Cusco Maras Salt Mines & Moray Terraces Half-Day Tour

How did the Incas turn a mountainside into a crop laboratory?

You visit two of the Sacred Valley's most distinctive sites in one morning: the working salt terraces at Maras and the circular agricultural ruins at Moray, with a stop in Chinchero village. Your guide explains the Inca engineering and the salt-harvesting methods still in use. Hotel pickup, transport, water, and a small group keep logistics simple and the experience unhurried. Book with a minimum of two people.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Maras Salt Pools45m
2. Moray Agricultural Terraces45m

Visit Maras Salt Mines and Moray Terraces

• Drive from Cusco to Maras Salt Mines
• Explore 3000 artisanal salt wells
• Visit Moray agricultural terraces
• Learn about Inca crop experiments
• Visit Chinchero village and market
• See Tupac Inca Yupanqui Royal House
• Meet local women in traditional dress

The experience

The sound hits you first: water trickling down stone channels, thousands of them, each one feeding a terrace the size of a small room. You're standing at the Maras Salt Mines outside Cusco, and what looks like a patchwork quilt of rust, cream, and pale pink stretches across the mountainside. Over 3,000 pools, each one still worked by local families the way their ancestors did it centuries ago. The salt crystallizes in the sun, and you watch people rake it into small mounds, moving between the terraces like they're tending a garden instead of harvesting mineral wealth. Your guide (English-speaking, patient with questions) explains how the Incas engineered the spring water to flow down from above, and how the mineral content gives the salt its color. It's not a museum piece. It's still working.

After Maras, the drive takes you to Moray, and the landscape shifts again. You're looking at what appears to be a giant amphitheater carved into the earth, but it's actually concentric circular terraces, each one slightly lower than the last. The Incas built this as an agricultural laboratory: a place to test crops at different altitudes and temperatures. The center is warmer, the outer rings cooler, and the arrangement created microclimates that let them experiment with what would grow where. Walking down into it, you feel the temperature change yourself. It's the kind of engineering that makes you stop and think about how much knowledge got lost, and how much they figured out without instruments.

The half-day tour also includes Chinchero village, where you'll see the original Inca stone walls still standing beneath colonial buildings, and you have a chance to meet local women at the market in their traditional dress. The whole thing runs about four to eight people maximum, so it doesn't feel like you're being herded. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, which means you're not negotiating transport or timing it yourself. Bottled water comes along, and the pace lets you actually look at what you're seeing instead of rushing to the next photo spot.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco, transport to both the Maras Salt Mines and Moray Agricultural Terraces, entry to both sites, a visit to Chinchero village, bottled water throughout, and an English-speaking guide who explains the Inca engineering and salt-harvesting methods. Groups stay between 4 and 8 people.

Options for this experience

4 options

Maras, Moray and the Salt FlatsUp to 1 people · Guide in English or Spanish · No fixed timeBilingual group tour: average group size 6 to 10 people. Duration: 6 hours. Includes 1 bottle of water, minibus and guide. Route: Maras, Moray and the salt mines. Cusco has the largest network of Inca ruins, and the route follows countless trails linking the most remarkable sites in the region, such as Moray. Pickup is included.

Private Maras and Moray Salt Mines tourUp to 15 people · Guide in English or Spanish · No fixed timeFinish in Cusco or Ollantaytambo: Explore Maras, Moray and Chinchero, ending either in Cusco or at the Ollantaytambo train station drop-off point. Pickup is included.

Private tour conducted in FrenchUp to 10 people · Guide in English or Spanish · No fixed timePrivate French-language tour: Chinchero, Moray and Maras Salt Mines. Duration: 6 hours. Departs from Cusco or Ollantaytambo, visiting Moray and the Maras Salt Mines by minivan. Pickup is included.

Private tour conducted in GermanUp to 10 people · Guide in English or Spanish · No fixed timePrivate tour. Duration: 6 hours. Visits Moray and the Salt Mines by minivan. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayLast departure this season: 20 May 2027

AgesAdult (18 to 85 years) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (4 to 10 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 16 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 26

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Machupicchu Latin America

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see two of the Sacred Valley's most distinctive Inca sites without arranging transport, timing stops, or navigating the sites alone: the small group and included guide make the half-day format work because everything is coordinated around a fixed schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (4 to 10 years); Infant (under 4): free.

How long is the Maras Salt Mines and Moray tour from Cusco?

It's a half-day tour. Duration varies slightly depending on traffic and how long you spend at each site, but plan for roughly 4–5 hours total including hotel pickup and drop-off.

What's included in the tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, transport between sites, bottled water, and an English-speaking guide. Entry fees to the sites are included.

How many people go on this tour?

Small groups of 4 to 8 people maximum. A minimum of 2 people per booking is required.

Is the Maras Salt Mines tour suitable for people with mobility issues?

The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, but both sites involve walking on uneven terrain and some elevation change. Moray in particular requires descending and ascending circular terraces.

Can infants go on this tour?

Yes, infants are welcome but must sit on an adult's lap during transport.

What's the difference between Maras and Moray?

Maras is a working salt mine with over 3,000 small pools where local families hand-harvest pink salt using methods dating to Inca times. Moray is an ancient circular agricultural site the Incas used to test crops at different altitudes and temperatures.

Do I need to arrange my own transport to the tour meeting point?

No. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cusco are included, so transport is handled for you.