The Troubles of Getting to Maras and Moray – Urubamba, Peru

They are two unique locations that you almost have to see to believe, but man oh man are they a pain in the ass to get to. I wish I had known this before strolling on a solo adventure through the Sacred Valley.

I usually like to get to places independently if I can, and I’ll tell you how to do it, but if I could run this one back, I’d take a tour. It’s easier, no doubt, and cheaper believe it or not. Although, if you’re travelling with a partner or in a group, that’ll make the taxi cost lighter on the wallet.

Table of Contents

1. How to Get to Maras and Moray Without a Tour
2. How Much Does Entrance to Maras and Moray Cost?
3. Where to Stay in Urubamba?
4. Where to Eat in Urubamba?

How to Get to Maras and Moray Without a Tour

The problem is that there is no public transportation that goes past the salt mines of Maras nor the terraces of Moray. You have the option to walk, which would be an exceptional effort, or to hire a taxi.

You could walk to the salt mines of Maras (Salineras de Maras) in what would take 1 hour 40 minutes according to Google from the town of Urubamba. But trying to walk to both Maras and Moray in one go is best saved for the most herculean and the brokest of travellers.

You may have heard about taking public transport up to the turn-off towards Maras and then getting private transport from there to the salt mines. This is doable, and the turn-off is on the road from Urubamba to Cusco (same way to go to Chinchero as well). However, private transport from the turn-off to the salt mines is infrequent. You could be waiting an hour or more, and if nobody drives by to pick you up it’s a 2-hour walk to the salt mines.

The best option to get to Maras and Moray is to hire a taxi in Urubamba to take you to Salineras de Maras, then to Moray, and then back to Urubamba. It doesn’t have to be in that order, the point is that the driver takes you to both sites, waits for you, and then drives you back. Taxi drivers in town will offer this to you for somewhere around 150-200 Soles.

If you walk towards the bus terminal though, you can find taxi drivers that will do this route for 100 Soles, maybe even a touch less if you bargain like a bastard.

I was expecting this route to cost maybe 30-40 Soles so you can imagine my shock when the first driver I asked wanted 200 for it. I laughed and walked away, he shouted “150 Soles!” to me but I just shook my head and kept walking.

I made my way to the bus terminal hoping to find a colectivo to the salt mines. I was a bit disappointed when I found out that doesn’t exist. I began chatting to a taxi driver outside the terminal who offered to take me for 100 Soles. While a much better price than before, this was still way more than I had budgeted. I decided I had to sacrifice one of the sites, and being that I had already seen dozens of Incan agriculture terraces but never salt mines like the ones in Maras, I had to cut out Moray.

The driver said he could take me to Maras and back for 50 Soles. Still, this was more than I was hoping to pay. Eventually after some chatting and ball busting, he agreed to take me for 40 Soles. He explained to me along the way how difficult it can be to get transport from the Maras turn-off and that tourists might wait a couple hours before they get picked up.

If you have other people you are travelling with, you can split this cost and make it easier to justify seeing both sites in private transport. If you’re alone, like I was, and don’t want to pay 100+ Soles for transport to the sites, take a tour from Cusco. You’ll even get meals included and you can find tours for less than $20 USD.

There are packages that offer one-day tours of the entire Sacred Valley and these include Maras and Moray among other sites. However, if you have the time, it is much better to spend at least one night in Pisac and a couple nights in Ollantaytambo to really get the most out of your visit to the sites.

I spent 11 nights in the Sacred Valley (I travel slowly I know). Urubamba is not must-see material, whereas I’d highly recommend visiting Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The sites to see near Urubamba are Maras and Moray so it kind of works out if you do these on a tour and then go on your own to the other two, more picturesque towns. Ah, there’s Chinchero as well. Okay, maybe a night in Urubamba is warranted, but not any more than that.

Thinking of doing the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu? Here's what you need to know.

How Much Does Entrance to Maras and Moray Cost?

The salt mines in Maras are easy. It’s 10 Soles to enter. You pay when you arrive at the site.

Moray is part of the tourist ticket, or boleto turístico, and you have two options for that. You can buy a 2-day pass for 70 Soles that will include Moray, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. Or, you can buy a 10-day pass for 130 Soles and it includes all the sites on the ticket.

If you want to do the Sacred Valley on your own, buy the 10-day ticket. You can buy the ticket at the entrance to any of these sites, or you can get it at the Municipalidad del Cusco on Avenida El Sol close to the Plaza de Armas. If you have a valid student ID and are 25 years of age or younger, the ticket will cost 70 Soles.

My advice, get the 10-day ticket and enjoy a few nights travelling through the Sacred Valley. It’d be a shame to fly through it all on a rapid one-day tour.

Where to Stay in Urubamba?

When I was walking around the town I didn’t find a lot of nice and affordable accommodation. I ended up settling at Hostal Balcón de Piedra. The rooms are really nice and it was a very quiet place – almost too quiet. They didn’t have breakfast or access to a kitchen. I would’ve liked to boil some water for coffee in the mornings but it was a comfortable place where I stayed 2 nights.

Where to Eat in Urubamba?

One of the reasons I didn’t love this town was because of the lack of local spots to eat. I had difficulties finding any picanterías. In fact, I don’t think I found any.

What I did find, however, was one of the best meals I’ve eaten in all of Peru. The restaurant is called Kachi Wasi and the plate I had was pollo saltado con huancaína. It was pasta in a huancaína sauce, with pollo saltado on top of it. It was phenomenal. If you’re in Urubamba, go to this restaurant and get that dish.

Happy travels!