Ollantaytambo

Get in

350px|thumb|Temple of the Sun at Ollantaytambo

Get around

Walking or cycling is the best idea. Three wheeled moto-taxis and regular taxis are available at the train station but are not necessary. The walk from the train station to the main plaza is approximately a quarter mile (400 m). It can be broken up by various restaurants that line the way even after the busiest sections. It is a 2-minute walk from the main plaza to the ruins.

See

thumb|Entrance to the ruins thumb|alt=The ruins at Ollantaytambo|The ruins at Ollantaytambo

The main square in Ollantaytambo is usually swarming with hikers and porters, but a few blocks away is a vibrant community still living in pre-Columbian dwellings. If you have one, request the guide to take you into one of these houses, where alpaca fetuses hang on the walls (to bring fertility), ancestors' skulls watch over the goings-on from niches in the Incan stonework, and dozens of guinea pigs scoot underfoot (the entrée at some future feast).

Do

Look for houses with red plastic bags hanging outside on posts. These houses are where locals go to drink chicha, a local brew made out of corn. It is a great way to experience the local flavor, provided that you speak enough Spanish to communicate with the other chicha drinkers. It is advisable that you look for a place that serves things other than chicha, as some people find the taste unpleasant. However this is an acquired taste and can be overcome easily. Chicha, unlike masato made in the rainforest is not made by mixing with saliva as erroneously stated in the entry that this is correcting. Careful with the chicha, however - it is sometimes made under unhygienic conditions and it could make you quite sick.

Visit the Old Town unique in all of Peru, this part of Ollantaytambo was built by the Incas over five hundred years ago is inhabited to date. Entering an Inca cancha or courtyard is like travelling back in time.

Buy

There are several shops, mainly Inca souvenir types. A for tourists sits at the entrance to the ruins, small shops up the hill from the plaza may carry the same items and be more willing to negotiate.

On the way from the ruins to the plaza, look out for the after the bridge on your right hand side. Emphasis is on fairly-traded weavings from the Patacancha valley made with 100% natural fibers and dyes, as well as a select range of books, alpaca yarn and other locally produced artisanal items. The project is non-profit and proceeds from the store are invested into community development projects in the Patacancha Valley.

Eat

There are several restaurants in Ollantaytambo:

Sleep

thumb|The town of Ollantaytambo, with some of the ruins and the souvenir market in the foreground

Go next

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu Cusco