Salineras de Maras (6am-6pm; adult/child under 10 S20/free) is among the most spectacular sights in the whole Cusco area, with thousands of salt pans that have been used for salt extraction since the earliest human occupation of the Andes. A hot spring at the top of the valley discharges a small stream of heavily salt-laden water, which is diverted into salt pans and evaporated to produce a salt used for cattle licks. It all sounds very pedestrian but the overall effect is beautiful and surreal.
The view today of one of the most striking and contrasting sites in the Cusco region can be approached from four circuits, but you may be content gazing in contemplation at the pearlized, iridescent patchwork of over 4000 salt plots and occasional miner, pickaxe in hand, at various stages of salination from the mirador above. Climb the steps down to trace their length and continue onwards for an hour to reach the Pichingoto houses built into the mountain base, from where it’s a further 6km walk to Urubamba.
The road leading in has several places from which to hire an ATV to Moray, 13km away, including Miski Kachi (S180 for two hours) at its head. Several stables lead horseback riding tours between the sites, and Paragliding Cusco (paraglidingcusco.com) soars over for aerial views. The Chicheria Yola chicha museum (chicheria-yola.blogspot.com) is around 15 minutes' walk from the entrance, adding to the burgeoning collection of experiential activities that have opened around Maras, most famously including fine dining restaurant MIL by three-Michelin-starred Virgilio Martinez.
