Ollantaytambo at the western end of the Sacred Valley is the last Inca-planned town still functioning as a town — adobe houses on the original stone foundations, with the fortress climbing 60 metres of terraced hillside above.
Peruways runs the day from Cusco: hotel pickup, English-speaking driver-guide, stops at Chinchero or Moray on the way out, lunch in Urubamba. The straight drive is 2 hours; the Sacred Valley tour version runs 6-7.
The main ruins climb to the Temple of the Sun, where six pink granite monoliths — quarried 4 km away across the valley — were set without mortar before the Spanish invasion interrupted the construction. Manco Inca defeated a Spanish cavalry charge here in 1537.
Peruways’ guides frame the site as both fortress and royal estate, pointing out the ramps on the opposite ridge that were used to haul the monoliths up.
Ollantaytambo is also the main train station for Machu Picchu, so most trips overnight here before catching the morning train down the gorge. Visit Peruways for pricing and dates.
