An evening walkabout and pizza in Ollantaytambo, Peru

After spending some time in Machu Picchu Pueblo and hiking around Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu, we headed to Ollantaytambo. The next post will cover our visit to the archeological site, while this one focuses on my evening walkabout and casual dinner in the Plaza Principal.

We took a more basic class of train from Inca Rail this time (unlike the Vistadome Obeservatory that we took on the way up. Upon arrival in Ollantaytambo the train drops you off on the south side of town, right near the river. Looks a little like this:



There seem to be three possible scenarios once you disembark.

* You could have a reservation ready for a very nice, very convenient stay at El Albergue. We visited this property the next day and it has all the characteristics of a charming & comfortable place to pass 1-3 nights in Ollantaytambo.

* You could have a 13-minute walk or 3-minute tuk tuk into the center where there are a variety of hostals, hotels, and airbnbs.

* You could be staying at one of the 2 or 3 viable options on that street running between the train and the town center.

We were in the third bucket, staying at Hotel Pakaritampu. Lovely place which I'll expand on more in the next post. For now it was a place to drop my bags before venturing out for a walkabout to see what's what in the town center.

From Pakaritampu it's 750m and about 10 minutes to the center. First couple hundred meters are quiet and dark for the most part. Though there are streetlights.

Then you start seeing murals, restaurants, etc. Signs that you're getting closer to the center.

This next one here is Mawic. If you look closely toward the right side of the pic you can see they have a set up with 3 bar stools pretty much on the sidewalk. Easy to imagine that being a pleasant spot for a late afternoon pint.

Next is Chullpi, which has a pretty rare 4.9/5.0 rating on google.

And the mural is from Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado, which apparently has been closed since 2023.

I was here on at 9pm on a Monday night in early offseason, but there were still some signs of life ...

... including shopping options still available to you, whether you're looking for souvenirs or essentials.

I continued toward the main plaza. Was getting a sense that pizza would be on the menu tonight wherever I ended up.

Street food, tuk tuks, and comfortable stray dogs. Good vibes so far in Ollantaytambo.

After strolling past a number of very similar looking places I landed at Saqra Wislla, where I enjoyed a very Mexican-style pizza (though it is odd to me that the Peruvians call it 'palta' rather than 'aguacate') and some chich morada for roughly $10 USD. Solid.

Took a quick 360 of the plaza before wrapping it up for the evening.