Ollantaytambo sits in the Sacred Valley 60 km northwest of Cusco — about 90 minutes by road. It’s the only Inca town in Peru still laid out on its original 15th-century urban grid, which makes it both an archaeological site and a working town at the same time.
The fortress above the town is the headline. The Wall of the Six Monoliths — six pink granite blocks weighing up to 50 tons each — was quarried 6 km upstream and dragged across the Urubamba. The temple was still unfinished when the Spanish arrived in 1537; the stones never reached their final positions. Below the fortress, agricultural terraces climb the hillside in parallel bands.
Peruways’ day tours from Cusco cover both halves of the site plus the Pinkuylluna granaries built into the opposite cliff. Guides are MINCETUR-licensed and work in English, Spanish and French. The San Pedro market square is the lunch stop — chicha, choclo con queso, cuy if you’re brave.
Travel packages and departure dates at Peruways. Note that Ollantaytambo works as a day return from Cusco but is better as an overnight — it puts you on the first morning train to Machu Picchu.
