Sacred Valley & Ollantaytambo

I didn’t think I would have a chance to see any of the Sacred Valley sites. My planning focused on Cusco, Inca Trail, and Manu National Park. I just thought, “You can’t do everything. You only have a MONTH!”

As it turns out, it is BETTER to begin the Inca Trail from Ollantaytambo. It saves about 2 hours in a van on the morning you start. More sleep, less van. Sounds good.

I found a tour of the Sacred Valley that starts in Cusco and ends in Ollantaytambo thru GetYourGuide. The tour was fairly whirlwind. We stopped at 4 different sites and had lunch, all in about 8 hours. And there was a lot of time in the van. 😞 But it was a means to an end, and I got to visit some cool places!

Chinchero

Known for their indigenous population and weaving, Chinchero is the place people go for alpaca textiles. There is also a large Inca ruins in the town. After the 4 ruins tour in Cusco, Chinchero ruins were interesting but not awe inspiring.

Moray Agricultural Terraces

Next stop, Moray agricultural terraces. These are circular terraces, cut into natural depressions in the terrain that served as open air agri-labs. The deepest terraces were warm and wet, tropical. The middle terraces were temperate. The upper terraces reflected the high altitude elevations that the entire complex was built at.  Soo AMAZING!

Marasal Evaporation Ponds

The Maras salt pools completely blew me away. There are over 5000 pools, worked by over 600 indigenous families in a cooperative to produce fine salts from a natural brine spring. The entire operation is analog. The pools are filled or bypassed by a guy walking around and opening or blocking feeder streams with a rock! The salt is raked and bagged by hand. Each evaporation pond produces 150-200kg of salt per month!

Ollantaytambo

The last stop, and the drop off point for the tour was the Incan fortress of Ollantaytambo (elev. 2792m). It is also where I will stay overnight to get picked up for the Inca Trail!

The fortress is built into a notch between mountains. It is very steep and high. There are over 200 stairs to reach the top (the guide called it “the gringo killer” 😂).

It was originally built as a royal estate but was used as a stronghold of Inca resistance against the Spanish.

Staying in Ollantaytambo

My overnight lodging in Ollantaytambo was great. A little off the beaten path, but lovely, quiet, comfortable, and $33USD per night, including breakfast. Casa Inka B&B. Highly recommended!

And, of course, the obligatory food pic. I had a lovely meal at Amanto – chicken, ham, spinach, basil, and cheese rolled together and fried with Huancaina sauce, fettuccine and a salad, and a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from Intipalka. Decadent and wonderful, all for about $25USD!!