Sacred Valley Tour with Moray and Salt Mines Included!

DAY 1: SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS (Pisac + Moray + Maras + Salt mines + Ollantaytambo) 

We will pick you up from your hotel at 7:30am with our private van and head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Just outside Cusco is an amazing farm with a collection of the Camelid family with 7 main species. The four species in Peru 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 these weird and wonderful animals.  Going through the center, you can watch the ladies in their traditional garments weaving different things, using wool from the camelids. You also get to experience 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.  You can buy the most authentic alpaca garments and if your budget allows, the more luxurious and protected Vicuna creations.  The Vicuna has the softest material, it feels lush and luxurious and because its a protected animal, all Vicuna garments come with a certification.

We stop at the mirador of Taray to enjoy a beautiful overhead view of the Urubamba valley which accents the surrounding mountain ranges. Next, we head to the archeological site of Pisac. This extensive site overlooks the green lush valley, it is the entry point to the valley. The Sacred Valley was agriculturally important to the Incas and still plays a major role in the sustenance of the Cusco region. Evidence of this can be found in the many food warehouse at the top of the hill, that were used for preservation because of the lower temperatures at the top. You also come across 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.

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

After lunch, we continue our journey to the colonial town of Maras, walking downhill to the pre-Inca salt mines. The locals have used over a thousand salt pans to extract salt since before Inca times and they still supply Peru with over 90% of its salt. A hot spring at the top of the valley trickles a stream of salty water, which fills the salt ponds and evaporates to produce salt. 

The salt mines gives you a taste of an age-old tradition, that has no changed for many generations.  The people in this community have been harvesting salt for many years. It’s a rich custom and tradition that has passed saltpans from one generation to the next. This has been their 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 techniques. The communal company of Maras (cooparative) 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 ampitheater with different temperature at each level which grows different types of crops. These levels of terraces were carved before the Incas took control of the Sacred Valley and then used by the Incas to research optimal growing conditions for their crops. The Incas brought in different soil samples from other regions, to optimise their research. The locals were still using it for growing their crops, until the 1970s when it was preserved and protected for tourism

Finally, we drive to Ollantaytambo to explore this quaint Inca village and the amazing Inca Ruins on the hilltop above. These ruins is where the Incas fought their last battle with the Spanish conquerous, before they had to retreat and flee into the dense jungle. Most of the structures were unfortunately incomplete. There is a section with a number of bolders that were carved, but didnt make it to their destination. Another possibility, is that the battle was so intense, it caused a lot of damage to this massive Inca site.

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

• Please Note: Its possible to end the tour in Ollantaytambo and the price will be the same.