Your Complete Guide to Visiting Ollantaytambo in Peru

This city served as a valuable checkpoint for the Incas. According to Inca law, these lands were reserved for the Inca dynasty.

It is the only place that preserves its ancient Inca urban design. It is the prelude to visiting Machu Picchu.

Where is Ollantaytambo located?

It is located 80 km from the city of Cusco.

Places to visit in Ollantaytambo

Visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo.

The Ollantaytambo fortress was an important military, religious, and political center and a strategic place of resistance against the conquerors. If you have time before visiting Machu Picchu, you can tour the Inca ruins here.

Here, you will find large fields of traditional cultivation. You can also visit the Temple of the Sun, which is built with the same type of perfectly carved stone blocks.

You can also visit the ñusta Bath, where the Inca women bathed to purify themselves. The water continues to flow today.

Discover the Pinkuylluna

A little-visited site is Pinkuylluna, one of the essential stops on the way to Ollantaytambo. It is a set of agricultural deposits from the time of the Incas, located in the middle of a cliff. The climb is steep but short (between 20 and 30 minutes).

Take a walk through the streets of Ollantaytambo.

Because the streets of Ollantaytambo mostly retain their original Inca design, it is beautiful to walk through them, giving the feeling that time has stood still.

We recommend visiting its church, handicraft market, and Catcco Museum (Andean Center for Traditional Technology and Culture of the Communities of Ollantaytambo), which exhibits the region’s history and crafts.

Ñaupa Iglesia: the Inca ruins without tourists

In the middle of the mountains, hidden, the Ñaupa Iglesia is one of my favorite places in the valley and an important place to visit in Ollantaytambo.

Necessary: As the site is free, it is not as well preserved as the tourist ruins, and although many stairs lead to the top, it is better not to take unnecessary risks due to inattention or overconfidence; take a good look where you step!

Have a craft beer

The Cervecería del Valle is a microbrewery located at the entrance of the town of Pachar. Of course, it is the best place to enjoy a good beer during your stay in Ollantaytambo!

Hike to the Puerta del Sol

They walked for two hours through the Inca quarries, where the Incas extracted the stones for their constructions, until they reached the Inti Punku.

The “Inti Punku” was a strategic point for astronomical observation and a control site for the roads to Machu Picchu and the Amazon rainforest, with breathtaking views from the top.

It is also possible to arrive from Cusco. Includes: transfer from your hotel, breakfast in the Pachar community, walk with a guide, a small lunch, and a stop at the Cervecería del Valle brewery before returning to your hotel.