Camping Moray
(2 days / 1 night)

Descrition

Activities	Adventure tourism
Duration	2Days /1night.
Departure	Every days
Minimum number of poeple	1
Operates	All year round
Places to Visit	Cusco, Moray, Maras salt Mines
Tour Type	Adventure
Type of service	Shared - Private

Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco - Moray

camping moray We collect you from your hotel and journey by car to the town of Huayllacocha.
The walk to our camp site traverses some impressive countryside and will reach elevations up to 3750 m. We will pass through some very diverse vegetation where abundant bird life can be found, grazing pastures for cattle and vast areas of agriculture. Crops like corn, potatoes, beans, barley and many other vital varieties that sustain the local population can be seen.
We will have our lunch in PISCUIRO (Box lunch provided by Raptravel) and continue walking until arriving at Moray (Santa Ana) where we will camp for the night.
Dinner will be a spectacular fair of typical Peruvian cuisine called Pachamanca. Its name comes from the Quechua language: "Pacha", earth, and "Manca", cooking pot or kettle, which translates as "earth oven". Widely used in times of the Incas, Pachamanca is more than just a method of cooking; it's a celebration of the source of fertility and life. The Pachamanca oven was discovered to shorten the cooking time at high altitudes by locking in the pressure and heat. It also gives the food a unique flavor.

Day 2: Moray, Maras and the Salt Mines

camping moray

We will have a very nutritious breakfast early in the morning and then begin our day with a visit to the archaeological zone of Moray.
About 6.9 km (4.3 miles) to the southeast of the town of Maras, Moray, is a unique group of archaeological remains, that are interestingly only found in this region. It’s a series of circular terraced platforms that are staggered about 1.80mt (6ft) apart for a total depth of about 150m (492ft) with a temperature variance of up to 15 ºC (59 ºF) from top to bottom.
Used for purposes of agriculture, the varying temperature range allowed the Inca to plant many different varieties within their own microclimate. The whole terraced construction is over a natural rocky formation, very porous, that provides excellent drainage and allows the area to be irrigated without concern of flooding. Due to its climatic conditions and other characteristics, it was obviously an important centre of domestication, acclimatization and hybridization of wild vegetable species that were modified or adapted for human consumption.
Then it’s off to the Salt Mines of Maras, the most important salt mines in the region.
An impressive complex of natural salt production that has been exploited since Incan times and during the Vice-regency was the largest salt producer of the southern highlands. Used for produce exchange during the reign of the Incas and today for its economic value; these salt mines are a wonderful spectacle as you drop into the region from the high valley plains above. Mules still carry the salt that is extracted from the natural salt mines and with luck we will see this first hand. The salt mines are 3000 small pools approximately 5m² that are filled with salt water (the water rises from a natural source located at the top of the complex) and is left basking in the hot sun until the water evaporates and the salt remains. This process takes around one month until it reaches the required volume: 10 cm (4 inches) high. Then, the salt is ground and packed to be sent to the regional markets.
Lunch will be provided via one of our nutritious Lunch Boxes after which we will descend into the town of Urubamba where we will board the bus and return to Cusco.