Half-Day Maras Moray Tour Private Service
Description
The true hidden paths of the Inca Valley are Maras Moray tour. Maras unexpected beauty are on its salt fields that are shining against the blue sky or reflecting in contrasting the green valleys on their side of the mountains, making this salt rocks an incredible to see. The mystery of Moray still unknown on the purpose on their circular design. Like many Inca constructions it has an irrigation system and terraces but still questions on their structural depressions similar a Roman coliseum. Some say it was for agricultural experiments on different crops but their depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C (27 °F). The Maras Moray tour will make a difference on your visit to the Urubamba Valley.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our first stop is Maras, from which, we can get to the salt mines. The salt mines display a bizarre spectacle of beauty. Located on a wide-open hill above the Urubamba Valley, a natural salt water stream runs underground. In pre-Incan times, they have been evaporating the salty water from this stream in order to obtain the salt that gets left behind. How it works: The highly salty water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream. The flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. The water, which is exposed to the sun, leaves salt on the land. Viewed from the peak, the myriad of rectangles looks like an enormous painting designed by nature.
After visiting the salt mines near Maras, we continue on a short distance to the Moray ruins. The ruins are composed of three coliseums, which are thought to have been used by the Incas as a sort of open air crop laboratory. The coliseums consist of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is about 30m/98ft deep. The purpose of these depressions is still uncertain but their depth and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C/27 °F between the top and bottom. This large temperature difference was possibly used by the Incas to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. The terraces are arranged in concentric circles and are reminiscent of an ancient Greek theatre.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please provide us with your hotel information.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Note: If you do not have a tourist ticket, it can be purchased at Moray
Reviews(14)
We had a wonderful tour guide Walther who went out of his way to make our time enjoyable and informative. He is the best guide. Well done Walther.
Thank you very much for sharing your kind review with us. We are delighted to know that you had a wonderful 13-day tour in Peru and that Walther made your experience enjoyable and informative. We truly appreciate your kind words and will be happy to share them with Walther.
Thoroughly enjoyed Edward as our guide and his team. The knowledge the guides have is phenomenal and Edward was always helpful and calm in his guidance, We always learnt a lot about this part of the world,
Thank you so much for your lovely words! We’re delighted to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed your time with Edward and the rest of our team. It means a lot to know that Edward’s calm, helpful guidance and the team’s deep knowledge helped you learn more about this beautiful part of the world
I just want to say thank you Andres for being a great tour guide and a great friend throughout my visit in the sacred valley and mara & moray ! You truly made my trip special from the conversation we had, to the knowledge you've gave me about the history of peru something i'll always cherish thank you !
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience. We are delighted to hear that Andrés not only guided you with knowledge and passion through the Sacred Valley, Maras, and Moray, but also created a personal connection that made your trip truly special. Meaningful conversations and cultural insights are at the heart of what we aim to provide, and it’s wonderful to know these moments will stay with you. We greatly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you back to Peru for more unforgettable experiences.
Super recommended Valencia Travel, your guides are super experienced and take great care of you, our Guide was Corina and was always very professional in the tour, really highly recommended we had a fantastic time!!
Hola, Andrea! Muchas gracias por tu comentario y valoración. Nos alegra saber que tu experiencia con Valencia Travel Cusco ,nuestros guías, altamente experimentados, se esfuerzan por brindar un cuidado excepcional a nuestros viajeros. Estamos encantados de que Corina, haya sido profesional y te haya proporcionado un recorrido memorable. Agradecemos tu confianza en nosotros y esperamos tener la oportunidad de servirte nuevamente en el futuro para seguir explorando los maravillosos destinos que ofrecemos. ¡Gracias por elegir Valencia Travel! Nuestros mejores deseos. El equipo de Valencia Travel
Marcial Paredes was fantastic. He was friendly, informative, helpful and love the history of Peru and Inca history!!! Highly recommend him 👍👍👍👍👍
Dear Peter, Thank you so much for your comment! It's great to know you had a great experience with Marcial and the rest of the team. Thank you for the recommendation, we hope to welcome you back again soon!
The half-day excursion is amazing! Our guide was knowledgeable, patient, and overall wonderful. He took us to a local collaborative, where we learned how textiles are made and colored. Then we visited Maras and Moray, where we learned a lot and soaked up the grandeur of it all. Absolutely recommend the trip. I also want to give a shout out to Miguel Cuba, who helped coordinate our whole week in Peru, including troubleshooting our plans when we had to get off the Inca trail due to a medical emergency. He was with us every step of the way and was extremely helpful! Could not thank him more!!!
Dear ValCandon, Thank you for your amazing comment! We are so happy to know you had an amazing experience in your Maras Moray tour. We will let Miguel know about your kind words. We hope to welcome you back again in Peru soon!
We were picked up at 9:00 am to go to Maras Salt Mines first and then Moray. Our driver, Jeffrey, was very good despite the bumpy road conditions. We went during rainy season which meant we were not able to actually walk around salt mines -- we just viewed from different terraces - still very cool though. The entrance fee is about $8 US dollars. Then we went to Moray where the entrance fee was about $30 US dollars but a sight to see. I recommend going not during the high season to avoid crowds. Elizabeth was our guide and she was fabulous! She even gave us the option to stop by a local textiles place on the way back to Cusco to see how the local women dye and sew alpaca fur. A great half day tour to book in between excursions if you're not too tired. We got back around 2:30.
Dear guest; Thank you so much for your detailed review regarding your experience in Maras Salt Mines and Moray. I´m sure the provided information will be very usefull for all the future adventure seekers. If there is anything you may need from us, please don´t hesitate to get in touch, more than happy to help. Best Regards, Rene Hurtado V. General Manager
At the beginning of the tour, the tour guide was 20 min late and additionally we had to wait 10 more minutes before our driver arrived. Both sights were quite interesting and definitely worth it to visit. Our tour guide provided great insides of Peru’s history and the sights. Nevertheless, i wished to receive more insides on the production and background of the salt plantations. Additionally as there was just the guide and the pick up included, it was quite expensive. Afterwords we discovered that driving with a Uber is only ~200 soles, which would have been way less.
Visiting Maras and Moray in midday is adequate time to visit these two places because most of the tour is done by bus and what you have to do on foot is not as much as elsewhere. Malls are also visited. Gives time to make other panoramas the rest of the day
Estimada Marta; Muchas gracias por compartir su grata experiencia en Maras - Moray. Definitivamente es un tour que no pueden dejar pasar si están de visita por Cusco. Es un tour tranquilo que no requiere de mayor esfuerzo y lo mejor es que solo necesita medio día. Invitamos a todos los que estén planeando venir a Cusco, incluir este tour en su itinerario de viaje, no se arrepentirán de vivir esta experiencia. Una vez más, muchas gracias por dejarnos su comentario. Saludos cordiales, Rene Hurtado V. Gerente General
It is super worth seeing the Salinas and Maras Moray if you have time. Very beautiful place and very well planned. You have a fantastic energy. I super recommend. We bought the big tickets that gives right to several entries in parks, museums and archaeological sites for 130 soils. Which gives about 150 reals more or less. The shipping we paid 80 soles each Cover.
Muito obrigado por compartilhar sua experiência no Peru. Caso pretenda visitar o Peru novamente, não hesite em nos contatar, teremos prazer em ajudá-lo Tenha um bom dia! Rene Hurtado V. Gerente Geral
