Sacred Valley ATV Tour: Maras, Moray & Salt Mines
A full-day ATV ride through the Sacred Valley, from Chinchero to Moray and the Maras Salt Mines.
The Sacred Valley ATV Tour trades the usual van window for a Honda TRX 250 — riding, not just visiting, across the trails and dirt roads that connect Chinchero to the Sacred Valley’s most photographed sites. The day opens with a proper visit to Chinchero, on foot, before switching to ATVs at the Cruzpata base for the ride to Moray, then continuing by vehicle to the Maras Salt Mines (ATVs aren’t permitted there, for safety near the cliffs).
Physically, the day is front-loaded rather than gradual: riders reach Cruzpata, the ATV base, mid-morning after a Chinchero visit that also serves as a natural altitude warm-up, before the ATV circuit itself covers Chinchero’s elevation down to Moray and back. It’s a full day of activity, but one built around riding rather than sustained physical effort — genuinely accessible to riders without prior ATV experience.
| 💰 From | $153 USD per person (group of 8) |
| ⏱️ Duration | Full day (~07:40 AM–afternoon) |
| ⛰️ Altitude range | Maras Salt Mines 3,385 m up to Chinchero 3,800 m |
| 🚶 Physical level | Easy to Moderate |
| 📅 Season | Year-round |
| 👥 Group size | Private, 2-10 travelers (minimum 2 — ATVs can’t run solo) |
| 🎂 Minimum age | 16+ |
| 🍽️ Meals | Box lunch included |
A full day of riding, not just sightseeing, across the Sacred Valley’s most iconic stretch. – Start with a proper visit to Chinchero’s textile center and Inca ruins, on foot. – Switch to a Honda TRX 250 ATV at the Cruzpata base for the ride to Moray. – Explore the Moray agricultural terraces, reached entirely by ATV. – Close the day at the Maras Salt Mines, walking among the pools where Inca salt has been harvested for centuries. This is the Sacred Valley ATV Tour, start to finish.
Most Sacred Valley tours, like the Maras Moray Half Day, move you between sites by van. This one puts you behind the handlebars for the middle stretch — a genuine off-road ATV ride between Chinchero and Moray, with a practice circuit beforehand for anyone who’s never driven one.
The day starts on foot, at Chinchero’s textile center and Inca ruins — the same starting point as the Chinchero Sacred Valley Tour — before continuing to the Cruzpata ATV base. From there, the ride to Moray takes around 45 minutes each way across trails and dirt roads, with the return covering the same ground before a private vehicle takes over for the final stretch to the Maras Salt Mines — ATVs aren’t permitted there, for safety near the cliffside pools.
It’s a genuinely different way to see terrain most visitors only glimpse from a bus window, with enough structure (a practice circuit, a dedicated ATV guide leading the convoy) to make it accessible even for first-time riders. For a walking alternative to this same stretch of valley, see the Maras Moray Hike.
The Sacred Valley ATV Tour builds up in stages rather than a single climb: a Chinchero visit on foot in the morning, a practice circuit before the real ride begins, and the ATV portion itself sandwiched between two lower-key vehicle stretches.
Altitude moves within a fairly narrow, moderate band throughout the day — from Chinchero at 3,800 m down to the Maras Salt Mines at 3,385 m — meaning the day’s real physical factor is the riding itself, not altitude adjustment. Because the morning in Chinchero (itself already at altitude) comes before the ATV circuit, riders are already reasonably adjusted by the time the more active part of the day begins.
Your guide picks you up from your hotel at 7:40 AM and heads northwest via Poroy toward Chinchero. The morning starts on foot: first at a local textile center, where Chinchero families demonstrate traditional weaving and offer a coca leaf mate to help with altitude adjustment, then at the Chinchero ruins themselves, exploring the Inca stonework and agricultural terracing built during the reign of the ninth Inca ruler. A stop at the Machu Qolqa viewpoint offers panoramic views over the Sacred Valley before the group continues toward the ATV base.
At the Cruzpata base, a short practice circuit gets everyone comfortable behind the handlebars of a Honda TRX 250 before the real ride begins — no prior ATV experience is needed. From there, it’s roughly 45 minutes of off-road riding across trails and dirt roads to Moray, led by a dedicated ATV guide the entire way. At Moray, there’s time to explore the concentric Inca terraces, understood to have functioned as an agricultural experimentation site, before remounting for the return ride back to Cruzpata.
The final stretch of the day switches back to vehicle: ATVs aren’t permitted at the Maras Salt Mines, for safety near the cliffside pools, so a private vehicle carries the group there instead. After a panoramic view from above and a walk among the salt pools themselves, the day wraps up with a box lunch and the drive back to Cusco via Chinchero, Cachimayo, and Poroy.
Day 1 stats
Box Lunch
Moderate
A light walk & ATV
5 to 25 minutes
Paradero 37: 3,728m (12,230 ft)
Inca Salt Flats: 3,385m (11,105 ft)
Chinchero Ruins: 3,800m (12,467 ft)
No — there’s a short practice circuit at the Cruzpata base before the real ride begins, and a dedicated ATV guide leads the group throughout.
A Honda TRX 250, a robust, beginner-friendly model suited to the Sacred Valley’s mixed terrain of trails and dirt roads.
For safety — the salt pools sit on a steep hillside with real cliff exposure, so that stretch is done on foot with a private vehicle transfer instead.
Around 45 minutes each way between the Cruzpata base and Moray — roughly 1.5 hours of riding total.
16 years old, given the physical requirements of operating an ATV.
No — ATVs require a minimum of 2 travelers to operate as a group tour.
Yes, a box lunch is included as part of the day.
Closed shoes are required, along with a windbreaker and dust goggles — the trail can be dusty, especially in the dry season.
No — Chinchero is visited on foot in the morning, before the group transfers to the Cruzpata base to begin the ATV circuit.
Easy to moderate — the ATV handles most of the physical demand, with a practice circuit beforehand to build confidence.
No formal license is required, but basic coordination and comfort following instructions are expected — the practice circuit helps confirm this before the real ride.
The tour still runs in light rain, though your guide may adjust pacing on the trail sections for safety; heavy rain could affect scheduling.
No — each rider operates their own ATV solo, for safety reasons; non-riders can join by staying with the support vehicle instead.
| Persons | Price (p/p) | |
| 2 | $ 262.00 USD | |
| 3 | $ 209.00 USD | |
| 4 | $ 185.00 USD | |
| 5 | $ 172.00 USD | |
| 6 | $ 164.00 USD | |
| 7 | $ 158.00 USD | |
| 8 | $ 153.00 USD |
