Hi--we are planning to visit Machu Pichu and are thinking of staying in Sacred Valley rather than Cuzco due to the altitude.
1) Which town should we consider staying in? Pisac, Yucay, Ollantaytambo, other? Hotel or inn suggestions?
2) Anyone gone horseback riding or white water rafting?
3) Best place to buy baby alpaca sweaters in area?
4) Looks like we will have to postpone our trip until early 2006 (Jan/Feb/Mar). How bad is the rain at that time?
5) Transportation suggestions? Car and driver recommendations?

1) Ollantaytambo, the Hotel Pakaritampu
www.pakaritampu.com

2) There is white water rafting on the Urubamba River near the town of Urubamba at Sacred Valley Adventures. In January to March, the river will be higher and the rapids may be higher class (I rafted in June and they were only Class III). You can horseback ride at Hotel Sol y Luna, also in Urubamba.

3) to 5) not sure about these.

We went the last half of March and had no rain at all in the Valley. Only 1/2 day of rain out of 5 in the rain forest. Inkanatura was the company we used for guides/drivers. We also stayed at Pakaritampu. Request a room on the 2nd floor to reduce noise. This is because of the beautiful wood floors. Beautiful, but noisy. Great town and hotel. You can get on the train only 1 block from the hotel and save many hours from Cusco. I think you should spend a couple of nights in Cusco after the valley and Machu-Picchu. There is so much to see and experience there and it is too far to drive everyday. It was central to the Inca culture. It is just a few 1000 feet higher and you should be acclimated after the valley. We road Paso horses at a place in the Sacred Valley called Chacon. You would probably have to have your guide help you out. No English spoken - but NOT touristy and 3 of us road for less than what one of us would have paid at Sol y Luna. If you do go Sol y Luna - book well in advance.

I also stayed at the Pakaritampu. It was very nice---that was the splurge hotel as I was staying in more budget hotels otherwise.

We went rafting with Eric Adventures.(Early May) An excellent company owned by a former Olympic rafting competitor. I arranged it in Cusco but they picked us up in the square in Ollantaytambo. It was about a 5 minute drive to the river. After rafting everyone else had to drive in the bus all the way back to Cusco and we were dropped off after a few minutes. It was great! The next day we met our guide and the rest of the hikers coming from Cusco on the train to take the short hike to Machu Picchu. We left our luggage in Ollantaytambo and got back off the train there after we had done the hike, stayed that night in Aguas Calientes,etc. It was VERY nice to have Ollantaytambo as a half way point to stay. Loved it. Then we could make our way back to Cusco when we were ready.

SF

Although I have not been to Yucay, I can attest to the fact that Pisac and Ollayntaytambo are both lovely towns to visit - however, I am not sure that I would opt to stay in either. Pisac is near some spectacular ruins that you won't want to miss out on - as well as the legendary Sunday market, where you will find some of the most amazing products and get a real sense of the marketplace culture. Ollantaytambo is a MAJOR tourist town. Although the ruins are utterly spectacular, the town itself is not very genuine to the traditional culture. You will find countless chinese, italian, and other restaurants catering to the needs of the tourists. When I stayed in Peru for a month, I lived in a town about 45 minutes out of Ollantaytambo, called Urubamba. Urubamba offers access to multiple ruins, including Moray, so it is a great jumping off point. But, more importantly, it is a VERY traditional town. You might want to look into it. In terms of alpaca products, I found great deals in the marketplaces. But be sure to look around before making a purchase so that you can choose the softest product - that will usually ensure that it is genuine. As to the weather in Jan/Feb/Mar, I myself traveled in July, so I cannot personally attest to this; but I believe that those three months are the rainy season. As to your second and final questions, I cannot offer suggestions. I will say, however, that you are in for a real adventure. Peru is the most beautiful, fascinating country and culture I have ever witnessed. Have an excellent time!

We sure had a different feel for Ollantaytambo. If you click on my name my trip report will come up where I expressed that I felt privileged to stay there. It was like a time machine. The ruins are busy during the day - but it was so quiet and peaceful the rest of the time. Many were dressed in there native costumes and not to sell anything or have their picture taken. I didn't see any tourist restaurants as described. I did see one pizza place and a restaurant frequented by backpackers. We ate on the square at a couple of family owned restaurants with little balconies where little if any English was spoken. There is also a small market on the square. It was very authentic. For the locals - not tourists. There are only maybe 3 hotels, and at our hotel a llama was born one morning. Does that sound touristy? We also took a trip up to the weaving village of Willoq on dirt roads above the town. Not a tourist in site. Again, everyone has their own impressions, but it seems we are not even talking about the same town. As our family is sitting here talking - we all feel that we enjoyed Ollantaytambo equally as much as Cusco and Machu Picchu.

I would have to agree with Susan56's impression of Ollantaytambo. I had been staying in quieter towns, (including Urubamba, Susan56, and I completely agree that it is breathtaking), and when I got off the bus at Ollantaytambo, I had a few major impressions. First of all, there were rows and rows of tour buses with binocular and camera-toting passengers, all snapping away. I was immediately bombarded by Peruvians in traditional dress. Yes, it was traditional, but I felt uncomfortable with the many people trying to sell me all sorts of odds and ends. It's part of the culture, I suppose in a town with such an enormous attraction, but it felt unnatural. Then, smack in front of me, was a restaurant selling "chinesse food," "pizza," and all sorts of other foods written in english on an outside menu. As I went farther into the town, toward the ruins, some of the original tourist bustle subsided, but it was still nothing as genuine and traditional as Urubamba. If you want a real feel for Peru, it is important to get away from some of the major tourist towns, and try to immerse yourself in the traditional culture, (which is possible even if you have a week - you could also visit Chicubamba, which is an agricultural center near Urubamba, it excels as far as ecotourism goes), to get the most out of your experience. Yes, the ruins at Ollantaytambo are breathtaking and not to be missed, but I wouldn't recommend staying there overnight, unless it is for convenience, because the train to Aguas Calientes is right in town. Ollantaytambo was one of the most enjoyable sites I visited, particularly because I had Urubamba to compare it to, so I knew the genuine from the more tourist-oriented (which is not to say that the traditional culture isn't alive and well in Ollantaytambo: it thrives most everywhere in Peru). Other than that, I would enjoy Ollantaytambo for its beauty and not miss it. The ruins, I agree, are in the same category of not-to-miss sites as Machu Picchu and Cusco. Hope this helps, Alexandra.

Ollantaytambo was inhabited during incan times and the town itself is basically an incan ruin. It still uses the Incan water system. Compared to Cusco and Pisac it is very quiet, particularly after the tour buses for the ruins leave at night.
I found the fact that there are restaurant choices a plus.

I found Urubamba to be dusty and charmless. Yes, a real Peruvian town, but it was not inhabited in Incan times and has no ruins. The Semanario ceramic factory is about the only reason to stop there in my opinion.

I realize that I might have had a different experience in Peru than some of the other posters, which may have led to my experience in Ollantaytambo. Having the luxury of staying in Peru for a month, I was able to really connect with some of the Peruvians in Urubamba, which may lead to my affection for it. However, although it may be "dusty" and a little rundown, it is a clearcut example of Peruvian culture - a mixture of its Incan past and its more modern (but still traditional) present. But, if you have only a week or two, then Ollantaytambo does have a certain allure, considering the gorgeous ruins and the convenience of its location.

Sorry, I accidentally ended that post. The seminario pottery was also a plus, but it was a little offensive to have such a wealthy institutions amongst all of the traditional culture and marketplaces filled with people earning their living. The fact that it was gated added an equally stuffy air. But the pottery makes for beautiful (if not a little overpriced) souvenirs. I would certainly not call it the best attraction in Urubamba, although may as well be visited.

I should also add, in response to RBCal, that, to be fair, I did not visit Ollantaytambo in the nighttime - only in the afternoon to mid-evening. If the hustle and bustle of tourists ebbed, I can see how it would be a charming town, I was just a little affronted by the way in which the town seemed to me to cater to tourists a little more than I was accustomed. Have a great trip, lacontessa, I hope this helps! Alexandra

I think it depends on the day of week. I was just in Ollantaytambo this morning and found it to be pretty low key. Saturday is not market day in Pisac, so you don't have the crowds doing the Sacred Valley tour (Ollanta included) that you'd have on Tuesdays, Thursdays and, especially, Sundays. There was all the commotion when the Machu Picchu-bound trains arrived, and I know there's an equal amount of commotion in the late afternoon when the return trains arrive headed for Cusco, but that all disperses pretty quickly.

Sweaters are everywhere, it just depends on the quality that you want. I got a great lesson on the differences in quality of llama, baby llama, alpaca, baby alpaca, vicunya, with samples of each shown. You can really tell the difference. For a 100% baby alpaca sweater (plain, one color, V-neck or crew neck), plan on spending about $75. Sweaters with unique designs were selling for $120. (They were giving about a $5 discount for paying cash versus using credit cards.) For lesser quality, there were tons of sweaters sold on the streets and at the markets in Pisac and Chinchero, but they were acrylic blends that were machine made. Those could be purchased for about $20. But once you see how nice the handmade ones are, it´s tough to settle for something cheaper.