Epic Travel → Central and South America → Peru → Ollantaytambo

Location: Sacred Valley, Cusco Region

Time Required: 2 hours – half a day

Red Tape/Notes: You’ll need either the Cusco General Tourist ticket ($130 for foreigners as of 2017) or a Cusco Circuit 3 ticket ($70 for foreigners as of 2017) to visit the site. Which ticket you want will depend on what else you’re seeing (and when you’re seeing it). Visit this website for more information on the various ticket types and to purchase tickets.

What’s Nearby?: Sacred Valley Horseback Riding, Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham

Most people stop here because it’s on the way to Machu Picchu or because it’s quite close to the most popular starting point of the Inca Trail, but the site is impressive and worth visiting regardless. During the time of the Inca Empire (mid-15th century), Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of emperor Pachacuti, and it later served as a stronghold of the Inca Resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. The site consists of a town, which was razed and rebuilt (bummer for the original occupants) by Pachacuti when he conquered the region, extensive terraces, and a ceremonial center. Much of the 15th century town remains, including the extensive irrigation system and the houses, which are some of the oldest continuously occupied buildings in South America. Many of the residents will allow tourists inside for a small donation. The ceremonial center is built near the top of a steep hill overlooking the town, and is accessed by a set of stairs running up the terraces built into the hillside. Once at the top, there are three sections: the Temple Sector, the Middle Sector, and the Funerary Sector. The Temple Sector, which lies to the south, contains the most impressive stonework and the most interesting buildings, including the Enclosure of the Ten Niches and the Wall of the Six Monoliths in the Sun Temple, despite the fact that it was still under construction at the time of the site’s abandonment.

Epic Travel → Central and South America → Peru → Ollantaytambo