The Salineras de Maras deserve their own entry beyond the combined Moray & Maras listing — they are one of the most visually stunning landscapes in Peru. Over 5,000 salt pans cascade down the mountainside in a terraced formation that catches the light differently at every hour, creating a mosaic of white, pink, and brown that is the most photogenic non-archaeological site in the Sacred Valley.
The salt pans have been worked by the local community since before the Inca, and ownership of individual pans passes through families across generations. A natural saline spring at the top of the mountain feeds water into a network of channels that distribute it to the terraced pools, where evaporation in the highland sun concentrates the salt for harvesting. The traditional harvest method (flooding the pans, allowing evaporation, scraping the crystallised salt) is unchanged in centuries.
Maras salt has become a gourmet product — sold as 'pink salt from Maras' in specialty food shops in Lima and internationally, commanding prices that make the community's traditional product economically viable in the modern market. The site charges a small entrance fee and is best visited in the dry season (May-October) when the salt crystals are most visible and the pans are at their most photogenic.
Verified Facts
Over 5,000 salt pans are terraced into the mountainside
The salt pans have been worked since before the Inca period
A natural saline spring feeds the pan system
Maras salt is sold as a gourmet product internationally
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Espaderos, Cusco, Peru
