A Guide to Visiting the Ollantaytambo Ruins, Peru

This is your short guide on how to visit the Ollantaytambo Ruins located in the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.

In this guide, you can read about all the ways to get to Ollantaytambo from Cusco both independently or with a tour, how to visit the ruins, and how you can combine your trip with a visit to Machu Picchu.

Most tourists travel through Ollantaytambo en route to Machu Picchu. Some might actually visit Ollantaytambo Ruins as part of a tour that includes other Incan sites within the Sacred Valley such as Pisac or Moray. Those tours are a fantastic option for those short on time. However, if you can, we suggest visiting the Ollantaytambo Ruins as a day trip from Cusco. You can also combine your visit with Machu Picchu by taking the train leaving for Aguas Calientes from Ollantaytambo.

If you’d like to see our Cusco and Sacred Valley adventures then check out the Peru Playlist on our YouTube channel.

Introducing Ollantaytambo

Unlike Machu Picchu, there are a lot of written records about the history of Ollantaytambo during and after the Spanish conquest.

Ollantaytambo became an important Incan city, and was also the royal estate of the Incan Emperor Patchacuti, the 9th Inca king, after he conquered the town. He built a fortress there in the mid-15th century to bring local tribes under Inca control.

When the Spanish arrived and took over Sacsayhuaman in Cusco, Manco Inca escaped from the city and established his headquarters in Ollantaytambo. The town was the site of the Battle of Ollantaytambo in 1537 which was fought between Manco Inca and Hernando Pizarro.

Manco Inca ordered the valley to be flooded under the fortress and defeated the Spanish soldiers. However, the Spanish eventually returned with a larger army and took over Ollantaytambo. In 1540, Ollantaytambo was granted by the Spanish Crown as an encomienda to Hernando Pizarro.

During the 19th century, many foreign explorers took an increased interest in the ruins and also published their findings. In 1911, Even Hiram Bingham III stopped here during his search for Machu Picchu.

Visiting the Ollantaytambo Ruins

You’ll be able to see the impressive ruins towering over Ollantaytambo at 2,800m above sea level from anywhere in the town. The entrance to the ruins is only about a 5 minute walk from the main plaza.

Entry Fee to the Ollantaytambo Ruins

You can either enter the ruins with an Integral or a Circuit III Partial Boleto Turistico, which is Cusco’s Tourist Ticket.

The full ticket costs S/.130 (35.40 USD). However, it allows you to visit 16 different sites located in Cusco and around the Sacred Valley.

The Circuit III Partial Tourist Ticket is only S/.70 (19 USD) but only lets you visit a few other sites within the Sacred Valley.

Click here to read more about the Boleto Turistico.

What to See at the Ollantaytambo Ruins

Although the site was damaged in the war between the Incas and the Spanish, there are still plenty of structures to see. You can walk around on your own or hire a guide if you want to learn more about the site.

Once inside, you’ll normally make your way up to the top via the impressive terraces or platforms. Whilst catching your breath, don’t forget to look back because the views of the valley and Ollantaytambo are fantastic.

The terraces are about 700m long, nearly 60m wide and 15m deep. It’s pretty impressive how the Incas were able to create these platforms in the side of a mountain for use as agricultural land.

Once you’re at the top you’ll walk past some building structures and other areas such as the main walls and the enclosure of the 10 niches. This section was damaged in the battle.

Further along you’ll reach one of the most important structures within the site: the Temple of the Sun. Today, only the western wall remains, which is formed by 6 stones of red porphyry. Just behind the temple, you can enjoy some beautiful views looking towards the other side of the valley with more terraces below you.

Then you’ll walk through the control zone before skirting around the mountain side with more terraces below you. From there you’ll slowly descend back through the platforms. Once you’re at the bottom, you’ll walk past a few more structures such as the Temple of Water and the Baño de la Nusta.

Other Things to Do in Ollantaytambo

Whilst Ollantaytambo is a small town, we still recommend wandering around its streets after visiting the ruins. There are a few things to see and do in town before heading to either Cusco or Aguas Calientes.

• Find Your Next Souvenir in the Artisan Market at Plaza Araccama,
• Wander the Streets of Ollantaytambo’s Old Town (Qosqo Ayllu),
• Visit the Ruins of Pinkuylluna, and
• Visit Mercado San Pedro.

How to Get to the Ollantaytambo Ruins from Cusco

Located about a two hours drive from Cusco, you can easily access Ollantaytambo with a colectivo, a private taxi or a tour.

Colectivo

The cheapest way to reach Ollantaytambo is by going with a colectivo. Colectivos are basically minivans that go to a certain destination but can stop anywhere along the route to drop people off. Minivans leave Cusco from Calle Pavitos and Av. Grau. You can either take a taxi or walk to the colectivo station.

Colectivos from this station normally go to Urubamba and Ollantaytambo. A one-way fare to Ollantaytambo is only S/.10 (3 USD) per person.

Drivers will wait until they have enough people for the journey to be worthwhile. For this reason we recommend getting to the colectivo station early, so even if you have to wait, you won’t get to Ollantaytambo too late in the day.

The colectivo will drop you off around the main plaza in Ollataytambo.

Private Taxi

If you don’t feel comfortable taking a colectivo, you can always get to Ollantaytambo by taxi.

You can order a private taxi from your hotel or flag down a cab from the street. Just make sure it’s a licensed driver!

The cost of a taxi ride will be anywhere between S/. 100 – 200 (27 – 55 USD) one way. Make sure to agree on a price before jumping into a taxi. Due to the much higher price compared to the colectivo, we only recommend taxis if you’re sharing the cost with others.

Tour

If the above sounds too complicated or you’re very short on time and want to fit other nearby Incan ruins such as Pisac or Maras into your itinerary, then we recommend joining a tour.

Joining a tour is also a great way to learn more about the ruins. You can check out a list of tours here that combine multiple sites listed in our day trips from Cusco post.

How to Get to Cusco from Ollantaytambo

Again, there are three main ways to get back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo depending on how you got there in the first place.

You can go back to Cusco with a colectivo. You may find some drivers shouting at the main plaza. They’ll most likely park their vehicles behind the market around here on the map. The price for your return journey should be S/. 10 (3 USD) per person.

You can also get a taxi back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo which should cost you about the same price as on the way there.

Lastly, if you’ve arrived to Ollantaytambo as part of an organised tour, they will include your transfer back to Cusco in the price.

How Long You Need in Ollantaytambo

If you’re short on time and are heading to Aguas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu independently, then we recommend leaving first thing from Cusco and spending some time in Ollantaytambo. You can easily see the ruins and the town in a couple of hours. Then you can always head to Aguas Calientes with a late afternoon train.

If you have a bit more time to spare, we recommend spending a night in Ollantaytambo. The next day you can always visit other towns in the Sacred Valley such as Moray and Pisac. We completed a 3-day independent adventure in the Sacred Valley visiting these three locations and it was a great way to explore this stunning part of Peru.

Top Tip. If you’d like to make your trip to Ollantaytambo very unique and you have a good head for heights, then you can consider staying at Skylodge Adventure Suites. They are cool glass pods suspended off the mountainside.

Final Thoughts on Visiting the Ollantaytambo Ruins

Ollantaytambo was the first stop along our 3-day independent Sacred Valley adventure. We appreciated that the ruins were easily accessible from the main square. Plus, the views from higher up were also incredible and well-worth the hike.

We definitely enjoyed looking around Ollantaytambo too. The Artisan Market located just in front of the ruins had some great products and souvenir options. Once again, we cannot recommend enough to dedicate an entire day to visiting the ruins from Cusco if your time allows it. You definitely won’t regret it.

Have you been to the Ollantaytambo Ruins before? What was your experience? If not, would you visit the site? Let us know in the comments below.