Maras Moray Machu Picchu Tour has become a place not to be missed during your visit To Cusco, not only because of its beauty but also because this place is unique and special. Starting the day exploring Chinchero, the handicraft Market, arrive at the Circular terraces of Moray, the picturesque town of Maras, Salineras, and finally, Ollantaytambo during the first day, The second, Explore Machu Picchu and its hidden treasures before Taking the Panoramic Vistadome Train back to Cusco.
NOT INCLUDED
PLACES WE VISIT:
CHINCHERO (Land of great weavers). located only 45 minutes drive from Cusco, famous because of its local market, colonial church, and farming terraces. The Inhabitants are mainly indigenous Quechua descendants dedicated mainly to agriculture and weaving. Chinchero produces the best textiles in the region, woven with Andean designs, natural colors, and using ancient traditional tools.
MORAY (Greenhouses). Located at 3,500 m (11,500 ft.), This stunning archeological site is compound by 4 enormous Roman amphitheater-like circular terraces, each of which has its own irrigation system. Although the purpose of these terraces is unknown, it is believed that the terraces were used as “greenhouses” used for agricultural experimentation, an adaptation of different crops due to the huge difference between each terrace enabling to get different microclimates and plants.
SALT MINES (Salineras). The Salineras have been in this place since pre-Inca times in an impossibly steep mountain slope; the villagers of Maras harvest the salt in more than 3000 thousand ponds using the same technology as their ancestors did. The process takes about a month to place the salty water every day to the pools to later be evaporated until it gets about 10 cm high to be harvested and sent to the local markets.
OLLANTAYTAMBO (Last living Inca Citadel). Located at 94 Km of Cusco, Ollantaytambo is the door to Machu Picchu, surrounded by massive mountains, narrow cobblestone streets, and a beautiful Inca site, is the only city that has been continuously inhabited since Inca times (14th Century), That is why the city is called the last living Inca citadel. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, it was used as a stronghold during the Battle of Ollantaytambo.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BOOK
We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8:00 am, drive to Chinchero where we will explore the archeological site, the beautiful colonial church, and visit the handicraft market. It’s then a 1-hour drive to Moray where we visit the circular farming terraces, Maras town. Lunch is in a local restaurant overlooking the Mountains.
After lunch, we start the second part visiting Salineras, where locals are extracting salt since the Inca Times, drive later to Ollantaytambo to explore the Town and archeological site. Dinner in a local restaurant and take the train to Aguas Calientes, spend the night in a 3-star hotel.