Half day
Cusco – Cruzpata – Huaypo Lake – Maras Salt Mines – Cusco
Pickup and drive to Cruzpata: the Flamenco Travel team will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco's historic center. We'll drive by tourist transport to Cruzpata, our quad base.
Safety briefing and practice: at the base you'll get your helmet and gloves, and the instructor will give a technical briefing on how to ride the quad. Then you'll do a guided practice. Before heading out on the route, the guide will check that each participant feels ready and comfortable.
By quad to Huaypo Lake: we'll ride along dirt country roads past farmland, traditional communities, llamas and alpacas, with views of Verónica and Chicón mountains. We'll reach Huaypo Lake (3,345 m a.s.l.), home to many species of fish and birds. According to a local legend, the lake is one of Manco Cápac's twin children; his sister became the nearby Piuray Lake. You'll have free time to walk along the shore and take photos. Then we'll ride back to the base and return the quads.
Maras Salt Mines: for safety, the trip down to the salt mines is made by tourist vehicle, since the descent is very steep. At the Maras Salt Mines, your Flamenco Travel guide will explain how locals channel salty water from the Qoripujio spring into more than 3,000 pools. There the sun evaporates the water and leaves the salt behind, which has been harvested this way since Inca times.
Return to Cusco: after the visit we'll drive back to central Cusco, arriving around 1:00 p.m. on the morning departure, or around 6:00 p.m. on the afternoon departure.
