Tucked away in the north west corner of the Sacred Valley, surrounded by tall mountains on all sides, is the little town of Ollantaytambo. Around a 1.5-hour drive from Cusco, Ollantaytambo is a quick pit stop on the way to Machu Picchu for a lot of people, but this little pueblo deserves some recognition of it’s own.
During the main tourist hours Ollantaytambo is busy with buses rolling in to unload tourists, there to visit the impressive ruins and hop on the train to Aguas Caliente. It can be pretty hectic during the day, but once the last buses leave town in the late afternoon, the town becomes quiet.
I actually didn’t know Ollantaytambo existed until I was looking into the different options for getting to Machu Picchu, that didn’t involve the expensive passenger train or a 4 day trek. I know I know, everyone in Peru does some sort of gruelling trek and it’s a rite of passage for South American backpackers, yadda yadda. But, I didn’t bring hiking boots and in all honesty, just didn’t feel like doing a 4 day trek. Sue me.
The town of Ollantaytambo itself is the oldest inhabited Inca town in Peru. People have inhabited Ollantaytambo continuously for over 700 years, with the current town built on top of the original foundations.
The current town dates back to the reign of 15th-century Emperor Pachacuti. Ollantaytambo contains some of Peru’s best-preserved Inca ruins and has the distinction of being the site of one of the only battles in which the Inca successfully repelled Spanish forces.
Walking through town, it’s easy to get turned around in the narrow cobblestone alleyways, with the tall stone walls towering over you, throwing a welcome shade from the blistering hot midday sun. The sound of running water follows you wherever you go, coming from the small river that runs through the town, courtesy of the original Inca irrigation system.
At any point throughout town when you look up, you have a view of Temple Hill and the labrinyth of stairs and terraces running up the mountain.
On the outskirts of the settlement, looming over the town is a section known as the Temple Hill. Though originally built for purposes of worship by Emperor Pachacuti, the fortress served as the last Inca stronghold against the Spanish Conquistadors and has the distinction of being the site of one of the only battles in which the Inca successfully repelled Spanish forces.
The ruins in Ollantaytambo are some of the most well preserved in the Sacred Valley circuit, with much of the original framework and door frames still standing. You can follow the pathways that run up through the mountains to the staggered terraces, and visit the grain storehouses that are precariously perched on the cliffs above. Ollantaytambo’s ruins are open from 7 am to 6 pm everyday.
The touristic bolleta has a few different options, with the all encompassing ticket being valid for10 days. The ticket allows the owner to access 16 sites throughout the Sacred Valley that are listed on the ticket, and the corresponding site is hole punched on the ticket once visited. So, you can’t revisit a site or sell a used ticket with a few days left on it. The ticket doesn’t include Machu Picchu.
Price – 130 sol (about 50 cad).
Sacred Valley Sites included in the Touristic Bolleta:
You cannot pay for a singular site visit to any of the sites on the bolleta, unfortunately. So when we arrived in Ollantaytambo we wandered around the town and headed up towards the ruins around 4. At this point we weren’t aware that you couldn’t pay for entrance to a singular site, so we got quite the surprise when we arrived at the gates an hour before close and found out it was going to be 50 bucks to go in.
Probably should of done my research beforehand, my bad.
So, we snuck in. I KNOW it’s bad, but we had already done our own little DIY Sacred Valley tour while we were in Cusco (more on that later). Since Machu Picchu wasn’t included, we would of been paying 50 bucks just to visit Ollantaytambo, an hour before closing.
If like us you don’t plan on visiting the other sites, and are in Ollantaytambo on your way to Machu Picchu and are willing to live on the wild side, here’s the deets. I don’t recommend this, but if you end up in the pickle we ended up in, it could come in handy. Just make sure to spend some extra money when you’re out for dinner and tip nicely to make up for it karma-wise.
We were walking down the main road(Google maps says Road 28B?) and came up to a bull fighting ring. There was a well worn pathway up the side of the mountain, with locals sitting up on the hill. So we followed the pathway up, and ended up in the ruins. Not exactly stealthy, but it worked for us. We lucked out and there was nobody around to really tell us no. The only thing that’s really blocking off the access is a small rope fence with a couple orange flags.
Ollantaytambo is pretty touristy, so you can find a fairly wide array of cuisine. The central square is filled with little mom & pop shops, with the majority of restaurants in town serving the usual smorgusboard of pizza, pasta, and steaks. Since we only spent a day there we didn’t sample a whole lot of the town’s offerings but here’s a few to poke your nose into!
Definitely not cheap by Peruvian standards, but if you’re craving a bit of a healthier bite, Sunshine Cafe has you covered. A cute little cafe offering fresh salads, sandwiches, and coffee with a rooftop dining area to boot.
A western style cafe/bakery, located near the main square, their menu offers a bit of everything. I only had a coffee and a pastry here but they were delish!
A sweet, colorful hostel just a little bit outside of the town centre, Mama Simona’s is the perfect spot to base yourself for a night in Ollantaytambo. A beautiful garden with hammocks, a firepit, and a bbq area, a cozy lobby and well stocked kitchen. Breakfast is included when you stay.
Sauce Boutique Hotel Ollantaytambo
A beautifully appointed hotel, Sauce is family run and features its own farm with organic homegrown produce. The front lobby is graced with a terracotta fireplace, perfect for the chilly Andes evenings. The cozy rooms are brightly colored, decorated with locally produced furnishings and crisp textiles.
A breakfast buffet is served daily, and features Sauce’s own homegrown produce. Perfect way to start your morning before the 6 block walk to Ollantaytambo’s train station.
The collectivos to Ollantaytambo leave Cusco from Calle Pavitos and Av. Grau, which is a 10-15 minute walk or short taxi ride from the centre of Cusco. These minivans leave regularly from early in the morning, and depart when full.
Time – 2 hours
Price – 10 sols/pp
A private taxi one-way from Cusco to Ollantaytambo costs around 100 soles, but could cost more or less depending on your negotiation skills.
Depending on your price point, there are a couple different options for getting from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu!
One thing we didn’t fully understand when we were figuring out our own route from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, was that there is no direct road into Aguas Calientes, (the town at the base of Machu Picchu). So, you either have to walk, trek, or train.
We stayed in Ollantaytambo for one night, and then we woke up at the crack of dawn the next day to get the collectivo to Hidroelectrica, where we would begin our walk in to Aguas Calientes. The first collectivos begin running around 7:30, from Calle Inca. and we showed up to get the first one but since collectivos roll in to Ollantaytambo from Cusco, there’s no guarantee there will be seats available.
It took almost 2 hours for us to get on a collectivo, there’s a fairly strong unspoken ‘locals first’ rule. Which, I’m totally fine with for the first few, but after 2 hours watching the collectivos leaving with people who had just shown up, we spoke up and got put on the next one.
We had read that we would need to get a collectivo from Ollantaytambo – Santa Maria – Santa Teresa – Hidroelectrica, but our collectivo went directly to Hidroelectrica.
Time – 3-4 hours
Price – 25 sols/pp Ollantaytambo – Hidroelectrica.
From the Hidroelectrica (it’s the hydroelectric station outside of town, not an actual town), it’s about 12 km in to Aguas Calientes. The walk is an easy, flat stroll along the train tracks. These are active tracks, so make sure to pay attention. It’s a fairly popular route so you’re guaranteed to not be alone, but I still wouldn’t be wearing headphones, so don’t be dumb.
** If you’re going this route, leave your large bags in Cusco. Our return shuttle from Hidroelectrica to Cusco didn’t stop in Ollantaytambo, so it would be a hassle to try to get back to get your things. Accommodations in Cusco are entirely used to this, with everyone leaving to go on the Inca Trail and what not. The majority of places will lock your stuff up for a few days, just double check before you book.**
There are two train companies that run from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, Peru Rail and Inca Rail. Since the train to Machu Picchu is world famous, seats sell out. The seats are in three tiers, so unless you want to pay the hefty top tier price, book your ticket in advance.
The train station in Ollantaytambo is located on Av Ferrocarril. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the main plaza, so don’t cut it too close.
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