Moras.

The salt mines of Moras were something that was totally unexpected for all of us. We drove for quite awhile after leaving Moray, winding our way through some spectacular country.


When the bus finally stopped we ended up looking down on this area of brown evaporation ponds, tiny terraced sections on the side of the mountain… unbelievable. Further below in the distance we could see the Urubamba River and the town of Ollantaytambo.

All the ponds are owned by various family members from the areas of Moray and Moras. In fact no other person is permitted to take possession of a pond; if someone does decide to sell their small pond they can only sell to other members of these two areas of Moray and Moras. The entire project is solely based on a type of cooperative arrangement and we were informed that it works very well.


The area predates pre-Inca times and the ponds have been fed by a permanent spring since that era! The watering system is based on an intricate system of channels feeding into all the ponds. As the evaporation takes place the salt begins to form and this could be up to ten centimeters thick. This is then harvested by hand during the summer months. Although everything looked a rusty brown now you could imagine the white glare during the hotter months.

When we visited the usual tourist shops I was amazed to see chocolate salt on sale. I hasten to add that I did not sample some, however, I did taste the spring water and I can assure you it was far saltier than sea water.