Chinchero, Moray, & Maras Salt ponds
Excursions in Cusco

During a visit to Chinchero you will have the opportunity to meet the women responsible for textile activities, preserving the ancient Inca weaving traditional and knitting techniques and walk around the workshop. You can learn about the processes of obtaining the natural colours and the weaving techniques and will have time to purchase some textiles or handicrafts should you wish.

There is a local authentic market in Chinchero, a colourful and lively affair where indigenous people come from the surrounding communities  to trade goods, particularly the woven handicrafts for which the region is so well known. At the highest point in the town there is also an interesting church and to the side of this there are also some Inca ruins.

The Moray ruins were once used by the Incas as a type of open-air crop laboratory. They are circular terraces which have different temperatures at different levels, and therefore the Incas were able to develop different types of crops at these different levels.

The pre-Inca salt mines of Maras are located on a wide-open hill, above the Urubamba Valley. You often get a chance to see locals collecting the salt from their families section - wading almost knee deep in the water. From Maras it is possible to walk for approximately an hour down to the Urubamba River, stopping to admire the beautiful views of the valley.