Altitude
3500 m.s.n.m
Chinchero, Moray, Maras & Salt Mines Tour
5 best places to visit
Group size
Up to 12
Service
Private
Type Tour
Self-guided
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
0 Days
Chinchero, Moray, Maras & Salt Mines Tour
0 day
from $175 per person
This half day tour experience to Chinchero, Moray & Salt Mines takes you off the beaten trek. Visiting culturally rich communities and enjoying the breath taking snow-capped mountain peaks of the Andes. Explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas and discover Chinchero with colonial churches and Inca ruins. Take stock of the incredible ¨Greenhouse¨ of the Incas in Moray and the impressive pre-Inca salt mines- Saliners, still extracting salt the same way their ancestors did.
OVERVIEW
- Pick up at your hotel at 8am or 1pm (your choice or group you are joining)
- Private transport to Chinchero, Moray, and Maras (Salt Mines)
- Visit to the “Green Houses” of Moray and the pre-inca salt mine – Salineras
- Great views of the Andes and valleys of Sacred Valley
- Trip back to your hotel
ITINERARY
We pick you up at 8:00am or 1:00pm in our private van and you begin your trip to the village of Chinchero, heading to the plaza with an adobe colonial church, dating back to the early seventeenth century, that was built on the foundation of an Inca temple or palace. The ceiling and walls are covered in beautiful floral and religious designs. Also you’ll discover Inca archeological ruins and agricultural terraces which are attributed to Inca Tupac Yupanqui who possibly used Chinchero as a kind of country resort.
Moras Salt mines
We continue on to the village of Maras, where its colonial architectural beauty is still preserved. You’ll see the buildings are made of thin stone, and images of lintels with sculptures in bas-relief. Then we move on to Salineras, the salt mine consists of 3,000 small pools roughly 5 square metres (53.8 ft) in size. Every three days, during dry season, workers fill the pools with salt water that comes from a natural hot spring at the top of the Maras complex. When the water evaporates from the pool, the salt is left for collection. This process is carried out over a month period until the pools reach a volume of solid salt that is 10 centimetres (4 inches) in height. The salt is ground up, treated with iodine, packaged and sent to various markets in the region.
The locals have been mining salt for generations. They have full ownership and rights to these pans and have passed them from one generation to the next. The small stream at the top fills up all the salt pans and once the water evaporates, they cultivate the salt to be sold for profit. Over 90% of the salt consumed in Peru comes from this humble small town. Any salt bought from the vendors at the mines, directly supports this small local community.
Moray
Then we are on our way to the Moray ruins, located at (3,450m/11,318ft), where we find the agricultural terraces of Moray with their complex system of irrigation and terraces. Different levels of terraces are carved into a huge bowl, part of which was further excavated by the Incas. The terraces have varied microclimates depending on how deep into the bowl they are located. It is thought they were used by the Incas to discover the optimal growing conditions for their crops. These terraces served as a natural green house to grow an extraordinary variety of crops at an altitude normally not conducive for the crops. It has also been suggested that the terraces had a cosmological meaning. The Incas were very advanced in the knowledge of creating specific sub-climates.
We then return to our hotel in Cusco arriving at approximately 6:30pm
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
WHAT IS INCLUDED FOR MORAY AND SALT MINES TOUR?
- Private group
- Professional English speaking and knowledgeable guide
- Water
- Private comfortable transportation
- Tax
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED FOR THE MORAY AND SALT MINES TOUR?
- Entrance tickets to archeological sites: 70 soles (1 day only) or approximaely US$22 per person which can only be purchased in soles only at the first archeological site. Boleto Turistico
- Meals
- Salt Mine entrance 10 soles
- Tips
PRICE
Please Note: This special private tour and price is only for our clients who have booked any 2, 3, 4, 5 days or more tour or trek with INCA TRAIL.
- GROUP of 1 to 6 persons – $165 for the total group (not per person)
- GROUP of 7 to 12 persons – $195 for the total group (not per person)
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
BOLETO TURISTICO (tourist ticket )
You have the Option to Purchase a 1 Day or a 10 Day Boleto Turistico.
The partial ticket, or 1 Day ticket costs 70 soles (US $22) 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. 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 to enter 16 archeological and cultural sites over the next 10 days in Cusco, the south valley and the Sacred Valley. 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
Note : The entrance ticket to the main archeological sites like Sacsaywaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo,Chinchero,Tipón and Moray cannot be sold individually; you must buy the Boleto turístico to visit them. You can get it in Avenida el Sol nearby Peru office or at the time you enter the first site that you are visiting. YOU MUST PAY IN SOLES, NO CREDIT CARD OR US DOLLARS ARE ACCEPTED.
Important: These entrances are not included in the Boleto Touristico.
- The entrance to Qoricancha or Santo Domingo Convent (10 soles)
- The entrance to the Cathedral (25 soles)
THE BRIEFING
It will take place the night before the trekking departure at 6pm in our office which is located at Garcilaso Street 210 , Office Nº:213 (2nd Floor) in the la CASA DEL ABUELO shopping center.
CAN I STORE MY LUGGAGE AT YOUR OFFICE?
Of course! During the your Culinary Tour your main luggage can be stored at our office or at your hotel, both are free.
HOW TO BOOK?
FIRST, to book your Tour to Machu Picchu, we need you to fill out our booking form by clicking on BOOK NOW on our homepage or click here the link BOOK NOW.
Please be ready with the following information (FROM EACH PARTICIPANT in your group).
- Personal information (your full name, exactly as it appears on your passport):
- Gender
- Passport number
- D.O.B. (dd / mm / yyyy)
- Nationality
SECOND, we require a deposit of US$55.00 per person. You can make you deposit by clicking on the VISA or PAYPAL symbols on the top of our home page, or on our booking page.
WHAT ABOUT THE BALANCE?
It would be greatly appreciated if you pay in cash at our office (US dollars or Peruvian soles) here in Cusco. We have many cash machines in the historical center to withdraw money. You can also pay by VISA or PAYPAL online but you will have to pay a 5.5% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. To pay your balance through PAYPAL, you need to log into your PAYPAL account using our email address of info@incatrailhikeperu.com to complete the payment.
WHAT TO BRING FOR MORAY AND SALT MINES TOUR?
- Warm jacket
- Hat
- Water
- Sun protection
- Some money for souvenirs
- Money in soles to purchase boleto touristico and entrance to salt mine
- Original passport
- If you are a student, take your ISIC card (only works for the 10 day boleto touristico)