Maras Salt Mines: more than 3,000 pans on a hillside, at 9:30 am and before everyone else
The Maras salt mines are more than 3,000 pans stepped down a ravine, fed by an underground spring of salt water and worked by families from the community of Maras since before the Incas. They are only visited on the Express route, at 9:30 am, for 45 minutes, at 3,385 m. The community charges the entrance at the gate, in soles, which is why it is not on the Tourist Ticket.
It is visited tomorrow if you book today before 8 pm, Cusco time. Express only, at 9:30 am.—Is there space tomorrow?
Book for tomorrow: Express US$32 · Classic US$30 · is there space? · how to book
Upper viewpoint
The pans
The harvest
The spring
The paths
Community stalls
Which departure visits it, and when
| Departure | Time and duration | Entrance |
|---|---|---|
| Express · retorno a Cusco | 9:30 am · 45 min | Community fee, separate |
| Express · final en Ollantaytambo | 9:30 am · 45 min | Community fee, separate |
| Classic (both versions) | Not visited | — |
What you will see
The pansClay pans of a few square meters, each belonging to a family, filled with water from the spring, left to evaporate and harvested by hand by scraping off the salt. Depending on where they are in the cycle, the hillside is white, ochre or both at once.
The springIt rises at the head of the ravine with an extremely high salt concentration, left over from an inland sea millions of years ago. You can taste the water in the channel.
The upper viewpointWhere the bus arrives: the view of the whole hillside with the Urubamba valley behind. At 9:30 am there are hardly any groups; the afternoon tours get there after 2 pm.
The stallsThe community sells pink salt, bath salt and local products at the entrance. Buying here is the other way of paying for the visit.
Why the entrance is separate
The pans belong to the community of Maras and its families work them; that is why the community charges and manages the entrance, outside the state Tourist Ticket. The amount is set by the community and changes without notice: we confirm it on WhatsApp the night before along with your pickup time. It is paid in soles, in cash, at the gate. More about the two fees.
Tips for the visit
- You walk marked paths between the working pans; you do not step on them or touch salt that is being harvested.
- Cap and sunscreen: the glare off the salt in mid-morning is strong.
- Closed shoes: the paths are earth and can be slippery.
- 45 minutes is enough for the viewpoint, a stretch of path and the stalls; if you want to photograph calmly, go to the viewpoint first.
Bookings for tomorrow: non-refundable; you can move the date if there is space, and we reschedule or refund if we cancel because of the weather.