Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Sacred Valley Ollantaytambo Peru

After landing at Cusco Airport we headed straight to Ollantaytambo and it turned out to be a great choice not just to adjust to the altitude but because I loved this town!

Many people stay in Cusco first, and then get hit by the altitude. By going down to the Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo first, you avoid most of the effects of altitude - we barely felt it.

OLLANTAYTAMBO: I fell in LOVE with this town!!

-Hotel arranged taxi from airport cost $30 drive time about 1hr 45 min

-Located in the Sacred Valley between MP and Cusco, a beautiful old Incan town with cobblestone streets and surrounded by mountains. A tiny village with lots of color, amazing scenery, good food, plenty to do and nice people.

-Hotel Sauce: It was clean, nice and in a great location. Kinda expensive we paid $150 for a room with a queen bed and a double. Private bath, hot water and a really nice breakfast spread.

-KB Hotel and Tours: A less expensive choice but I didn’t see the rooms. The owner is a very helpful and kind American named KB said the building was new and rooms start at $20 a night. We did use KB to book our bicycle tour that I highly recommend. And the Restaurant in the hotel, ran by a Chilean Chef was outstanding!!! The Lomo Saltado, which I ate every day, was the best I had.

-Things to do:

We took a bike tour for $40pp where we were driven up about 14,000 feet to the Ambra Malaga Pass then coasted down the asphalt road filled with switch backs, on bicycles. This was a beautiful trip, snow covered peaks and green fields. Took about 4 hours in total. Easy for a novice. Bring a jacket it can get very cold and you probably won’t work up a sweat!

Ollantaytambo Parque Arqueologico Fortaleza Ruins: which you can see from the streets. We were able to get a ticket for 40 soles pp after telling the cashier we only wanted to visit this one spot and not the other ruins. So we saved 30 soles pp. If you are going to visit other sites around Cusco it is worth buying the more expensive ticket. So, I think it cost us in the end since we did visit another site near Cusco. We hired a guide after entering named Alberto he was terrific! He gave us a 2 hour tour, climbing the terraces and pointing out the faces carved in another nearby mountain.

Free Ruins and hikes: There are other ruins on the side of town across from the Fortress and they are free, ask around and you will easily find the way. Also at the Museum (which is free but you will be hounded for a donation) there are a few posters that have suggested walks in the area and the time they will take. We walked to the Inca Bridge around the town then on the railroad tracks back into the center.
Other Things to do: White water rafting, Horseback Riding, Mountain Climbing.

TRAINS: they run frequently to and from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. We took the backpacker train and the $10 more Vistadome. The Vistadome has bigger and better windows so you can really see the amazing view. You also get a boxed lunch and a very annoying fashion show which kinda ruins the view.

**If you are going for the day, there is a place on the platform where you can store luggage. However, despite the signs, there is plenty of room on the train for big bags.**

For my full trip report with other places in the area please go to my website http://kimsegal.com/index.html