Why You Should Visit Maras Peru (+ How To Plan Your Trip)

What Is Maras Peru Known For?

Located up within the mountains around Cusco, Maras is best known for its thousands of coloured salt pools, which range from bright pinks and reds to yellows and greens. They are believed to be over 500 years old – and therefore can be traced back to the Inca who were believed to have also used them during their reign of Peru.

Nowadays these hundreds of salt pools are each owned by local families, each being split up to those who come from the Maras area. They are used for harvesting rich salt each year, which is often then sold in varieties such as black salt or traditional white salt, as well as made into products like salt-rich chocolate, bath salts and soaps.

How To Plan Your Day Trip To Maras Peru 

Your first step will be deciding if you want to head there independently or take a tour. If you choose the former then you’ll need to catch local colectivos around the Sacred Valley to get there – and also understand that you won’t have a local guide to explain the site to you. Alternatively you can head on our Maras half day tour which includes all private transport and guides.

Once you arrive into Maras, you can first begin by exploring the salt pools. You’ll need a tourist ticket which can be bought at the entrance – and we recommend the extensive one given you can then visit nearby Moray Ruins (which is the final stop of this itinerary). After enjoying the views over the multi-colored pools, you can then head down to Maras town to check out a true Sacred Valley town with beautiful colonial architecture.

Finally our last stop will be the beautiful Moray Ruins, which have an eccentric circle-terraced shape and were believed to be used for agricultural purposes. Getting between Maras and Moray Ruins isn’t too difficult using local transport, and there’s also the option of heading on an adrenaline-pumping ATV tour too which is quite memorable in itself!

Frequently Asked Questions About Maras Peru

Below we’ll now answer some of the frequent questions we get about Maras Peru, as well as anything else important that you need to know.

What Is The Elevation Of Maras Peru?

Maras Peru is located up at an altitude of 3300m, which is some 99 metres less than that of Cusco. If you struggle with altitude or are worried about getting any symptoms, then we highly recommend following top altitude sickness prevention tips such as drinking coca leaf tea and taking Soroche pills (local medication that can be bought in Cusco) to prevent altitude sickness.

How Long To Spend At Maras Salt Mines?

This really depends on you and if you like taking your time to explore the site. However usually tourists spend between an hour to two hours at the Maras salt mines – and it can usually be seen quicker too as we will be walking on platforms above the site (we can’t actually walk down in and around the thousands of salt pools).

Are Maras And Moray Worth Visiting?

If you love incredible sights and ancient history, then we would probably put both Maras and Moray near the top of the list for sites worth visiting in the Sacred Valley. Both are incredibly unique in their designs and functions, and both have roots way back to the ancient Inca times. Remember you can easily visit both on our half day trip from Cusco.

Overview Of Visiting Maras Peru

And that’s all for this guide on why you should visit Maras Peru.

Yet another incredible site to visit within the Sacred Valley region of Peru, Maras should be on all itineraries when heading to Cusco. Not only can we see the ancient Inca salt pools and visit the nearby circular ruins of Moray, we can also explore the charming mountain village of Maras itself when we are here.

Looking for the easiest and most comfortable way of visiting both Maras and Moray? Check out our half day tour from Cusco now, which includes all private transport, hotel pick-up and drop-off as well as an expert guide who will lead you around these ancient sites.