Biking to Maras and Moray in the Sacred Valley of the Incas

If you have a free day in Cusco and would like to spend some of it enjoying the scenic beauty of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a biking trip is a great way to do it. If you opt to follow the route to Maras – Moray route, you’ll get even more out of the deal by throwing in some Incan sites and downhill thrills!

By taking a bus from Cusco to the small town of Chincheros, you can start your trip already in the valley and enjoy riding along the level dirt road by a stunning lagoon framed by the Veronica mountain range in the background. From this point to the circular terraces of Moray, the path will go up and down. While the ascents aren’t very steep, the sandy nature of this segment can make it a little difficult. After the first few, it does get tiring. Agencies which sell biking tours of Maras and Moray are fond of saying it’s entirely downhill, but unfortunately this isn’t so. (I’ve been known to walk a few of those hills in order to take a break, but despite my relative sloth it’s still extremely worth it.)

The terraces of Moray are an interesting stop because they appear to have been an agricultural testing site for the Incas. It’s configured so that each step has a different microclimate, simulating different altitudes.

The road from the terraces to the small town of Maras and its salt pans is much the same as the prior segment, until about the last mile before the salt pans. There, you enter into an extreme downhill segment which races by!

From a distance, and up until quite close range, the salt pans appear to be covered in snow. They’re stone terraces which were carved into a mountainside by the Inca, who diverted an interior stream from the mountain and through the terraces. As salt water pools in the pans and eventually evaporates, salt is left behind. Families from the town of Maras are each entitled to their own pan to work, and the salt even reaches the international market now as Peruvian Pink Salt. It’s a unique site that always impresses.

After the salt pans, the road is still downhill as you approach the Urubamba River, but it’s more of a gentle incline. The final leg, from Urumbamba to Cusco, is also by car.

Biking to Maras Moray is a standard daily tour that’s offered in Cusco. It only takes half a day, generally includes lunch, and is among the cheapest excursions. You can also do it by yourself by renting bikes (which you can do in Pirwa Colonial if you’re interested in a solo trip) and asking for directions to the station from which buses leave for Chincheros, but be sure to go early and investigate the route on google maps beforehand. If you’re interested in arranging a tour, Pirwa Travel can help!