Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Being a resident of Peru, how many times per year do you travel abroad?   1 2 3 4 or more?

Apart from Cusco, Ollantaytambo is the other city that offers a train service to Machu Picchu, thus it is conveniently located as a destination spot for any tourist. Getting there is a snap. I'm sure there are combis to Ollantaytambo from Cusco (I took one from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo for a Sol or two), but you can simply go to the Plaza de Armas (or anywhere in Cusco for that matter) and negotiate for a taxi to take you there. My guess is that you'll be able to get a driver for anywhere between S/. 50 and S/. 80, which is a completely reasonable price (it's about a 1.5 hour drive after all).


Once you arrive at Ollantaytambo, you'll find it to be a pleasant little village with a kind of mountain retreat atmosphere. There is a tourist influenced section at the foot of the town's magnificent ruins, but you need only walk a few hundred meters in any direction to get a truer sense of what rural Peruvian life is actually like.
The ruins themselves are simply breathtaking. I often find myself saying that if Machu Picchu didn't exist, other sites (Sacsayhuaman, Choquequirao, etc.) would be just as much of an international draw. Ollantaytambo falls into this category, and provides for an excellent day (3-5 hrs to really soak it in) of hiking and absorbing the excellent Andean vibe. The fact that Ollantaytambo is included on your tourist ticket (the one that gets you into such places as Sacsayhuaman and Pisaq) make it an unbelievable value.

Ollantaytambo's ruins are spread out along a fairly steep ridge. Upon entering the gate, you'll see an immense terraced stairway that is the primary focal point of the site. Compared to some of the hikes in Machu Picchu, navigating the steps is fairly easy (although Ollantaytambo is slightly higher than Machu Picchu in terms of elevation).


Once you've climbed to the top of the stairway, you'll get an excellent view of the Urubamba valley. As you walk through the area, you'll also find many truly superior examples of Inca stonework. When you have exhausted all that there is to see above the terraced stairway, you'll have two options for further exploration. One is a narrow pathway at the back of the ruins, and the other is a stone walkway that leads off across the ridge face at the ruin's front.
The pathway at the back is the trail-head of an approximately hour long hike that takes you up to some small sites on the top of the ridge. The hike is only semi-strenuous, and the ruins that it leads to are fairly small, but it makes for a pleasant afternoon (and the views are magnificent).

The stone walkway is little easier to find as it is centrally located in the center of the site. However, it can induce a sense of vertigo as it seems to hang out over a cliff face (a few tourists who were there upon my last visit took one look at the path, shook their heads, and made a quick about-face to look for some presumably more solid ground). This pathway leads out across another set of terraces that line the ridge and eventually arrives at a small house that sits beside a descending stair.  You can walk back to the site's entrance along another path that leads through a series of gravity-fed fountains which are just as spectacular as any similar fountain at Machu Picchu.


Ollantaytambo is the kind of historical site that really obliges you to stretch your legs in order to get a sense of it. It is a pleasant discovery for any visiting tourist since it is such an extensive site that seems to be simply "added on" to the tourist ticket (it could just as easily warrant its own separate entry fee). Plus, the fact that it's located right next to the premier train station to Machu Picchu (Ollantaytambo offers a much wider range of departure times), makes it a no-brainer for adding to your Cusco itinerary. Check it out, you won't be sorry!



tags : Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Inca, Peru, Tourism

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6 Comments

# Rodney says :
1 July, 2009 [ 01:37 ]

Ben is absolutely correct in his assesment of this magnificent ruin. It should be a must on anyones visit to Cusco and surrounding area. I've been there twice and loved my second visit even more than the first.

# Joao Eduardo Barioni says :
1 July, 2009 [ 07:36 ]

# Hitrac says :
7 July, 2009 [ 11:27 ]

This is a wonderful place to visit. My wife and I went there as part of a day tour of the Sacred Valley. The tour was great and seeing all the historical sites and small towns was great. Honestly I wish I had a day (or more) to spend at each location.

Our tour guide was from Ollantaytambo and he was amazing. His knowledge and love for the area left a lasting impression on me. When I go back I will hunt him down for another tour.

# Claire says :
7 July, 2009 [ 04:28 ]

Hi Hitrac,  do you remember the name of your guide and if you have it and contact information would you please post it?  I'm about to leave for the Cusco/Ollantaytambo area and would love the contact.

Thanks so much.

Claire

# Hitrac says :
8 July, 2009 [ 05:47 ]

Claire,

His name is Adriel Vilcas ( aldrin42@hotmail.com ). Try to email him.
We had went on a tour through Americana De Turismo (in Cusco). Their information is below. You could probably ask them also.

Calle Garcilaso 265
Int. 2 Cusco
51-84-240999
51-84-241999
51-84-245999

www.americanadeturismo.net

I hope this helps

# Claire says :
8 July, 2009 [ 07:20 ]

Thanks so much!

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