Tour to Maras & Moray

Moray.- The archaeological remains of Moray are located 7 kilometers from Maras, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 38 km northwest of Cusco. It is possible to get to Moray through the road that starts from the town or directly from a detour of the main road. Moray is a Quechua word and names a sector occupied by the peasant communities of Misminay and ka’cllaraqay. Moray was possibly an Inca agricultural research center where crop experiments were carried out at different heights, the layout of its platforms produces a gradient of microclimates with the center of concentric circular platforms having a higher temperature and gradually decreasing towards the outside lower temperatures, thus being able to simulate up to 20 different types of microclimates. It is believed that Moray could have served as a model for the calculation of agricultural production not only from the Urubamba Valley but also from different parts of the Tawantinsuyo. The microclimates of the terraces or platforms that surround the largest funnel (Qechuyoq) are distributed in sectors of four contiguous levels, each sector with its own micro climatic characteristics.

Maras.- Towards the northwest of this town are “the salineras de Maras” which are well known. You can get there by foot on a bridle path, or you can also get there by car on a dirt road. The salt mine is formed by 3000 small wells with an approximate area of ​​5 m² each. In times of drought these are filled with salt water that comes from a natural spring that is located above the wells. When the water evaporates, the salt crystallizes. When the salt reaches about 10 cm in height from the floor it is removed and then bagged in cloth sacks to be sent to the markets of the region; today that salt is being iodized by state standards. This salt, in addition to sodium chloride, has other minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper.

• Half-day excursion, from 5 to 6 hours.
• Tourist vehicle. Guia biligue.
• Income to Maras.
• Income to Moray (if you have BTG to take).
• Picnic.
• Mineral water and snacks.

No included:

• Meals not described in the program.
• Additional drinks.

Suggestions:

• Camera.
• sunblock
• Sun cap.
• Clothes for the cold.
• Money small denomination.

After breakfast, our guide will pass by the hotel in Cusco or Sacred Valley at 09:30 am to start this new experience, our first stop will be in the town of Chinchero, we will visit a local house to appreciate the weaving demonstration, we will appreciate the Chinchero woman keep ancestral customs intact, we will have intervals to take photos of the memory; then continue the excursion to the Maras mine, where you will appreciate the salt storage wells, we will continue to the agricultural experimental center of Moray, in Inca times it was a very important center where plants were acclimatized in a system of circular terraces. At the end of the excursion, you will be delighted with the country picnic and also appreciate the beautiful cultivated fields, finally, our transport in the company of our guide will leave you at your hotel in the Sacred Valley or in the city of Cusco.