Cusco, Peru: Maras and Moray Exploration. After breakfast at the hotel, get ready to meet your guide at the lobby of the hotel for a guided exploration of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Your journey will take you to two of the main treasures of the Sacred Valley of the Incas: Maras and Moray.Â
You’ll visit the salt mines of Maras, perched on an open hill in the Urubamba Valley. Here, you’ll discover the fascinating process the Incas developed, where a subterranean stream brings salty water to the surface. You’ll learn how this water flows into a complex network of tiny channels, gradually filling hundreds of ancient terraced ponds. As the sun evaporates the water, it leaves behind the salt that has sustained this area for centuries.
Next, you’ll explore the Moray ruins, featuring three circular coliseums believed to have served as an open-air agricultural laboratory for the Incas. These massive, terraced depressions, with the largest reaching about 30 meters (98 feet) deep, showcase concentric circles that resemble an ancient Greek theater. Marvel at how this region, with its fertile lands and impressive archaeological sites, reflects the advanced construction techniques and lifestyle of the Inca Empire.
At the end of your morning of exploration you will be transferred back to your hotel.
