Why Maras and Moray Are Must-Sees
Maras' more than 3,000 salt evaporation ponds cascade down a mountainside, fed continuously by a natural subterranean spring that has run since long before the Incas arrived. Local families still work the pools by hand today, exactly as their ancestors did, harvesting pink Andean salt one pool at a time.
A short drive away, Moray's concentric circular terraces form one of the Andes' most striking engineering mysteries. Descending from rim to center, the terraces create a measurable temperature difference between levels — strong evidence that the Incas used the site as an agricultural laboratory to test crop varieties under different microclimates within a single, deliberately engineered structure.
How they fit into your day
Our Sacred Valley Full Day tour visits Moray at 9:30 AM, while the morning light is still soft, and Maras at 11:00 AM, before continuing to a well-earned lunch in Urubamba, then Ollantaytambo and Pisac in the afternoon. See the complete itinerary for the full schedule, or our full attractions guide for a closer look at what makes each of the five stops worth the visit.
Looking for just Maras & Moray?
We don't currently run a stand-alone Maras-Moray-only departure — both sites are already included in the complete Sacred Valley Full Day tour at no extra cost, alongside three additional Inca sites, for the same US$32 price. It's rarely worth paying a separate rate for a shorter version when the full day covers so much more ground for the same money.
Curious how this compares to the shorter route? Compare the Sacred Valley Classic and Complete Tours in detail. Continuing toward Machu Picchu afterward? Learn how to end your Sacred Valley tour in Ollantaytambo.
