Sacred Valley school social projects

Authentic Peru—this is what you will know after this eye-opening tour of the Sacred Valley.

Sacred Valley social project highlights include:

• Visit the social projects we support

• Traditional Pachamanca lunch

• Maras Salt Mines

• Moray Inca ruins

• Chinchero weavers

Meet real people in remote villages, see impressive Inca ruins, and enjoy a traditional Pachamanca lunch.

Salt Mines, Moray, local school visit, Pachamanca lunch & Chinchero

We will pick you up from your hotel at 8:30 am (Cusco or Sacred Valley). Our private vehicle takes us through beautiful scenery en route to our first stop: Maras.

Maras salt mines

Maras’ site is a collection of salt mines that have been used since pre-Inca times.

Workers channel an underground stream into various salt ponds. There are around 5,000 separate salt ponds, though not all are in use at the same time. The local community has to work hard and cooperatively to maintain the balance between salt and sweet water, to control evaporation, and to keep the pond walls in good order.

The intense Andean sun evaporates the water, leaving the highly prized salt. Some salt is white, some red and some brown, and you can find Maras salt for sale in the area.

Social project

We then travel to a nearby village called Pillaray, or our project at Yanahaura. We have sponsored a local school and are supporting them with our social projects.

You can see the school and the village. At the school, there is a chance to talk and interact with the kids. Donations to the school are welcome. Please contact us beforehand to discuss which materials are most useful.

Pachamanca lunch

We walk to the home of a local family where a picnic lunch will be prepared—we will have a chance to make a Pachamanca.

Pachamanca comes from the Quechua words “Pacha,” meaning Earth, and “Manka,” meaning pot. There are regional variations in how it is cooked and, occasionally, in the ingredients.

Preparation begins with the heating of stones over a fire. Meat and vegetables are then placed on top. An oven—called a huatia—is made by putting earth and grass on top of the food. Everything is usually cooked for 2-3 hours. We arrive just in time to dine and see the Pachamanca being prepared.

Moray ruins

Bellies full, next on our itinerary is a visit to Moray (3,500m/11,500ft). This is an unusual and spectacular set of ruins: concentric circles thought to have formed an Inca agricultural laboratory. Some of the terraced circular depressions are 30m/98ft deep, creating a wide variety of temperatures within them.

We walk farther into this archaeological site to see some ruins that may have served as one of the Incas' main amphitheaters. Rituals and ceremonies may have been performed here. Having thoroughly explored Moray, we head to Chinchero.

Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco

In Chinchero, we visit the women's weaving cooperative to watch a demonstration by local weavers. They use traditional Inca techniques for dyeing fabric and for weaving traditional patterns. The local community has used its internationally-renowned weaving skills to regenerate the village.

There is time to browse in the shop, where the items you’ve seen being made are sold. This is a great place to get souvenirs, including Inca-style purses, colorful tablecloths, wall hangings, and many other exquisitely patterned artisanal goods.

We drop you off at your Sacred Valley or Cusco hotel, and the tour ends.

Don’t forget to read our FAQs, covering altitude, money, and more.

Groups of 2: $185 per person

Groups of 3-4: $175 per person

Groups of 5-6: $155 per person

Groups of 7 or more: Contact us for pricing

What’s included?

Private transport and English speaking guide, lunch, & entrance to salt mines

What’s not included?

Entrance to Moray (130 soles/$40 covers entrance to Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, multiple museums in Cusco, and Sacsayhuaman or 70 soles/$23, which covers only some of these sites)