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With this Maras Salt Mines & Moray Tour – 1 Day, discover the incredible engineering achievements of the ancient Incas during this half-day visit to the circular terraces of Moray and the Maras Salt Mines.
Stop in Maras to learn how the ingenious Incas harnessed a natural saltwater spring to create evaporation pools for salt collection—a system that is still in use today. Then, continue to the archaeological site of Moray, featuring circular terraces, some as deep as 98 feet (30 meters), which once served as an agricultural experimentation center.
We begin the tour with hotel pickup at 8:30 a.m., then travel by transportation to the town of Chinchero, where we will visit its traditional artisan market. Continuing the tour, we head to the picturesque village of Maras, located 52 km from Cusco. This area is famous for its salt mines, known as the Maras Salt Mines, which have been in use since Inca times as an important means of economic exchange.
Next, we visit the archaeological site of Moray, located about 7 km from Maras. Moray features a group of circular terraces of different sizes, which during the Inca period were used as an agricultural experimental center, where crops were tested and adapted to different ecosystems.
At each site, you will have time to enjoy the scenery and take photos. After the guided tour, we will return to the city of Cusco.
MORAY: This archaeological site is truly unique. Many historians and researchers believe it functioned as an agricultural laboratory due to its circular Inca terraces, which were designed to create microclimates by gradually reducing temperatures. It is estimated that more than 20 different microclimates were created here, allowing the adaptation of over 350 varieties of plants.
MARAS: This town was known as the “Villa of Asís de Maras” during the Spanish period, founded by Pedro Ortiz de Orue. It became an important center for evangelization in the region. Today, you can still see beautifully carved stone doorways on many of its houses.
SALT MINES: Also known as the Maras Salt Mines, this site consists of around 4,000 small salt pools built on the slopes of the Cachiqata mountain. Saltwater emerges naturally from a spring and is distributed into these pools. Since Inca times, salt has been essential for preserving food, such as dried meat (charqui). Today, the salt mines are still actively used by local families and even exported internationally.
