Salt places to visit · Maras, near Cusco, Peru
Salt Pans of Maras
Some 4,500 terraced salt pools on an Andean mountainside, worked since long before the Inca and still owned by local families.
At a glance
| Where | Urubamba Province, Sacred Valley, Maras, near Cusco, Peru |
|---|---|
| Type of place | Terraced salt pans |
| What you'll see | Thousands of small pools stepping down a slope at 3,200 metres (10,500 ft), fed by a salty spring through a network of channels. |
| How it works | Each pool is filled about 5 cm deep with spring water and left to evaporate for about three days; salt is harvested about once a month. |
| Who owns it | About 400 local families own pools. Since 1980 a company owned by residents of Maras and Pichingoto runs the salt business. |
| Visiting | A popular stop on Sacred Valley tours from Cusco, with over 1,500 visitors a day in high season. |
Plan your visit: official information
The salt story
Salt has been made here since the Early Horizon period, more than 2,000 years ago. In the 1500s, descendants of the Inca nobility were recorded as owners of the salt pools, and Inca families kept control into the 1600s. The Peruvian state took over in 1969, but local communities won back control in 1980.
Hours, seasons and prices change. Check with the site before you travel.
More salt places
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Salt pans of maras. https://saltalmanac.com/places/maras-salt-pans
“Salt Pans of Maras | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/places/maras-salt-pans. Accessed [today's date].
“Salt Pans of Maras | Salt Places to Visit.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/places/maras-salt-pans.
Original sources
- Wikipedia. Salt Mines of Maras. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salineras_de_Maras