Misminay, Maras and Moray Experiential Tourism

At 8:00 a.m., we will pick you up from your hotel (in the city center) and head towards the Misminay community, passing through picturesque mountain landscapes and agricultural fields. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by the local hosts with a warm welcome, accompanied by music, dances, and a cup of muña tea. After a brief introduction by each host in their language (Quechua), you will be invited to participate in some of their daily activities, such as agriculture, a walk to the Moray viewpoint, and the respect they show to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the Apus (spirit of the mountains). You will then enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the families of Misminay, using local ingredients such as quinoa, Andean potatoes, corn, and local meats.

After experiencing the living culture of Misminay, we will head to the Maras Salt Mines to learn about the salt extraction process carried out by the local people from the native village of Maras.

The tour ends with a transfer back to Cusco or to the Ollantaytambo train station.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHOPS TO BE CONDUCTED IN THE EXPERIENTIAL TOUR: To showcase the cultural wealth passed down from generation to generation, carefully preserved by the local people, and to share the work techniques that are part of their ancestral knowledge. The aim is to provide an immersive experience in each of the processes through the following workshops:

AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY

In this session, depending on the season and the agricultural calendar of the community, we will have the opportunity to observe and participate in some agricultural activities, whether it be planting, harvesting, or plowing the land using ancestral techniques and traditional Andean tools such as the lampa, chaquitaclla, yoke, and oxen. We will also be introduced to the different types of crops they cultivate, followed by a tasting of some of them.

WALK TO THE MORAY VIEWPOINT

We will ascend to the highest part of the community, where we can enjoy a privileged and spectacular view from the Maras’s balcony, overlooking beautiful landscapes such as snow-capped peaks and the main Apus. From this vantage point, we can observe the impressive circular terraces of the Moray archaeological site.

OPTIONAL: TEXTILE ACTIVITY

In this session, we will experience the ancestral process of making Andean textiles from sheep wool dyed with plants, minerals, and natural materials, using the traditional ‘away’ method with homemade tools such as small wooden boards and animal bones. We will have the opportunity to learn the traditional techniques used in preparing materials, extracting wool, and using natural dyes. This activity is carried out by women.

THE MARAS SALT MINES

It is a small brine spring worked with very basic methods by a fraction of the population from Maras and Pichingoto. These archaeological remains reveal that this resource was known and used during the pre-Hispanic era, and may have been one of the many sources of salt for the Inca population. The technique for extracting salt is very similar to that used for over nine hundred years or more. Over these centuries, this technology has been preserved; it is a true feat of hydraulic engineering, albeit on a small scale, as the pools are relatively small and constructed like terraces on one side of the ravine. Extraction is seasonal, taking place only during the dry season from May to November or early December, and the ownership of the pools is primarily inherited.

RECOMMENDED: Please provide us with your travel insurance details before your arrival in Peru.