Ollantaytambo in Peru’s Sacred Valley is one of the few towns where the original Inca street grid is still in daily use. The fortress above — Pachacuti’s royal estate before Machu Picchu — was the site of Manco Inca’s 1537 victory against the Spanish cavalry.
The main site climbs 60 metres of terraced hillside to the Temple of the Sun. The six pink granite monoliths at the top were quarried 4 km across the valley and lifted up by ramps that are still visible on the opposite ridge. The Spanish invasion interrupted construction, leaving the temple half-finished.
In the town itself, cobblestone streets run between adobe houses on Inca foundations. The Sunday market pulls in weavers from the surrounding Quechua villages — Chinchero, Patacancha, Willoc — selling textiles in natural dyes.
Ollantaytambo is also the main train station for Machu Picchu, so most itineraries stop here on the way to the citadel. Trains leave for Aguas Calientes four to six times a day.
Book the Ollantaytambo day — or the Machu Picchu chain — through Peruways.
