Ollantaytambo sits at the western end of the Sacred Valley, 72 km from Cusco. The fortress town is one of the few places in Peru where the original Inca street grid is still in daily use — adobe houses on the stone foundations the Inca laid before the Spanish arrived.
The ruins above the town are the main draw: terraced fortress walls, the unfinished Temple of the Sun (abandoned mid-build during the Spanish invasion), and the Pinkuylluna granaries on the opposite ridge. Manco Inca defeated a Spanish cavalry charge here in 1537, one of the few outright Inca wins against the conquistadors.
Peruways runs guided day trips from Cusco, with hotel pickup, driver-guide, lunch in town, and stops at Chinchero or Moray on the way back if you want them.
The town is also the departure point for most Machu Picchu trains, so most itineraries overnight here before heading down the gorge.
Book the Ollantaytambo day — or the full Sacred Valley version — through Peruways.
