Traveling the Sacred Valley of the Incas on a Budget

By Kaitlin Nunn, at Peru For Less, specialists in Peru travel packages.

 

Once you’ve had your fill of Cusco, usually after one or two days, walk to the Poroy train station to take the train to Ollantaytambo. It’s best to book your train ticket ahead of time via the PeruRail website. You can also take the train directly to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu, but you’ll be missing out on the beautiful and tranquil towns and sites along the Sacred Valley. 

 

If you really want to save some money and don’t mind taking public transportation, you can take a public bus from Cusco (Avenida Grau) to Urubamba, and then switch into a smaller bus to go to Ollantaytambo. Instead of paying the $32.00 backpacker train ticket to Ollantaytambo, you’ll spend about $2.50. 

 

But be warned — you’ll need to speak some Spanish in order to ask the locals for help finding your way, and the buses from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo are quite an experience, as they are filled to the brim with schoolchildren, field workers, bags, propane tanks, and more. A combi, micro, or collectivo in Peru means a vehicle about the size of a mini-van, but usually can’t be found with less than 20 passengers. The whole bus ride takes about two hours.  

 

Ollantaytambo is a beautiful agricultural town in the heart of the Sacred Valley. It’s the only town in the valley that has been continuously occupied since the Incas. The locals dress in brightly colored serapes — and it’s not just for show, it’s a way of life. The surrounding fields are plowed by oxen, and if you step off the main plaza, you’ll probably find a farmer feeding his pigs or some children chasing down a rooster. 

 

But the town is also groomed for tourists: there are plenty of restaurants and hostels lining the streets between the main plaza and the river. Next to the impressive ruins along the hillside, you can find an Inca Bucks coffee shop. 

 

Hostal KB Tambo is located right at the intersection of the road to the train station and the road from the main plaza to the ruins. The hostel is owned by an American, and you’ll find plenty of gringos inside, eating American omelets for breakfast, filling up on nachos for dinner, or drinking piscos on the rooftop terrace at night. The food is delicious as is the locally-grown coffee. The hostel has clean rooms facing a quiet courtyard, and also offers mountain biking tours. Make sure to book in advance on their website, and print off and bring the confirmation receipts.  

 

The Ollantaytambo ruins were most likely agricultural terraces and a ceremonial site for the people of the Urubamba river valley before the arrival of the Spanish. Sixteen huge terraces lead up to hills that overlook the whole river valley. You’ll beat the crowds if you go in the morning, but the evening sunset was spectacular. Make sure to walk along the hillside to the granaries and down to the riverbed, where you’ll find the Bath of the Princess, a small rock exquisitely cut so that the river water spilled over it like a small sink. 

If you stay overnight in Ollantaytambo, you can take advantage of the terrific day hikes nearby. A must is the Pinkuylluna Hill, which faces the Ollantaytambo ruins. The hill holds several qolqas (storehouses or granaries) that are immaculately preserved and seldom trodden. The granaries are clearly visible from town. When I hiked up in the morning, I saw only three others, and after reaching the first granary, I had the trail to myself. 

 

From the main plaza, follow the road along the left side opposite the main ruins, then take the first left, and you’ll see a sign for Pinkuylluna. Allow about two or four hours total, depending on how far you go. From the top, you can watch the train – hopefully not yours! – winding through the valley floor. The trail was made of deep yellow dirt, the granary had yellow-colored bricks as well, and the sun spread a thick, dusty sheen over everything.

 

This guide to exploring the Sacred Valley on a budget was written by a travel expert at Peru For Less, a leading travel agency specializing in tour to Machu Picchu.

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