Biking Moray and salt mine, Sacred valley(1D)
DESCRIPTION:
This beautiful bicycle is the most famous MOUNTAIN BIKING tour in Cusco, will allow you to discover the high part of the Sacred Valley of The Incas. very popular for all local cross country bikers which is a mix of impresive landscapes, mountains snow overlooking, andean towns, Inka ruins, salt mines and moderate mountain biking adventure. 4 to 5 hours mt biking approximatelly. (36 Km approx) and also having a view of the traditional agricultural life.
CHINCHERO: Located 28 kilometers from Cusco and surrounded by patchwork style fields of exquisite natural colours. Chincheros is a charming town, with colonial style constructions and was a major agricultural center during the Tawantinsuyo. you can appreciate the stone walls with trapezoidal niches that provide the setting for the traditional market, where they still practice bartering. The chincheros women can always be recognized for their very distinguishing clothing and braided hair.
MORAY: is a very unique archaeological site in the región where we´ll find “the Inca agricultural greenhouse or laboratory”, consisting of four platforms amphitheater style. Those are enormous natural depressions or hollows in the ground surface that Inkas used for constructing irrigated farming terraces around them; Has a depth of 150 meters, the overlapping concentric circular stone rings widen as they rise, It was an experimental place to study the adaptation of plants to new ecosystems.
MARAS/SALINERAS: located 7 miles from Moray at altitude of 3, 380 m is a small village, as a model of a miniature city. Famous for its salt mines, made up of about 3000 small wells with an area average size of about 5 ms ². These were already exploited since Inca times as a means of economic exchange and securities. Very interesting to see how the salt is colected from these mines and the lives of those who work here.
ITINERARY:
In this adventure Pick-up from your hotel at 08:50 am. Then 1 hour private van drive following northeast direction from Cusco to “Chancadora” located before Chincheros town. From this point we start our mountain biking adventure.
Continium with the tour, 1 hour of warming up ride in a flat dirty single road with spectacular views of crops of potatoes, barley, impressive andean landscapes and views, snow capped peaks around, small lakes and local friendly people, you will have another perspective of views of the sacred valley, then we reach to Cruzpata.
From here we continue 1 hour riding of gradual riding up to Maras town. Another hour of moderate up and flat dirty road and country cross biking till the ruins of Moray, time to visit this impressive Inca experimental agricultural terraces mainly used as a farming laboratory in Inca´s time, then we return down hill for 50 minutes to Maras town.
Finally we ride for 20 minutes downhill to Salineras (the salt mines) after visiting and pictures we descend for 30 minutes to Pichingoto then cross a small bridge to end our trip at Urubamba where our transport is waiting for us to return back to Cusco or take you to your hotel in Urubamba.
THIS TOUR INCLUDES:
- Advice one day before the tour.
- Professional bikes w/ front suspensión.
- Box lunch, fruit,water.(w/vegetarian option by request).
- Bicycle equipment (helmet, gloves, rain jacket, pants rain).
- English speaking, expert bicycle guide.
- Private transport to starting point.
THIS TOUR DON’T INCLUDES:
- Others not mentioned in the program.
- Entrance tickets for the Archaeological groups.
- Maras entrance additional (S/ 10.00 PEN).
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Consider that you can take:
- Camera, Toilet paper and extra batteries.
- A bottle of water (a liter).
- Personal backpack with everything necessary for your tour.
- Snacks, chocolate or energy candies.
- Sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, sun hat.
- Cash – enough extra expenses (Horse rental – driver, tips and souvenirs).
* Autumn and winter: cold and wind (wear light coat). Spring and Summer: rain (raincoat and umbrella)
Keep in mind:
- Carry your documents carefully.
RESERVATIONS:
USD 32.00 / per person
Ask for our offer prices for 5 or more people.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT:
MARAS:
52 km from Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 3,380 meters above sea level. This is a small village famous for its salt mines, which consist of about 3000 small wells with an average area of about 5m² from which salt is extracted after a drying process.
The Salt mines, better known as “Salineras de Maras”, where a salt water spring gushes forth from these high altitude mountains and tumbles down the mountainside into individual evaporation chambers which have been fully operational in bringing the people of the highlands salt, have been exploited since Inca times as a means of economic exchange.
MORAY:
Is famous for its embedded amphitheater, formed by four circular terraces which seem to disappear into the interior of the puna, like an artificial crater. Evidence seems to suggest that Moray was an important center of Inca agricultural research on crops, which was carried out on different sized plots located at various altitudes (some of which were at more than 100 m underground).
The Andean terraces, built on retaining walls filled with fertile soil and watered via a complex irrigation system, offer up more than 250 different types of vegetables and cereals, such as corn, quinoa and kiwicha.
CHINCHEROS:
Is a charming town, with colonial style buildings and was a major agricultural center during the Tawantinsuyo. Here you can appreciate the stone walls with trapezoidal niches and a traditional market where locals still practice bartering. The women of Chinchero are easily recognized for their very distinguishing clothing and braided hair.
