Cuzco - Sacred Valley- Aguas Calientes

• Aguas Calientes

  1 hoursAdmission Ticket Free

  Early in the morning, between 06:15 and 06:30 we pick you up from your hostel by bus. First of all, we will head to Chinchero, a picturesque town in the valley. It’s known for its agricultural terraces and Inca ruins. We continue our journey to Moray, thought to be an old laboratory. With its circular terraces it has a unique appearance. It was built for agriculture purposes, which can be seen to its irrigation canals. Most probably, the terraces where used for acclimatization and hybridization of wild plant species, as the temperatures varies on top and bottom of the terraces. Afterwards, we visit Salineras de Maras. Salineras are protuberances of salt, or salt mines. As the name suggest there is a lot of salt forming, which is also still extracted in an artisanal way. The mines are build on the side of the mountain “Qaqawiñay.” During the dry season, every 3 days the mines are filled with salt water formed by local springs. As the water evaporates, the salt gradually solidifies. After a period of around 1 month, there is enough salt stacked up to extract. After visiting Maras we make our way to the citadel of Ollantaytambo. This city was originally made to guard the entrance of the valley, probably from invasions of jungle inhabitants. We will walk through the streets of the town and thus have a clear idea of how this military, religious and cultural center was during the Inca empire. From Ollantaytambo, we also take the train to Aguas Calientes, this will depart at around 16:45 where after we will reach Aguas Calientes around 18:20 pm. You are free to take a dinner of own choice anywhere in Aguas Calientes. Afterwards you can take a well deserve rest. During the tour we stop in Urabamba to have ourselves a nice prepared lunch!