Moray Terraces & Maras Salt Pans

On the high plateau above the Sacred Valley, between Chinchero and Urubamba, two remarkable sites lie a few kilometers apart, and together they make one of the most memorable half days in the region. Moray is a set of great circular depressions in the land, each sculpted into concentric Inca terraces that descend like an amphitheater, the largest many tiers deep. The temperature varies markedly between the top and bottom terraces, creating a series of microclimates, and the leading theory is that the Incas used them as an agricultural research center, experimenting with and adapting crops such as potatoes and corn to different conditions. The site covers about 37 hectares and is included in the Boleto Turistico. A short drive away, down a winding road past the village of Maras, are the Salineras de Maras, the salt pans: thousands of small, shallow pools cascading down a steep valley side, fed by a hypersaline spring that emerges from the mountain, where the water is channeled from pool to pool and left to evaporate in the sun. The pans have been worked since before the Incas, and they are still harvested by families from the local communities, who own individual pools and sell the pink-tinged salt in the shops at the entrance. Entry to the salt pans is a separate small fee in soles, around S/20, paid to the community company that manages them. The pools look different with the seasons: in the dry months they are brilliant white with salt, while in the rainy season, which begins in November, they fill with water, harvesting pauses, and the colors shift to browns and ochres. Many visitors combine the two sites with Chinchero on the way from Cusco to the valley.

How to visit: most people go on a half-day tour from Cusco or the Sacred Valley, or with a taxi or private driver, which gives you more time and lets you choose the order. From the valley floor, Moray and Maras are each about forty-five minutes to an hour by road; from Cusco, allow an hour or more each way. A popular active option is to hike or mountain bike from Moray down through Maras village and the salt pans to the Urubamba river at Pichingoto, a spectacular descent that ends in the valley. At Moray, you can walk around the rims and along paths that give views into the terraces; walking on the terraces themselves is restricted to protect them.

At the salt pans: follow the marked walkway along the edge of the pools, as walking among them is no longer permitted. The light is best in the morning or mid-afternoon, and the dry season shows the whitest salt; in the rainy months the pans are still worth seeing for their scale and geometry. The shops at the entrance sell salt in many forms, including flavored salts, bath salts and pink salt, and buying here supports the families who work the pools.

Practical notes: Moray sits at roughly 3,500 meters and the salt pans just below that, so walk slowly and carry water and sun protection; the plateau is exposed and windy. Bring cash in soles for the salt pans fee, which is separate from the Boleto Turistico, and for purchases. The roads are paved but narrow and winding, with heavy tour traffic in the late morning. In the rainy season, afternoon storms build quickly over the plateau, so a morning visit is wise.