Maras, Moray, salt mines and Chinchero, are an outdoor activity from Cusco city, around many local settlement farmers and near the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with an incredible view of the Vilcanota glacier range, In Maras we will wander through the famous salt terraces with more than a thousand pools of salt, also known as salt mines. On the other hand, Moray will present those impressive Andean circular structures that seem like gigantic fingerprints, that suggest a giant agricultural experimentation laboratory, and Chinchero will show to you a lot of ancient constructions, colorful textile made by local hands, traditions and colonial buildings.
OUT DOOR ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
HALF DAY: CUSCO – CHINCHERO – MARAS – MORAY –SOLT MINES – CUSCO
Tours run: 7:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M.
Our adventure starts early in the morning with our team picking you up from your hotel at 7:30am, and then we set out on our drive toward north of Cusco.
HIGHLIGHTS:
The impressive and complex system of salt pans
ONE DAY BEFORE THE TREK:
Briefing/ smoothllamaperu Cusco office.
It will be in our office which is located at Street Lizandro Montero Ñ – 4
All travelers are required to visit the Cuzco office for a mandatory briefing on your trek one day prior to departure at 6:00 pm. At this meeting you will receive detailed information on the route, a list of what to bring, confirm your pick-up for the morning of the trek and be able to ask questions. However, if you wish to receive all the information in your hotel, let us know and our guide will kindly approach your hotel for the informative meeting.
HALF DAY: CUSCO – CHINCHERO – MARAS – MORAY –SOLT MINES – CUSCO
Tours run: 7:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M.
Our adventure starts early in the morning with our team picking you up from your hotel at 7:30am, and then we set out on our drive toward north of Cusco, in 45 minutes of drive we get to Chinchero (3750m / 12.138ft.), passing smalls villages, local Andean farmers and farming areas.
CHINCHERO
Chinchero is an Inca town where it´s inhabitants keep a lot of ancient traditions, customs, beliefs, and ceremonies to the Pacha Mama (Mother Earth), where also you will see impressive constructions of the Inca period such as: Ceremonial Plazas, Ceremonial niches with trapezoidal shapes, farming terraces, Ceremonial altars, small houses, and much more, by other side, nice colonial constructions such as: casonas, church, bell tower, colonial arches and much more form seventeenth century. Chinchero was built by order of the Inca Tupac Yupanki as a temporary stay.
MARAS
It is a small town located west of Cusco, at (3300m / 10.826ft.), on a plain from where you can see different snowcapped mountains; such as: Apu Wakaywilca (5700m / 18.700ft.), Apu Chicon (5550m / 18.208ft.), Apu Sahuasiray (5580m / 18.306ft.), the town of Maras keep the colonial architectural beauty, at the entrances of the houses, in their lintels you can observe the ancient inscriptions, images that were sculpted in bas relief, from the colonial families.
MORAY
The Inca laboratories of Moray are located at (3500m / 11.482ft.), the agricultural terraces built on retaining walls filled with fertile soil and irrigated by complex irrigation systems, allowed to cultivate more than 250 plant species. These platforms have varied microclimates and served as Inca agricultural laboratory to experiment and discover the optimal conditions for their crops. Moray encloses history and landscape beauty, Moray has 3 open circular terraces, the ancient farmers were practicing genetically with many herbs and plant to become edible, and here was the place where they were adapting those seeds came from different heights such as: jungle, high land, tropical area, sacred valley of the Incas and the coast.
SALT MINES
Located at (3028m / 9.713ft.). The impressive and complex system of over 3000 small pools, you have the opportunity to see how the local workers fill the pools with salt water that comes from a natural Puquio (hot – springs), we will put our finger into the salty water to try how salty it is this water, more salty than the sea, now days people from Maras town (owner of the Inca salt mines) every family have 1 to 7 salt pans, they sell their products to Andean town, and occasionally tourist, we use in our meals the Inca salt, it the best the meals are more tasty, welcome if you want to get some Inca salt bags (optional), then we have to back to Cuzco city; in the way we stop to have a great view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, at Raqchi viewpoint. End of tour.
Inclusions: Cusco Accommodation Pick-Up, transport Cusco – tour out door activity
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Very Easy
WHAT IS INCLUDED
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Note: The price of the entrance tickets (BTG / Tourist Ticket) are:
ADULT PARTIAL TICKET: 70 soles o 23 USD
STUDENT PARTIAL TICKET: 70 soles (with student card)
Includes: Moray, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Pisaq (valid 1 day)
ADULT GENERAL ADMISSION: 130 soles o 43 USD
STUDENT GENERAL ADMISSION: 70 soles (with student card and must be under 25 years old)
Includes: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Folk Art Museum, and Regional Historical Museum, Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art, Qorikancha Site Museum, Qosqo Native Art Center, Pachacutec Monument, Tipon, Pikillacta, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero & Moray. (Valid 10 days)
PRICE: US$120 solo person
DISCOUNTS:
BOLETO TURISTICO (tourist ticket)
You have the Option to Purchase a 1 Day or a 10 Days Boleto Turístico.
Note: The price of the entrance tickets (BTG / Tourist Ticket) are:
ADULT PARTIAL TICKET: 70 soles o 23 USD
STUDENT PARTIAL TICKET: 70 soles (with student card)
Includes: Moray, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Pisaq (valid 1 day)
ADULT GENERAL ADMISSION: 130 soles o 43 USD
STUDENT GENERAL ADMISSION: 70 soles (with student card and must be under 25 years old)
Includes: Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay, Folk Art Museum, and Regional Historical Museum, Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art, Qorikancha Site Museum, Qosqo Native Art Center, Pachacutec Monument, Tipon, Pikillacta, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero & Moray. (Valid 10 days)
Note: The entrance ticket to the main archeological sites like Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Tipon and Moray cannot be sold individually; you must buy the Boleto Turístico to visit them. You can get it in Avenida el Sol nearby Peru office or at the time you enter the first site that you are visiting. YOU MUST PAY IN SOLES, NO CREDIT CARD OR US DOLLARS ARE ACCEPTED.
Important: These entrances are not included in the Boleto Turístico.
WHAT ABOUT THE PAYMENT BALANCE?
It would be greatly appreciated if you pay in cash at our office (US dollars or Peruvian soles) here in Cusco. We have many cash machines in the historical center to withdraw money. You can also pay by VISA or PAYPAL online but you will have to pay a 6% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. To pay your balance through PAYPAL, you need to log into your PAYPAL account using our email address of smoothllamaperu@gmail.com
WHO QUALIFY FOR THE STUDENT DISCOUNT?
SCHOOL STUDENT
With the passport or national ID – original ones, from 8 to 17 years old
WILL THE CAR IS GOING TO DROPP OFF US AT THE HOTEL?
Absolutely! Included in our packages is dropping you off at your hotel on the return from your trek or tour.
WHAT ABOUT TIPPING?
(smoothllamaperu staff receives a fair and decent payment immediately after they end their trip.)
**** (Please remember that tipping is 100% optional and depends entirely on the service you received. It is customary to give tips in Latin America, however it is NOT mandatory. If you do wish to give a tip, these are our recommended guidelines.)
ARE YOU PART OF THE SUSTAINABLE WORK?
Yes, we are a local sustainable & responsible tourism operator in that we incorporate the universal principles of tourism, protect the environment and benefit the local communities respecting their culture and religion. With this in mind, we have trained all our staff to know, understand and respect the local places and its people.
THINGS YOU MUST BRING WITH YOU
