If you go to Peru you should make time to visit Ollantaytambo's archeological site

If you had asked me six months ago what Ollantaytambo was I would have been stumped. It was not on my radar. Twenty years ago when I was planning my first trip to Peru I did not have time to look at the broader Sacred Valley. I knew about Machu Picchu and that was it, so that's what we did. But the purpose of this trip was to fill in those big gaps in my personal understanding of the area. Our tour of the archeological site was a big turning point for me where a lot 'clicked', if you will. This is thanks to our guide who did a great job not just taking us through the site itself but also putting it into context of the rest of the valley.

We had arrived after dark the day before so I hadn't really taken in the scenic setting at Hotel Pakaritampu. While it wasn't the same level of luxury property like the ones we'd be seeing later in the day, it is a very nicely maintained, charming and traditional place with simple, beautiful grounds.

I fueled up for the day in their comfortable breakfast room.

Then we made our way toward the center of town and its main attraction. Along the walk you can appreciate some of the town's typical characteristics: slices of natural beauty, elements still a work in progress, and evidence of the hiking groups who utilize porters to handle the heavy lifting of their gear.

There was also a bit of maintenance work going on in the center the day we checked in. Our visit coincided with the start of the off season, so I suppose that is the time to get these things done.

We were out here early, arriving just after 8am, so only a few of the stands within the mercado on the plaza in front of the site had opened. But clearly if you come by a bit later in the day you'll have plenty of opportunity to snag a souvenir or two. For what it's worth, we did confirm that the price of hats appears to be very consistent. I was quoted the same $/25 soles here as they were asking in Machu Picchu Pueblo.

We met our guide and paid for our boletos.

One thing to know about Ollantaytambo and the Incan sites in general is you need to be comfortable with some stairs to check them out. Right out of the gate you're dealing with some of this:

Now the whole site is terraced, so it's a matter of climb, stop, enjoy the view, learn some tidbits about the Incan understanding of astronomy, seasons, etc. Climb some more, repeat the process. So it is by no means a grueling, unrelenting ascent. But you'll need to navigate a lot of steps along the way. Views are worth it.

And they keep getting better as you progress up to the top.

I also snagged a quick video before heading back down.



And there is more to learn about the Incan beliefs, rituals, and how they designed certain aspects of the site to feature/celebrate those rituals. You can look those up or discuss them with your guide when you visit.

Of course, there is the opportunity for some alpaca pics before you leave.

Overall this was a visit that was a very pleasant surprise. Beautiful setting, well preserved. Great reference for learning a lot about the Incan society more broadly. And not at all crowded / overrun with other visitors. We were there early in the morning on a mid-November Tuesday, so if you show up at 11am in July your experience may be different. But for us it was a refreshing visit and 100% worthwhile.