Ollantaytambo, Peru: The Ruins, the Inca Town and the Train to Machu Picchu

Why Ollantaytambo deserves more than a quick stop

Most travellers meet Ollantaytambo as the last stop of a Sacred Valley day, or simply as the place where the train leaves. Our Sacred Valley guide explains how the whole valley fits together, from Pisac and Chinchero to Moray and Maras. This guide zooms in on the one place in the valley where you can see an Inca royal estate, a battlefield of the Spanish conquest and an Inca town that never stopped being lived in, all within a ten-minute walk.

Ollantaytambo sits where the Patacancha stream joins the Urubamba River and the valley narrows into the canyon that leads down to Machu Picchu. That position explains almost everything about it: it controlled the route between the highlands and the warmer lands downriver, it had water and farmland, and it was easy to defend. It still controls the route today, only now the gate is a railway station.

The name is usually explained as tambo, an Inca waystation or lodge, plus Ollantay, the general who is the hero of a famous Quechua drama set in the time of the Incas. The play was written down in the colonial period, and the link between the legend and the site is tradition rather than history, but it is the story every local guide will tell you.

Ollantaytambo's main sites at a glance

A short history: Pachacuti's estate and Manco Inca's victory

In the 15th century the Inca ruler Pachacuti (Pachacútec), who turned Cusco from a regional kingdom into an empire, took control of this part of the valley and made it one of his royal estates. Like Machu Picchu and Pisac, it was a private property of the ruler and his lineage, with farmland, residences and temples. The Incas reshaped the whole valley floor here, straightening the river and building terraces for maize, and laid out the town that still stands.

Ollantaytambo's most famous moment came during the Spanish conquest. In 1536 Manco Inca, whom the Spaniards had crowned as a puppet ruler, rebelled and besieged Cusco. When the siege failed he withdrew to Ollantaytambo and turned the estate into his stronghold. Our article on the Inca Empire tells the wider story of the conquest.

In early 1537, a Spanish force led by Hernando Pizarro, with cavalry and many indigenous allies, rode down the valley to capture him. Manco's warriors held the high terraces and rained arrows, sling stones and rocks on the attackers, and the Incas then flooded the plain below the fortress by opening channels from the river, so that the horses sank in the mud. The Spanish were forced to retreat by night. It was one of the very few battles of the conquest that the Incas won.

The victory did not last. With Spanish reinforcements on their way, Manco abandoned Ollantaytambo later in 1537 and retreated into the remote forests of Vilcabamba, where an independent Inca state survived until 1572. When you stand on the upper terraces and look down at the flat fields by the river, you are looking at the battlefield.

What to see in the Ollantaytambo ruins

The main archaeological site is the hill on the western side of town, often called Temple Hill. You enter from the old Inca plaza at its foot, walk up the terraces to the temple sector at the top, and come back down along a path on the side of the hill. Allow about two hours for a guided visit at an easy pace, a little longer if you want to stop for photos at every level.

The terraces of the fortress

The first thing you see from the plaza is a giant stairway of terraces climbing the hillside. They were farming terraces, but these, much higher and more carefully built than ordinary ones, were also meant to impress: they are the grand approach to the temple at the top. During the battle of 1537 they also worked as defensive walls, which is why the site is often called the Ollantaytambo fortress.

The climb follows a single steep staircase of Inca steps, some of them high and uneven. There is no rush: stop on the wide terraces to catch your breath and look back over the town grid and the valley, which get better the higher you go. Near the top, on the way to the temple, look for the wall with niches, the trapezoidal recesses typical of important Inca buildings.

The Temple of the Sun and its six monoliths

At the top of the hill stands the most striking piece of stonework in the Sacred Valley: six enormous slabs of pinkish stone, set upright side by side, with thin strips of stone fitted between them. Each block weighs many tonnes, and the joints are so precise that they are often compared with the finest walls in Cusco. The stone is a rose-coloured rhyolite that the Incas brought from the Kachiqhata quarries, high on the mountain across the Urubamba.

Moving these blocks meant dragging them down one mountainside, across the river and up another. Along the way you can still see abandoned blocks, known locally as piedras cansadas, the tired stones, that never reached the top. Around the monoliths, other blocks lie on the ground half worked, and the temple was clearly never finished: building was probably still under way when the Inca world fell apart in the 1530s.

Looking closely, you can make out faint shapes raised on the face of some monoliths, which guides interpret as stepped symbols. Whatever the temple was meant to become, the unfinished state is part of its value: it is one of the best places anywhere to understand how the Incas quarried, moved and fitted stone.

The Princess Baths (Baño de la Ñusta)

Back at the foot of the site, close to the plaza, water still pours through a fountain carved into a single block of stone, known as the Baño de la Ñusta, the Princess Baths. A ñusta was an Inca princess, but the name is a later one: the fountain was most likely a place of ritual bathing and water worship, which was central to Inca religion.

It is one of several fountains and channels on the valley side of the site, all fed by water brought from the mountain. Many visitors walk past it on the way out, so ask your guide to stop here. The sound of the water and the precision of the carving are a good way to end the visit.

Pinkuylluna and the Inca storehouses

Look across the town from the terraces and you will see stone buildings perched on the steep mountainside opposite. These are the storehouses of Pinkuylluna, the qollqas where the Incas kept maize and other produce from the estate. Building them high up was deliberate: the colder, windier air at that height helped keep the food dry and free of pests.

Guides also like to point out, on the same mountain, a rock formation that looks like a giant bearded face, which local tradition links to the creator god Wiracocha. Whether you see it or not is a matter of imagination, but it makes a good game from the top of Temple Hill.

The path to Pinkuylluna starts from the streets of the town, not from the main archaeological site. It is short but very steep and narrow, with drops on the side, so it is best done in good weather, with good shoes and only if you are comfortable with heights. The reward is a view of the town grid and the Temple Hill terraces from above. It is not part of our Sacred Valley day, so plan it for free time if you stay in town.

The living Inca town: canchas and water channels

Ollantaytambo is often called the best surviving example of Inca town planning. The old quarter, north of the main square, is a grid of narrow straight lanes dividing the town into canchas: walled blocks, each with a single doorway opening onto a shared courtyard, around which the houses stand. Many families still live in them, and walking in through one of those trapezoidal doorways, you step into a courtyard that has been in use since the Incas.

The lanes are lined with stone water channels that still carry fresh mountain water through the town, as they were designed to. Look at the lower courses of the walls as you walk: the large, carefully fitted stones are Inca, and the adobe or rougher stone above them is often colonial or modern.

The town is small and flat, so an hour of wandering is enough. Go after visiting the ruins, when you have seen the grid from above and can recognise it on the ground. The main square, with its cafés and small restaurants, is the place to sit and wait for your train.

Ollantaytambo altitude: a gentle step for your body

At about 2,800 m (9,200 ft), Ollantaytambo is roughly 600 m lower than Cusco, which sits at 3,400 m (11,150 ft). Many travellers find they sleep and breathe noticeably better here. That is why the valley works so well between Cusco and Machu Picchu, at 2,430 m (7,970 ft).

Lower does not mean effortless, though. The terrace climb is a real climb at a height where many visitors are still adjusting, so go slowly, drink water and do not push yourself on your first or second day in the Andes. Our altitude sickness guide explains the symptoms to watch for and why the first days matter most.

The train station: why most trains to Machu Picchu leave from here

There is no road to Machu Picchu. The railway down the Urubamba canyon to Aguas Calientes is the main way in, and Ollantaytambo is where the road from Cusco and the railway meet in a practical way. Trains do run from the Cusco area too, but a road transfer to Ollantaytambo followed by the train is usually quicker, and it lets you visit the valley on the way. That is why almost everyone, and all our packages, board at Ollantaytambo.

The station is a short walk downhill from the main square, next to the river. Both train companies use it, so the station is busy at the times trains leave and arrive. Arrive in good time, carry your passport and keep your luggage within the companies' limits.

We will not repeat the train details here: our comparison of PeruRail vs Inca Rail covers the services, timings and luggage rules, and how to get to Machu Picchu explains every leg of the journey. Once you arrive, our Aguas Calientes guide tells you what to expect in the town below the citadel.

Sleeping in Ollantaytambo before Machu Picchu

Spending a night in Ollantaytambo is a good option if your plan allows it. You sleep lower than in Cusco, you can visit the ruins early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the tour groups have gone, and you can walk to the station the next day without a long transfer from Cusco.

It works best when your Machu Picchu entry is later in the morning or in the afternoon, so a morning train from Ollantaytambo gets you there in time. If your entry is very early, you need to sleep in Aguas Calientes the night before instead, because no train from Ollantaytambo arrives that early. That is how our packages are built: the Sacred Valley day ends with the afternoon train, you sleep in Aguas Calientes and you enter Machu Picchu the next morning.

The town has accommodation for every budget, from simple family guesthouses to boutique hotels in the valley around it. Evenings are quiet: a few restaurants around the square, starry skies and cold nights, especially in the dry season. If you would like an extra night here added to your trip, ask us before you book.

How our packages use Ollantaytambo

• Which tours: the Sacred Valley VIP day is Day 4 of the Peru 7 days package, Day 6 of the Peru 9 days package and Day 5 of the Peru and Bolivia 12-day tour.
• Before Ollantaytambo: we leave Cusco in the morning for Chinchero (weaving house and archaeological park), Moray and the Maras salt mines, then a buffet lunch in Urubamba. Our Maras and Moray guide covers those two stops in depth.
• In Ollantaytambo: in the afternoon, a guided visit of the archaeological complex with your guide. The excursion ends here.
• The train: depending on the train schedule, we take you to the station about an hour before departure to board the tourist train Ollantaytambo–Aguas Calientes, where you sleep in a 3-star hotel.
• Included on this day: guide, transport, entrance tickets for the sites visited (Ollantaytambo included), the buffet lunch and the train to Aguas Calientes.
• Not included on this day: Pinkuylluna, which has separate access from the town, and free time to explore the town at length.
• The way back: after Machu Picchu, the train returns to Ollantaytambo and our transport continues to Cusco, so you pass through the town twice. The 7-day package is from US$998 per person.

The Cusco tourist ticket covers the ruins

You do not pay for the Ollantaytambo archaeological site on its own: entry is through the Boleto Turístico del Cusco, the tourist ticket sold by COSITUC. The full ticket is valid for 10 days and covers 16 sites and museums around Cusco and the Sacred Valley, including Ollantaytambo; for foreign visitors it costs S/ 130.

If you are only visiting the valley, the partial Circuit III ticket covers Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chinchero and Moray. For foreign visitors it costs S/ 70 and is valid for 2 days. Keep it with you: it is checked and stamped at the entrance, and student discounts are checked against ID.

On our Sacred Valley VIP day the entrance tickets are already included, so you do not need to buy one. Prices and conditions can change, so check them on the COSITUC website or with us before you travel.

Best time of day to visit Ollantaytambo

Early morning is the quietest time. Most day tours from Cusco reach Ollantaytambo around midday or in the afternoon, after Pisac or Chinchero, so if you sleep in the town and are at the gate when the site opens, you may have the terraces almost to yourself. The morning light on the town grid and the Pinkuylluna storehouses is also beautiful.

Mid-afternoon is the busiest moment, when tour groups and travellers waiting for the train overlap. That is when our Sacred Valley day arrives too, but with a guide you move through the site efficiently, and the late light on the pink monoliths is a fine reward. Late afternoon, once the groups leave for the station, is quiet again.

In the year, the dry season of May to September brings clear skies and cold mornings; the rainy months from about December to March turn the terraces green, with showers that usually come in the afternoon. Our guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu goes month by month, and the same pattern applies here.

Practical tips for Ollantaytambo

• Hire a guide or go with one. The site has few signs, and much of its story, from the quarries to the battle, only makes sense when someone explains it on the spot.
• Wear shoes with grip. The Inca steps are high, uneven and polished by visitors, and slippery when wet.
• Pack for the train. If you continue to Aguas Calientes the same day, carry only a small overnight backpack, plus a warm layer, a rain jacket, sunscreen and a hat.
• Carry your passport. You need it for the train, and your tourist ticket discount, if any, is checked against ID.
• Bring cash in soles for snacks, toilets, handicrafts and coffee on the square.
• Leave margin before your train. Allow time to walk down to the station and check in, and do not plan the ruins tight against your departure.
• Respect the town. The canchas are people's homes; ask before photographing residents or entering a courtyard.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources: Ministry of Culture of Peru · COSITUC: the official Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico del Cusco) · PeruRail: official train timetables between Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu · Inca Rail: official train services between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu · CDC Yellow Book: High Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness

About the author

Amilcar Catari

Travel Writer and SEO Editor at ViajaXmundo

Amilcar has worked in Peru's tourism industry for 10 years and writes and updates the ViajaXmundo travel guides from Cusco, together with our licensed guides and following the latest regulations of Peru's Ministry of Culture.