Maras and Moray: a Local's Guide to the Salt Mines and Circular Terraces
Maras and Moray: a Local's Guide to the Salt Mines and Circular Terraces
I am a guide in Cusco, and if you ask me which two Sacred Valley sites leave my passengers speechless in a single morning, the answer is instant: the Maras Salt Mines and the Moray terraces. One is a white checkerboard of thousands of salt ponds hanging off a hillside; the other, an amphitheater of circular terraces the Incas used as a farming laboratory. They sit minutes apart and are visited together in half a day. Here is everything, just as I tell it on tour.
What are the Maras Salt Mines?
The Salineras de Maras are over 3,000 salt ponds terraced above the Qaqawiñay ravine. Water springs from an underground source loaded with salt and, since pre-Inca times, families from the community have channeled it into small terraces where the sun evaporates it, leaving crystallized salt.
What I love telling visitors: this is not a museum — it is a living, communal, family-run operation. Every pond has an owner within the Maras community, and the salt harvest is shared among families just as it was centuries ago. Walking the narrow paths between ponds, you are watching real work, not a stage set for tourists.
Entry to the Salt Mines costs about S/10 per person and is paid separately from the Tourist Ticket (this site is not included). The fee goes straight to the community, so paying it supports the people who keep the place alive.
What is Moray?
Moray, a few kilometers away, is completely different: concentric circular terraces descending in enormous rings, like an amphitheater sunk into the earth. For the Incas it was a farming laboratory — a place to experiment with crops at different levels.
The genius detail is the microclimates. Between the top terrace and the bottom there can be up to a 15 °C temperature difference. That let the Incas test how potatoes, corn and other species behaved in conditions mimicking the empire's different ecological zones before planting them at scale. Scientific agriculture, 500 years ago.
Moray is covered by the Cusco Tourist Ticket, so with the full ticket (or the Sacred Valley partial) you walk in at no extra cost. Not sure which to buy? Read my Cusco Tourist Ticket guide.
Maras vs Moray at a glance
| Aspect | Maras Salt Mines | Moray Terraces |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Pre-Inca salt ponds, community-run | Circular terraces, Inca crop laboratory |
| Approx. altitude | ~3,380 m | ~3,500 m |
| Entry | ~S/10 (separate from Tourist Ticket) | Included in Tourist Ticket |
| Visit time | 45–60 min | 45–60 min |
| Best time | Morning (best light, fewer people) | Morning to mid-morning |
How to get there from Cusco
From Cusco, Maras and Moray are just over 1 hour by car. The most comfortable way is a half-day tour departing in the morning, or adding them to a Sacred Valley full day. The route follows the Urubamba highway, then a turnoff to the town of Maras.
To make the most of the day, combine Maras and Moray with Chinchero, another Sacred Valley town famous for its colonial church and its weavers. Many of my passengers do the Chinchero – Moray – Maras circuit in one outing, and it rounds off beautifully.
See routes and ready-made options on my tours page, and to understand the region better, read about the Sacred Valley and my list of things to do in the Sacred Valley.
Best time of day
For the Maras Salt Mines, I insist: go in the morning. The light hits the white ponds head-on and the contrast with the ravine is spectacular for photos. By midday the high-altitude sun beats down with little shade.
For Moray, morning or mid-morning works well; the open terrain photographs well in any good light, but before 11 you dodge the big groups.
What to bring
Given the altitude and the sun, my short list for this tour never changes:
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. The Sacred Valley sun fools you — cool air, strong burn.
- Water: at least half a liter; the walking is light but you are above 3,300 meters.
- Comfortable, grippy footwear: the narrow paths between salt ponds can be slippery.
- A light layer: mornings start cold, then warm up.
- Cash in soles: for the Salt Mines entry and to buy Maras salt — the perfect souvenir.
Photography: where the best shots are
At Maras, the most striking photos are from the entrance viewpoint, with the white ponds cascading toward the ravine. Down on the paths, look for the sky reflected in freshly filled ponds.
At Moray, stand on the upper rim of the main amphitheater to capture the full rings; a person standing at the bottom conveys the brutal scale. Morning side-light defines the terraces best.
Final tips from a local guide
Do not rush. Maras and Moray are best enjoyed walking slowly, hearing the story behind each pond and terrace. Freshly arrived in Cusco? This half-day tour is an excellent way to acclimatize without major effort before going up to Machu Picchu. And buy your little bag of salt directly from the families — you take Cusco home to your kitchen.
Book your Maras and Moray tour
Ready to see the salt mines and the circular terraces with me? Write to hola@danfertourscusco.com and we will set up your trip, on its own or combined with Chinchero and the rest of the Sacred Valley. Browse all options on my tours page — see you on the road.
