Salineras de Maras (maras Salt Mines)

The Maras Salt Mines (Salineras de Maras), located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, are one of only four places in the world where natural pink salt is extracted. Their uniqueness lies in a combination of prehistoric geology, ancient engineering, and a “vertical” harvesting system that hasn’t changed in over 500 years.

These salt ponds in the Sacred Valley are built right into the mountain. There are over 3,000 small pools fed by a natural underground spring. This water is actually much saltier than the ocean. It flows through tiny channels that were designed hundreds of years ago.

Local families still manage the ponds and harvest the salt by hand. They scrape up different layers as the water evaporates. You can buy the pink salt on-site, which is popular with chefs because it has a lot of natural minerals and no microplastics.