Ollantaytambo is the last stop on the way to Machu Picchu and the only Inca town still laid out on its original urban grid. The cobblestone streets you walk today were planned in the 15th century. Peruways runs daily transfers from Cusco plus guided site tours of the fortress and the Pinkuylluna granaries.
Guided tours cover both halves of the site: the terrace-and-temple fortress above the town (unfinished — the Spanish arrived mid-construction) and the Pinkuylluna granaries built high into the cliff opposite. A full visit is 2 to 3 hours. The temple complex at the top of the fortress includes the Wall of the Six Monoliths, carved from a quarry 6 km upstream.
Ollantaytambo is also a staging point for Sacred Valley add-ons: Maras salt pans, Moray circular terraces, Pisac market. All sit within a 90-minute drive and work as a half-day loop from an Ollantaytambo overnight.
Visit Peruways to book Ollantaytambo as a day trip from Cusco or as an overnight on the way to Machu Picchu. The overnight version is what we recommend — it puts you on the first morning train.
