We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco for the drive to the village of Chinchero.
Chinchero is a typical village, located on the patchwork of Andean crops which is the plain of Chinchero, at an altitude of 3,762 meters / 12,342 feet. The native Indian market is open on Sundays, when local people wearing the traditional dress of their respective communities, often unchanged since the 17th century, come from outlying villages to trade their goods. Aside from Sunday there is a daily market traders offer handcrafts, including textiles and jewelry, alpaca products, ponchos, ceramics, etc.
The village is also an important archaeological site. One side of the main square is bordered by a massive stone Inca wall featuring a series of niches, and beyond the village several outlying constructions and the remains of Inca terracing can also be visited. The Inca remains of Chinchero are attributed to the reign of Inca Tupac Yupanqui, the son of Pachacuteq, who may have used the village as a kind of country retreat. From Chinchero, we will continue our drive to Moray.
The concentric agricultural terraces of Moray. They were designed and constructed by the Incas as an agricultural laboratory. The circular terraces form a 150 meter / 492 feet deep amphitheater, with each level reproducing the temperatures found in different parts of the empire of Tahuantinsuyo, thus enabling the Incas to develop new crop strains and increase yields. At the Inca agricultural terraces of Moray, our guide will explain how the Incas developed complex farming techniques to increase their crop yields. After visiting Moray, we will continue to Maras village.
In Maras village we will have lunch at a local restaurant, before going to visit the salt pans of Maras.
The salt pans of Maras have been exploited since pre-Inca times. This series pools constructed to evaporate the salt water produced by a subterranean stream offer visitors a uniquely photogenic sight, with their flat, white surfaces contrasting with the surrounding green, vertical scenery. Our guide will explain how these ancient salt pans remain important to the local economy.
Return to Cusco or to the Sacred Valley in our private vehicle where you will be escorted to your hotel.
Traveling distance:
Cusco – Chinchero: 30 kilometers / 18.6 miles
Chinchero – Moray: 26 kilometers / 16.2 miles
Moray – Maras: 12 kilometers / 7.5 miles
- Total; 138 kilometers by car/ 85.7 miles (from Cusco round trip)
- Total; 97 kilometers by car/ 60 miles (from Cusco – ending in the Sacred valley)
Traveling – visiting time:
8 hours
Altitudes:
- Cusco 3,400 meters / 11,159 feet.
- Chinchero 3,762 meters / 12,342 feet
- Moray 3,509 meters / 11,512 feet
- Maras 3,385 meters / 11,105 feet
- Maras salt pans 3,014 meters / 9,888 feet
- Urubamba 2,871 meters / 9,419 feet.