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Sacred Valley Complete Tour: Full Day Inca Trail with Maras Salt Mines and Moray Terraces
4.9
15 Ratings
Chinchero
A memorable journey through the Sacred Inca Valley, linking the Maras salt mines and Moray’s Inca agricultural terraces, is an ideal choice for those short on time in Cusco city.
Enjoy breathtaking views of the picturesque Inca Valley, snowy peaks, cultivated fields, and vibrant, tradition-rich villages.
Duration:
13 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Chinchero - Our tour begins with a hotel pick-up at 06:30 AM, heading to the charming town of Chinchero. Here, we’ll explore the remnants of Tupac Inca Yupanqui’s royal estate, a stunning colonial church adorned with fascinating frescoes on its porch, built atop Inca foundations. We’ll also admire the Inca walls in the village’s main square, among other sights.
- Maras - Next, we visit Maras, a town 52 km from Cusco at an altitude of 3,380 meters. Maras is renowned for its salt mines, consisting of around 3,000 small wells, each about 5 square meters, where salt is extracted. The salt production involves extracting and drying saltwater from an underground spring. The “Salinas de Maras” have been in use since Inca times for economic exchange.
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Moray - We then move on to the Moray Archaeological Site, located about 7 km from Maras. Moray features a series of circular terraces of varying sizes, used by the Incas as an agricultural research center to study plant adaptation to new environments. The concentric stone rings widen as they rise, with a total depth of about 150 meters.
We’ll enjoy a buffet-style lunch at a tourist restaurant in Urubamba. - Ollantaytambo - In the afternoon, we head to Ollantaytambo village. We’ll first explore the Inca archaeological complex, built for defense against invasions. Then, we’ll stroll through the village streets to get a better sense of this military, religious, and cultural center during the Inca Empire.
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Pisac - Our next stop is Pisaq, where we’ll visit the local market before ascending to the Pisaq archaeological complex to see the agricultural terraces, cemeteries, and royal Inca structures. We’ll also stop at the Sacred Valley of the Incas viewpoint for stunning views and photos of the Andes Mountains and the Sacred Valley.
Finally, we’ll return to Cusco, arriving around 7:30 PM.
What's Included
- Transport
- Lunch
- Bi-lingual Guide
What's Not Included
- Full Tourist ticket (70 soles, Boleto Turistico, You can buy at the point of entry)
- Entry to Maras (10 soles, You can buy at the point of entry)
- Tips
Location
Chinchero
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(15 Ratings)
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Wiliansv2000
Jan 20, 2024
Must visit! - Circuit that you must visit when you are in Cusco. The tour was well organized where we visited Pisac, Chinchero, Ollantaytambo, Maras, and Moray. The guide gave us a lot of information about the archaeological sites and the history of the Incas.
Recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
691michealw
Jun 16, 2023
Awe Inspiring Sacred Valley Tour with Happy Gringo Tours - The Sacred Valley Tour with Happy Gringo Tours was an incredible experience. The guides were knowledgebale, offering deep indsight into the region`s rich history and culture. From breathtaking landscapes to local traditions, the tour was filled with unforgettable moents. Absolutely recommend for any onevisiting the Sacred Valley.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F1584unsofiag
May 5, 2023
Profesional Guide Tour. - I booked the tour with Ruben, he was an amazing Guide. He knows the Inca's culture deeply. And you will have the best photos of Machupichu, Ruben is a great photograph.
He is very attentive and kind.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
342tillym
May 30, 2022
Excellent 14 days in Peru. Completely unforgettable! - Myself and 3 other students all did a 14 day tour from Puno to Cusco including a stay on Amantani island, all of our day trips to rainbow mountain, humantay lake, the Inca sites and of course Machu Picchu. Marcos and the team were incredible, so friendly, so flexible and extremely helpful. We had the most amazing time and it worked out being excellent value for money. Marcos himself is so knowledgable about the area and they all went above and beyond to ensure we had the best time!! I would recommend this to everyone and I can’t thank them all enough for the experience!! (They even bought cake and balloons for my friends 21dt bday!).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melinda
May 30, 2022
I was a Happy Gringo at the end of the day1 - The day was jam-packed with information and sights all interesting in different ways. Jose Maria was more patient than me as some of the guests repeatedly returned late but he managed to keep us on schedule, and we didn't lose anyone.
One sign of a good tour company is how they deal with issues and Happy Gringo Tours excels in that regard. Traffic was bad in Cusco so my pickup was very late but Juan kept me apprised of the situation so I did not feel abandoned or concerned that nobody would come as has happened with other companies. Thanks, Juan and Happy Gringo Tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lourend71
Sep 13, 2021
Great day with Happy Gringo Tours - Our Sacred Valley tour was fantastic with Happy Gringo Tours Peru.
The Inca sites as Pisac, Olantaytambo and Moray were amazing Inca ruins. Marko was our tour guide who gave us a lot information about Incan history.
The buffet lunch at Urubamba province was very good, ceviche trout was very delicious and the transfer was always on time.
I will recommend my parents to travel with Gringo Tours and Marko Polo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lbsurfer
Jul 14, 2021
The Sacred Valley in Cusco was Amazing - This trip was an amazing one. Filled with serenity, knowledge, views and overall beauty. I highly recommend this tour. Gringo tours were exceptional and their tour guide was knowledgeable and spoke perfect English which helped. Thank u so much for an unforgettable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ajccardona6190
May 14, 2021
Quick Adjustment - I made a serious error when booking this tour. I had my days mixed up and was not able to do my full day tour as I arrived in cusco at noon. Happy Gringro could have just kept my payment and not honored my trip as it was my error in booking. They actually called me and made arrangements to Make a modified personal tour for me and my wife later the same day. That is customer service at its best. I had the error they had no obligation to help and they did. I strongly recommend this group. Marco was very knowledgeable .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tmmichaelp
Jan 15, 2020
Awesome Day Tour - After Machu Picchu, we planned to visit the sacred valley of the Inkas with Happy Gringo Tours. Definitely the tour was excelent thanks to our guide Mauro who gave us alot information of the Inkas and culture.
We will recommend our friends to travel with this local company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nora_b
Apr 15, 2024
A bit crammed, but you do see it all - We didn't quite realize how much was going to be packed into one day. We saw every site in the Sacred Valley which is too much. If I could do it again, I'd choose a tour that visited Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Moray, and the textile presentation. Our guide tried to provide information while we drove around in the bus, but the microphone and audio system made it almost impossible to understand what she was saying. If you have an aversion to buffets, I highly suggest bringing a boxed lunch from your hotel. This trip will take 13 hours, even if your guide says otherwise at the start of the day, so bring snacks.
Review provided by Viator
