Maras, Moray & Community Visit

This full day tour is great for those who would like to get out of the city for a day and visit a local Andean village to learn about the Quechua culture, witness the impressive circular Inca terraces of Moray and walk through the many crystallized salt mines of Maras which are still in use today. Learn how the locals live off the land and enjoy a drive through country roads to historical sites that should not be missed on your trip!

Itinerary

Visit Mara and Moray

We will pick you up at 8:00 am and we will drive for about 45 minutes to the town of Chinchero. Here we will visit a weaving co-op where we will learn about the ancient weaving process which is still practiced here. Then we will head to an Andean village to visit a local family and be invited into their house. They will serve us a traditional lunch which is made from the crops that they harvest from their fields (such as a vegetable soup, boiled potatoes, corn, and lima beans). We will learn about the local family’s traditional Andean culture. Most locals here only speak Quechua, but your guide will be able to translate so that you can talk to the family and get to know them. We will also visit some of the farms and learn about local crops and will also see locals shepherding and tending their livestock including sheep, pigs, cows, and donkeys.

After thanking our hosts, we will drive down a country road to visit the nearby Moray terraces. These unique and grand circular terraces were made in natural depressions and seemed to have been used as a type of laboratory for growing and testing new varieties of vegetables at different temperatures. We will visit the different terraces and have a thorough tour before we drive to our last site called the Maras salt mines. At this site we will see how the mines are fed with springs saturated with salt and will also learn the important role that salt played during the Inca Empire. Once we finish taking pictures we will head back to Cusco and drop you off at your hotel around 6:00 pm.

Included & Not Included

Services Included:

  • Transportation all day
  • Ticket to the Maras Salt Mines
  • Official tour guide fluent in English, Spanish and Quechua
  • Traditional lunch in a local house

Not Included:

  • The entrance fees to the archaeological and tourist sites are not included. Please note that you will need to purchase a tourist pass to enter the sites on this tour. You can purchase a partial tourist pass for 70 soles (about $20 USD) if you plan to only visit Moray and the sites in the Sacred Valley during your trip. However, if you plan to visit sites in both the Sacred Valley and Cusco, we recommend you purchase the full tourist pass for 130 soles (about $40 USD). It is not necessary to purchase the tourist pass in advance, as you can get it at the first site we visit on the tour. Please see our blog here for more information about the tourist pass options.
  • Tip for your guide (optional)

What to Bring

  • Good sneakers or light hiking boots
  • A small day backpack to carry your personal belongings
  • Camera
  • Comfortable hiking clothes
  • Rain jacket or plastic poncho
  • Water and snacks
  • If you would like to donate some items to the local children or families, we recommend bringing toothbrushes, writing utensils, basic level English books, notebooks, etc. Please feel free to ask us if there are certain items that we recommend bringing depending on the time on year when you will be visiting.

Price

Number of People You Book With Price per Person in US Dollars
1-2 people $110 USD per person
3-5 people $90 USD per person
6-8 people $70 USD per person
9+ people Please contact us for a special price!
Discounts:

  • Children 5-10 years old – $20 USD off
  • Children 4 years old and under – Free

*We need a minimum of 2 people to run the tour. We guarantee that your tour will be limited to a maximum of 8 people. To ensure a private tour with us, our price increases $20 per person.

How to Book

We only require a minimum of 2 people to organize this tour, so if there are at least 2 people total in your group we can organize this tour for the start date that you choose. If you are traveling by yourself, please email us to check the availability and let us know the tour(s) that you are interested in and the dates when you are available.

To reserve your tour, please send an email to info@cusitravel.com with the following information for each traveler: complete name, nationality, date of birth, and gender. Please let us know the tour you want to do, the date you are looking to do the tour, and how many people are in your group. The next step to reserve your tour is to have each person pay a deposit of $50. To make your deposit, please pay by selecting the correct amount below or by visiting our Book Now page. The remaining balance is due in Cusco in cash (either in US dollars or Peruvian soles).

Select the amount to deposit:

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Related Tours:

Cusco Day Hike

1-Day Machu Picchu Tour

Maras, Moray & Community Visit

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