Sacred Valley Tour with Moray & Salt Mines – 1 Day

Our tour through the Sacred Valley begins at 7:30am with a pick-up up from your hotel lobby. We recommend having breakfast in your hotel before we set off.

Traditional Weaving Center

We begin our scenic drive through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, stopping along the way at a camelid farm just outside of Cusco. The four main species of camelid include the Llama, Alpaca, Guanacos, and the Vicuna which is the National Animal of Peru.

Inside the farm, you get to pet, feed and take pictures with the alpacas and llamas that call this place home. Passing through the center, we can watch the ladies in their traditional wear weaving different textiles, using the wool from the camelids.

We will learn about the natural way in which they dye the wool, using roots and indigenous plants. At the exit, there is a museum with a souvenir shop where you can purchase authentic alpaca garments and if your budget allows, the more luxurious and protected Vicuna creations.

The Vicuna has super soft material and feels lush and luxurious. Because Vicunas are protected animals, all garments made from their wool have to be sold with a certification of trade and authentication. Their wool is some of the most expensive in the world.

Mirador of Taray and Pisac Archeological site

Our second stop on our Sacred Valley tour is the stunning Mirador of Taray, where we get to enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the valley, including of our next destination, Pisac.

Pisac is regarded as the gateway to the valley and the view from this outlook is a glimpse into what you have to look forward to for the rest of the day.

Next, we drive to the entrance of the archeological site, siting perched atop the mountain side. The Sacred Valley was agriculturally important to the Incas and still plays a major role in the sustenance of the Cusco region.

Evidence to support the theory of agricultural practices has been found at the top of the hill, which is laden with many food warehouses. These warehouses were used by the Incas to store food where the temperature is much cooler compared to the bottom of the valley.

These ruins are also home to the biggest Inca cemetery, with over 2000 tombs decorating the mountain side. It is said that if you visit these tombs, you can still find human skeletal remains.

Town of Coya, Calca and Urubamba

We drive through the small indigenous towns of Coya and Calca before stopping at the foot of Urubamba for a buffet lunch. The restaurant has an impressive spread and is vegan and vegetarian friendly. There is a variety of fresh vegetables, salads, protein dishes, desserts, a selection of teas and coffee. (Lunch is not included)

Maras and Moray Salt Mines

After lunch, we continue our journey to the colonial town of Maras, walking downhill to the Pre-Inca Salt Mines. The locals use over a thousand salt pans to collect water from the salt stream at the top of the hill.

They extract the salt by allowing the naturally salty water to evaporate until only the salt remains in the pool, ready to be collected for distribution.

This technique can be traced back to Pre-Inca times. The locals still maintain this ancient technique. This is Peru’s main salt supply, supplying over 90% of the country with salt.

This a rich custom and tradition and the saltpans have been passed down from one generation to the next. This is the communities main source of income and they have exclusive rights to these mines.

Salineras is one of the very few salt mines left in the world to have not switched to more modern salt extraction techniques. The communal company of Maras (cooperative) packages and distributes the salt and splits the profits with the families according to the number of saltpans they own.

Later, we visit Moray, which was an experimental farming site built in the form of an amphitheater with each level comes a different temperature, and so each level grows different types of crops.

These levels of terraces were carved before the Incas took control of the Sacred Valley. Then the Incas used it for their experimental farming, to research optimal growing conditions for their crops.

The Incas brought in different soil samples from other regions in order to optimize their research. The locals were still using the site for growing their crops until the Peruvian government decided to preserve and protect it for tourism in the 1970s.

Archeological site in Ollantaytambo

For our final stop on the tour, we drive to Ollantaytambo. This quaint Inca village and the amazing Inca Ruins on the hilltop overlooking the town are the highlight for many travelers visiting.

These ruins are where the Incas fought their last battle with the Spanish conquerors before they had to retreat and flee into the dense jungle. Most of the structures were unfortunately incomplete or destroyed by the intense battle.

There is a section with a number of boulders that were carved but didn’t make it to their destination. We stop here to learn the fascinating history of the final days of the Inca Empire and watch the sunset over the valley.

To end the day, we drive back in our private van to Cusco, arriving at your hotel at around 6:30 pm.

• Please Note: It’s possible to end the tour in Ollantaytambo. The price of the tour will be the same.