The Ollantaytambo–Cusco leg is the standard return trip after Machu Picchu. Most people fly back to Lima from Cusco, so this is the last Sacred Valley connection of the trip.
Ollantaytambo (2,792m) is worth half a day on its own — the fortress above town, with its massive Sun Temple stones, is the clearest surviving Inca urban grid in the country. The town itself still runs on the original Inca street plan.
The road to Cusco takes about two hours, passing Urubamba (where many of the higher-end Sacred Valley hotels are), climbing to Chinchero on the altiplano at 3,760m, then dropping into Cusco at 3,400m. The Chinchero weavers’ market is a reasonable stop if you have time — natural dyes, backstrap looms.
Cusco itself warrants at least two days — the Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, and the San Blas neighbourhood with artisan workshops.
Peruways runs the Ollantaytambo–Cusco bus leg as a stand-alone booking or bundled with the Machu Picchu return train. Reserve at Peruways.
