Maras, Moray & the Salt Mines: Complete Guide to the Sacred Valley's Most Photogenic Tour

Of all the half-day tours out of Cusco, this is probably the one that generates the most photos per minute of travel. Moray and the Maras Salt Mines sit just a few minutes apart, and each has its own story worth knowing before you go.

Moray: the Incas’ agricultural laboratory

Moray is a set of circular terraces carved into the earth, the largest with 12 concentric rings and about 100 meters of depth. It’s not just decorative: each ring has its own microclimate, with a temperature difference of up to 15°C between the center and the top edge.

The most accepted theory is that the Incas used Moray as an agricultural testing station, experimenting with which crops adapted best to different temperature and humidity conditions — something like an open-air agriculture lab, centuries before the modern concept existed.

The Maras Salt Mines: spring-fed salt in the middle of the Sacred Valley

A few minutes from Moray, the Maras Salt Mines are thousands of terraced salt ponds cascading down a hillside — an estimated 4,500+ active ponds today. The water that feeds them comes from an underground saline spring, and local families have been extracting salt the same way, pond by pond, for over 2,000 years.

It’s literally a working industry — not a reconstruction for tourists — and it shows: you’ll see people actively working the ponds while you visit.

How long does the tour take?

Half a day — one of the shortest tours in the catalog, ideal if you’re short on time or want to combine the afternoon with another activity in Cusco.

How much it costs

Price per vehicle, private service:

Vehicle	Price	Capacity
Sedan	$90 USD	Up to 3 passengers
Minivan	$110 USD	Up to 6 passengers
Mercedes Benz	$140 USD	Up to 10 passengers
Mercedes Benz (large group)	$180 USD	Up to 15 passengers

Check availability and book this tour

Practical tips

• Wear comfortable shoes — you’ll be walking on dirt and loose stone at both sites.
• The Salt Mines have a fair amount of elevation change on the access stairs; not difficult, but not flat either.
• Many travelers combine this tour with Ollantaytambo or Chinchero on the same day — ask us if you’d like to build a combined itinerary.

Want to add this tour to your itinerary? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll coordinate the schedule that works best for you.