VIP only · 3,385 m

Maras Salt Mines: salt harvested by hand

Q: How high are the Maras salt mines?

At about 3,385 m above sea level.

Q: How many salt ponds are there in Maras?

More than 3,000 ponds, fed by an underground salt-water spring.

Q: Which tour visits Maras?

Only the Sacred Valley VIP tour, together with Moray. The Classic does not include Maras.

Thousands of white and ochre ponds hanging on the hillside, worked by the community. You visit them on the VIP itinerary, together with Moray.

Altitude3,385 m

On the routeVIP only

Time on tourVIP 11:00

TicketCommunity fee

What the Maras salt mines are

The Maras salt mines fill a ravine near the town of Maras, at about 3,385 m. An underground salty spring runs down narrow channels and fills more than 3,000 stepped ponds; as the sun evaporates the water, the salt is left behind.

The ponds belong to families from the community, who work and harvest them by hand. That is why the entrance is not part of the tourist ticket: the community of Maras charges and manages it.

Maras Salt Mines on our tour

The Maras salt mines are exclusive to the Sacred Valley VIP: you arrive around 09:30, right before Moray and lunch in Urubamba. See every stop in the VIP itinerary.

Maras Salt Mines · 3,385 m

What to see

The highlights of the Maras salt mines

The mosaic of ponds

The view from the upper lookout, with hundreds of ponds in white, ochre and brown depending on the drying stage.

The salty spring

Where it all begins: a salt-water spring feeding the channels that run across the hillside.

The hand harvest

Depending on the season, you will see families scraping and carrying the salt as it has been done for generations.

Salt products

At the entrance there are stalls with Maras salt and salt-based products, good souvenirs to take home.

Tips

For your visit to the Maras salt mines

The community fee is paid separately, in soles, if you did not add it at booking.
Sunlight reflecting off the salt is harsh: sunglasses and sunscreen.
The edges of the ponds can be slippery; stay on the marked paths.

More on altitude in our Sacred Valley altitude guide and on tickets in Sacred Valley tickets.

Maras Salt Mines

Questions about the Maras salt mines

At about 3,385 m above sea level.

No. Maras is managed by the local community, which charges its own fee, paid separately.

More than 3,000 ponds, fed by an underground salt-water spring.

Only the Sacred Valley VIP tour, together with Moray. The Classic does not include Maras.

Visit the Maras salt mines in one day from Cusco

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Hotel pickupDowntown Cusco

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Buffet lunchIncluded, in Urubamba

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