Day 14 - OLLANTAYTAMBO - SALINERAS DE MARAS - MORAY - CHINCHERO - CUZCO
After the early morning we met yesterday to meet Machu Picchu first thing in the morning we will not say that when today the alarm clock rang at 5.45 in the morning we jumped out of bed, but knowing that it is our last day in the impressive Sacred Valley and today we will know the Salineras de Maras, Moray and Chinchero by car, the desire that we have to continue knowing these incredible places make us that much more pleasant jump.
Before 7 in the morning we are having breakfast and we leave our backpacks in our hotel in Ollantaytambo, the Tikawasi Valley, highly recommended among the hotels of Ollantaytambo, before going to visit the Ollantaytambo ruins.
At 10 in the morning we have the taxi we hired yesterday to take us atSalineras de Maras, Moray and Chinchero by car ending in Cuzco, so we go straight to Ollantaytambo ruins We have less than 50 meters from our hotel.
Another good option is to book in advance this excursion to Moray and Salineras de Maras.
Ollantaytambo between mountains
Upon arrival at the box office we present our tourist ticket from Cuzco, with which we enter without making any additional payment, we put another stamp and inside we go.
Already from a distance, the grandeur of the Ollantaytambo ruins, but when you're here, they really are awesome.
Views of the Ollantaytambo ruins
The steep terraces that guard the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo They point to one of the few places where the Spanish conquerors lost an important battle.
Here Manco Inca took refuge after his defeat in Sacsahuamán, a place we visited the other day from Cuzco.
In 1536, Hernando Pizarro led a detachment of 70 men to try to capture Manco Inca, but the steep terraces allowed the natives to shoot arrows, spears and stones against the men of Pizarro, preventing the advance, after which Pizarro ordered the withdrawal of their men.
Ollantaytambo Ruins
Photographing the ruins of Ollantaytambo
At the top of the terraces is the exquisitely carved ceremonial center. At the time of the conquest, some of its walls that were never finished were being built.
Ceremony Center in the ruins of Ollantaytambo
Views of the village of Ollantaytambo from the Ceremony Center
The quarry from which the stones were extracted was on a mountain 6 kilometers from the ruins of Ollantaytambo, so the Indians had nothing easy to transport the blocks here.
It is believed that one of the tactics to do so was to put the blocks on the riverbank and divert the channel for transport.
Views of the terraces of Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo Ruins
The visit to the ruins of Ollantaytambo takes us an hour and a half enjoying every corner, impressed with the architecture and how they could build this here.
Ollantaytambo Ruins
After 9 in the morning and staying still an hour until 10 we have stayed with the taxi that will take us to Salineras de Maras, Moray and Chinchero by car and with the sun high enough to be quite hot, we took the opportunity to take a final tour of this beautiful village and drink a lemonade and a cold cola for 8 soles.
Streets of Ollantaytambo
After this little break we have to say goodbye again. This time it is from Ollantaytambo, a place that we have found very special and essential for anyone traveling through Peru and the Sacred Valley.
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Cuzco by travelers:
- Excursion to Moray and the salt mines of Maras
- Excursion to Machu Picchu
- 2-day route along the Inca Trail
- Great 4-day route along the Inca Trail- Many more excursions and tours here
After about 20 minutes of 10 in the morning, our taxi arrives at the hotel and we will head to the first stop of the day: Salineras de Maras which is about 30 minutes from Ollantaytambo and where we arrived after going through spectacular landscapes. Seeing what we are seeing, we believe that especially this area of the country has to be amazing to do it with a rental car and stopping in all the villages.
We arrive at the checkpoint of the Salineras de Maras, we pay our 7 soles per person and there we will discover one of the most scenic places in Peru.
Entrance to the Salineras de Maras
Thousands of salt pans have been used for salt extraction since the Inca era. At the top of the valley, a stream pours its salty waters that divert to the pools where water evaporates by heat to produce salt for the consumption of livestock, which supplies its diet poor in minerals.
Salt mines of Maras
Another perspective of the Salineras de Maras
As advice we tell you that the access road to the Salineras de Maras is an unpaved road, not too comfortable, but with some Panoramic views of the spectacular Salineras de Maras. Do not hesitate to stop to take pictures because it is perhaps the best place.
Salt mines of Maras
After about 45 minutes visiting the Salineras de Maras We return to the taxi and do not set off towards Moray where we arrive in approximately another 30 minutes.
We can also access Moray with our tourist ticket, so we show it and there we are going to make our third visit of the day.
The views as soon as you enter the premises are spectacular. Definitely worth getting here.
Moray
We go through all the viewpoints that are there and although the perspectives are changing we must say that from all the views they are spectacular and after starting to go down, the views are, even if possible, even more incredible.
Moray terraces
Moray It is a kind of amphitheater formed by terraces that offer us a fascinating spectacle.
Different levels of terraces have been excavated in a huge basin, each apparently with its own microclimate, depending on the height at which they are found.
Terraces in Moray
For this reason it is said that the Incas had the first laboratory to determine the optimal conditions of each crop
The visit to Moray takes about 45 minutes in which we are in full sun, so the body begins to ask us for some shade and we decide that it is time to get underway towards the last visit of the day.
It is 1 quarter past noon when we leave Chinchero, where we arrive on a sand track that we believe the driver has taken to advance time and not why it is the way to go.
We arrive in Chinchero in 30 minutes or so and after leaving the car in a square, we go straight to the central square where we go up the stairs to show our tourist ticket from Cuzco and go directly to the area of the ruins.
Chinchero
Chinchero is the place where the Incas believed the rainbow was born. Perhaps only for this reason it is essential to come here although another reason is to know a typical Peruvian village.
It is 400 meters higher than Cuzco, so you have to take things easy and not venture to run.
Chinchero streets
In Chinchero we can see its Inca ruins, the colonial church with incredible mountain views and a market that delights anyone.
Chinchero Market
When we were preparing the route, they told us and we read that Chinchero, like the visits we made today, were not worth it and the truth is that, although they are the "weakest" of the Sacred Valley, we must say that they are part of us of a spectacular set of locations, from which we would not remove any.
It's half past 2 when we get back to the taxi and head to Cuzco after visiting the Salineras de Maras, Moray and Chinchero by car.
We return to make the journey through beautiful landscapes that would make you want to get lost without having to look at the clock.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Peru
- 10 essential places to visit in Peru
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Peru
- The best travel insurance for Peru
We arrive at Plaza de Armas at 3 in the afternoon and being the time it is we go straight to the Organic Greens, where we were the first day we arrived in Cusco. We ordered an alpaca steak and an alpaca sandwich, plus 2 lemonades and two expresso for 107 soles.
Eating in Cuzco at the Organic Greens
After the meal we go to Casa Andina Cuzco Plaza, where we were 3 days ago and after checking again and finding the large backpacks that we left in the room, we rested for a while and decided to leave in the middle of the afternoon to enjoy Cuzco . This time without backpacks, without cameras and without fixed plans.
Cuzco
When it is 8 pm and we see that we are still not very hungry after the binge we had at noon we see a pastry shop near the hotel that seems to be calling us, so we do not doubt much more and we settled at a table where we asked 2 cakes and two lemonades for 27 soles.
Our dinner today in Cuzco
This is how we end our evening in Cuzco, a city that has us in love, but tomorrow we have to leave behind.
Another new stage of the journey begins: the Peruvian Amazon that we will begin to dream tonight from our room at the Casa Andina Cuzco Plaza.
Moray, an essential stop
Day 15 - CUSCO - LIMA - IQUITOS
