There were so many places I wanted to see in Peru, and one of them was the Salinas de Maras, i.e. Maras salt ponds.
Maras is a town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and the salt ponds are located in between red mountains. Even despite a grey weather and some rain, I loved the contrast of colours and the strangeness of the ponds. I had never seen something like that. It looked so impressive and surreal.
A Peaceful Wonder
I was expecting something magnificent (and it was), but my main impression was stillness and peace. I walked around the squared salt ponds, there were not too many people and I could hear the sound of water flowing slowly. It made me feel very zen and relaxed. There were some workers in the ponds, moving or collecting the salt. Everything seemed really slow. It was nice to actually take the time to enjoy the view, the sounds and the colours.
Take Your Time
The site is only composed of the salt ponds, so it doesn’t take too much time to walk around, but my advice is to stop for a second and take in the beauty of everything. It might depend of the number of tourists, I guess. But if you can, don’t rush and let your mind capture the sensations and the view.
Organized Tours
Since I visited the Salinas de Maras during an organized tour, I can’t tell you anything about the town, because I only visited the site. I still think it’s worth going. Plus, there are several tours (like the one I did) that include Maras and Moray (another strange and beautiful place).
I liked that we visited the site, but also stop on the road on our way back, because we could see the salt ponds from above and realize how big the Salinas de Maras are.
To see more photos of Peru, you can visit the gallery Peru.
