Ollantaytambo

Accommodations

We stayed at the Terra Nostra and loved it. The room was nice, and the staff was kind and accommodating. They serve a complimentary breakfast of eggs, granola, fruit, toast, and coffee each morning from 7-9. They also held our bags for us while we explored. We booked through Expedia, but you will have to pay there at checkout in Soles or USD.

Ruins

While this town is still tourist-oriented, it’s very low-key compared to Machu Picchu since fewer tourists go there. It’s 70 S/ ($21.54) to see the ruins in Ollantaytambo. Your entrance ticket also grants entry into the ruins at Pisaq, Moray, and Chinchero for two days. There’s also a ticket for 130 S/ that covers those sites and more such as Sacsayhuamán (also spelled: Sacsayhuaman, Sacsahuaman, Saxahuaman, Saksaywaman, Saqsaywaman, Sasawaman, Saksawaman, Sacsahuayman, Sasaywaman or Saksaq Waman). From what I could find online, Machu Picchu was by far the most impressive ruins, followed by Ollantaytambo, so we only hit up those two.

We wondered if we’d be unimpressed by Ollantaytambo after seeing Machu Picchu, but it was no issue at all. Ollantaytambo offers a different style of city and stonework that made it unique and interesting. I’d allot at least two hours to the main ruins.

You can also take a look at the Inca storehouses which are opposite the main ruins. The site is called Pinkuylluna.

Pinkuylluna

The trailhead begins in a small opening in a stone wall, so if you think you’ve hit a wall (buh dum tss) in your search for the trail, keep looking! We only went up about half of the trail and got pics. You can hike to the storehouses, but the trail isn’t for the faint of heart. We opted to not go all of the way due to rain which produced slippery trails.

Note that for whatever reason, Peru Rail doesn’t offer fares from Ollantaytambo to Cusco. To get back to Cusco you’ll need to take a taxi for about an hour and 45 minutes. Street taxis offered us 120 S/ ($38) for the trip, but we prearranged one through our hotel back in Cusco for 140 S/ ($43). I think that was the best option because our driver drove a nicer car and was more professional than the street taxis we had ridden in.