Experience an adventure with our ATV Tour: Salt Mines + Huaypo Lagoon, crossing beautiful landscapes and picturesque villages full of living culture. Delight your eyes by visiting the Huaypo Lagoon and the Maras Salt Mines.
At the beginning of the tour, we will have a brief introduction to the ATVs. Once everyone is ready, we will start our 4-wheeled ride heading towards the Huaypo Lagoon.
The total ATV ride time to the Huaypo Lagoon is approximately 2 hours, including the round trip. Afterward, we will return to our tourist transport to continue our journey to the Maras Salt Mines, an impressive series of over 3,000 salt ponds, where the locals keep the tradition of selling this valuable resource, just as the Incas did centuries ago.
During the tour, we will observe traditional communities surrounded by beautiful landscapes and learn about the history and culture of this unique region. At the end of the tour, the transport will drop us off 2 or 3 blocks from the main square of Cusco.
Itinerary
Day 1: Cusco – Huaypo Lagoon – Maras Salt Mines – Cusco
- Morning: 7:00 am – 13:00 pm.
- Afternoon: 13:00 pm – 18:00 pm.
We start the ATV Tour: Huaypo + Salineras with a 15-minute practice session until all passengers are ready. The guide will ask each passenger if they are comfortable and ready with the ATVs before starting the ride. Once the passengers approve, we will begin the ATV ride to the Huaypo Lagoon (this option is provided when passengers do not wish to purchase the entrance ticket to Moray).
The ATV ride lasts approximately 2 hours, returning to our base. We will then continue to the salt mines (salt flats) by tourist transport for safety measures and to avoid accidents on the salt flats, where the descent is a sheer drop.
On this route, we will appreciate the snow-capped mountains of Veronica and Chicón, accompanied by a magical landscape in contact with nature and some of the locals. At the end of the tour, we head back to the city of Cusco.
Inclusions
Included:
- Hotel pickup.
- Bilingual professional guide (Spanish and English).
- Transport. Includes tourist transport to the attractions.
- ATVs (Honda TRX 250 model)
- Fuel
- Safety gear. Includes helmet and gloves
- First aid kit and oxygen tank
- First aid equipment (oxygen tank)
- 1 guide assistant for groups larger than 6 passengers.
Not Included:
- Entry to Huaypo Lagoon
- (S/. 10.00 Soles – Foreigners and Peruvians)
- Entry to the Maras Salt Mines
- ( S/. 20.00 Soles – Foreigners | S/. 10.00 Soles – Peruvians)
- Food
Recommmendations
- Camera
- Sunblock
- Water bottle
- Peruvian soles in cash for entry fees or personal expenses
- 1 personal backpack
- 1 windbreaker jacket
- Appropriate clothing
- Good trekking shoes
- Sunglasses
- Rain poncho (from November to March)
Faqs
Huaypo Lagoon
It houses a wide variety of fish and birds. It has an approximate length of 1.5 km by 800 m. It is ideal for water sports. According to one of the local legends, the Sun God asked Manco Cápac to have his twin children accompany him at sunset. When they went to find them, they discovered that the child who walked the furthest had turned into Huaypo Lagoon and the daughter into Piuray Lagoon. They are located at an altitude of 3,345 meters above sea level.
Salt Mines of Maras
They are salt mines whose exploitation is as old as the Tahuantinsuyo. The locals channel the salty water that comes from the ground from a water source called Qoripujio into pools, where, through the effects of the sun, it evaporates leaving salt on the surface, which is then processed to be sold at the local market.
