The Maras Salt Mines Cusco Peru
2 min readThe Maras Salt Mines Cusco Peru
If you are visiting Cusco Peru, this is one of the mandatory stops of their local tours. This is the Maras Salt Mines, also known as Salineras de Maras, are a series of thousands of salt pans located in the Sacred Valley near the town of Maras, about 40 kilometers north of Cusco, Peru. In total, there are 4500 salt pans.
This is quite interesting as you can see the salt pans from the top and it is really beautiful. Due to the rain a day earlier, it looks a bit muddy but this is the how it looks like.
Do you know that the salt pans are an important part of the local economy and have been used for salt production since pre-Incan times.
The salt pans are fed by a natural saline spring, which emerges from a nearby mountain and is channeled into the pans. The salt water is then evaporated by the sun and wind, leaving behind a layer of salt that is harvested by the local community. The salt is used for culinary and medicinal purposes and is considered to be of high quality.
Visitors to the Maras Salt Mines can explore the site and learn about the traditional methods of salt harvesting. It is also possible to purchase salt and salt-related products from local vendors. The highlight is the pink salt which is from the Maras Salt Mines. The area surrounding the salt pans offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, making it a popular destination for tourists.
To visit the Maras Salt Mines, you can hire a private tour or join a group tour from Cusco. The journey takes about an hour by car, and a visit to the salt mines with a visit to nearby attractions such as the Moray archaeological site or the town of Chinchero.
There are shops selling this Maras Salt and you can bring back home as souvenirs. There are a few types of salt available and you can try at the nearby shop.
Please take note that the Sacred Valley has elevations above sea level along the river ranging from 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) at Pisac to 2,050 metres (6,730 ft) at the Urubamba River below the citadel of Machu Picchu. This means you might have difficulty in breathing and altitude sickness medication is highly recommended.
The Maras Salt Mines Cusco Peru is part of the day tour we joined from Cusco. More stories on Cusco and Peru coming soon. Thanks for reading.
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