colinial small town
- 11:20 Driving to Salt Mines
- 11:50 Salt Mines guided tour
- 12:30 Return to Cusco
- 14:30 Cusco
ITINERARY
Salt Mines Of Maras and Experimental Terraces Of Moray - Half Day Itinerary
We leave from Cusco at 8 30 am. Our first stop is Maras, from which, we can get to the salt mines. The salt mines display a bizarre spectacle of beauty. Located on a wide-open hill above the Urubamba Valley, a natural salt water stream runs underground. In pre-Incan times, they have been evaporating the salty water from this stream in order to obtain the salt that gets left behind.
How it works: The highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground 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. The water, which is exposed to the sun, leaves salt on the land. Viewed from the peak, the myriad of rectangles look like an enormous painting designed by nature.
After visiting the salt mines near Maras, we continue on a short distance to the Moray ruins. The ruins are composed of three coliseums, which are thought to have been used by the Incas as a sort of open air crop laboratory. The coliseums consist of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is about 30m/98ft deep. The purpose of these depressions is still uncertain but their depth and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C/27 °F between the top and bottom. This large temperature difference was possibly used by the Incas to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. The terraces are arranged in concentric circles and are reminiscent of an ancient Greek theatre.
In the afternoon, we will return you back to your hotel in Cusco.
INCLUSION
What Is Included
What Is Not Included
Added Values For Free
PRICES
Price & Availability
“Maras Moray Tour is available on any date that is best for you”
Prices
- US$175 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 1 to 3 persons
- US$200 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 4 to 6 persons
- US$225 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) GROUP of 7 to 9 persons
Important Information
Boleto Turistico (Tourist Ticket)
The partial ticket, or 1 Day ticket costs 70 soles (US $20) and is valid for 1 day. You can visit a many sites as you like in one day with no further charge. There are no discounts with this ticket. Both tourist tickets, of 1 day or 10 day, allows the access to different archeological sites around Cusco, and Sacred Valley Tour. This is the best way to visit all the archeological sites of the region and the Sacred Valley. Most of the main archeological sites are not accessible for free.
The general ticket allows you over the next 10 days to enter 16 archeological and cultural sites in Cusco, the south valley and the Sacred Valley tour. The price of this ticket is 130 soles (about US $40) and is valid for 10 days. This is the cheapest and most convenient way to plan to see different sites in a few days. The cost for students under 25 (with the presentation of a valid ISIC card) and for teenagers under 18 (with the presentation of an identity card) is 70 soles (US $20). Children under 11 are free.
Here is a list of sites where you can use your Boleto Touristico: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, Tipon, Piquillaqta
Book Optional Tours / Activities
- ATV Around The Sacred Valley / Full Day
- View Of The Condor In Chonta Canyon – Full Day
- Cusco Horse Riding / Full Day
- Sacred Valley Tour / Full Day
- Cusco City Tour / Half Day
- South Valley / Half Day
TRIP NOTES
Inside Your Daypacks
Daypacks can be any size for day tours, but we always recommend the smaller, the better.
- Water: we supply clean water at each meal.
- Sunhat
- Rain gear
- Fleece
- Camera
- Music (IPhone)
- Handsanitizer
- Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
- Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
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Thank you for choosing Peruvian Guiding Tours! We will do everything within your means to take care of you and ensure an enjoyable trip of a lifetime in Peru!
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