SALT MINES & INCA TERRACES
Maras Moray Tour from Cusco
Our Maras Moray tour combines short walks, panoramic viewpoints and clear explanations from your local guide. It is an ideal option if you want a lighter day at altitude, love photography, or want to add an easy day trip from Cusco to your Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley itinerary.
Duration
5 – 6 hours
Max Elevation
3,400m / 11,150 ft (Cusco)
Difficulty
Light to Moderate
Group Size
Private or Small group
FROM
$189
USD
PER PERSON
Overview – Maras Moray Tour from Cusco
Discover these photogenic sites in the Sacred Valley on our Maras Moray tour from Cusco. In a single half-day (or flexible day trip combined with a trip to Machu Picchu), you visit the circular agricultural terraces of Moray, the striking Maras salt mines where thousands of white pools cascade down the hillside are still worked by local families and Chinchero, with its colonial church and well known by its amazing Textile Centers.
Our Maras Moray tour combines short walks, panoramic viewpoints and clear explanations from your local guide. It is an ideal option if you want a lighter day at altitude, love photography, or want to add an easy day trip from Cusco to your Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley itinerary.
Half-Day or Flexible
Perfect lighter day trip from Cusco
Photography Paradise
Panoramic views and unique landscapes
Local Textiles
Learn about traditional weaving at Chinchero
Highlights of the Maras Moray Tour
Half-day or flexible Maras Moray tour from Cusco with hotel pick-up and drop-off, circular Inca terraces of Moray, panoramic views over Maras salt mines, and Andean textiles at Chinchero.
Maras Moray Tour Itinerary
Pick-Up in Cusco & Drive to the Sacred Valley
Your Maras Moray tour from Cusco begins with 07:50 am hotel pick-up and a scenic drive toward the Sacred Valley. As you leave the city, you pass small communities, potato and quinoa fields, and snowcapped peaks in the distance. Your guide uses this time to explain the route, approximate timing and the history of Maras and Moray.
Moray Inca Terraces
Your first main stop is Moray, a fascinating system of circular terraces built in natural depressions in the landscape. Walking around the viewpoints, you will see how the Incas created different microclimates at each level, which allowed them to experiment with crops and adapt them to different altitudes. Your guide explains the main theories about Moray’s function, points out agricultural features and gives you time for photos from different angles. Walking here is mostly on wide paths with some gentle slopes.
Maras Village & Salt Mines Viewpoints
After visiting Moray, you continue to the Maras area. Depending on your route, you may pass through Maras village, with its colonial houses and quiet streets, before reaching the famous Maras salt mines (salineras). From the viewpoints, you see thousands of small salt pools carved into the hillside, fed by a natural salty spring that has been used since pre-Inca times. Your guide explains how families still divide, maintain and harvest the pools, how the water is channelled, and how the salt is collected and sold.
Chinchero Temple & Textile Centers
After visiting the Maras salt mines and the Moray agricultural terraces, you continue to Chinchero, a high-Andean town famous for its traditional textile centers. Here you will visit one of these family-run workshops to learn how Cusco’s handcrafted textiles are made, from spinning and natural dyeing to weaving on backstrap looms. Finally, you will visit the Chinchero archaeological site and its beautiful colonial church, decorated with vivid wall paintings and frescoes (when it is open to the public).
Return to Cusco
After enjoying Chinchero and surrounding landscapes, you start the drive back to Cusco. On the way, you may stop briefly at a panoramic viewpoint over the valley, depending on time and conditions. You arrive back at your hotel with free time for the rest of the day. Total duration is usually around 5–6 hours, depending on traffic, season and whether you include extra stops.
What’s Included
What’s not Included
Practical Information – Maras Moray Tour
Duration & Schedule
5-6 hours
Morning or afternoon tour
Best Time of Year
Year-round, dry season May-September best
Difficulty & Walking Level
Light to moderate, uneven ground and short slopes
What to Wear & Bring
Walking shoes, layers, sun hat, water, cash for fees
Altitude & Acclimatization
3,400m in Cusco, suitable as first or second day trip
Why Book Your Maras Moray Tour with Peru Private Tours?
Local expertise, flexible itineraries, private & small groups
We are a Cusco-based operator with deep knowledge of the Sacred Valley and its communities. We can adapt the schedule, pace and photo stops according to your interests (photography, history, markets, etc.). Fewer people means more time for explanations, photos and enjoying the views without rush. We plan visit times to avoid the busiest hours at certain viewpoints whenever possible. We collaborate with local drivers, artisans and small businesses in the Maras, Moray and Chinchero area, so your visit supports the local economy.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Day Trips from Cusco You May Also Like
Many travelers who book this Maras Moray tour also enjoy the following day trips from Cusco:
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Maras Moray Tour from Cusco
SALT MINES & INCA TERRACES Our Maras Moray tour combines short walks, panoramic viewpoints and…
FROM
$69
USD
PER PERSON
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