Sacred Valley — Ollantaytambo

This town, and its incredible ruins, were the furthest points from Cusco that we toured on this day. From what we had read, we expected it to be the highlight of the trip and we weren't disappointed. Henry took so many good pictures here that I decided to make separate pages for these different categories:

Buildings and walls | Terraces and steps | Water features | Views of valley and town | Market and people

The complex of ruins, on the hills above the town of Ollantaytambo, is huge. And it offers a variety of amazing sights. Until we saw Wiñaywayna and Machu Picchu the next day, this was our favorite archeological site. Here is a map that can give you some idea of the scope of the complex, which is still being investigated by archeologists:

Ollantaytambo map

The town marks the end of the road heading to Machu Picchu; from here on you must journey by train. It was exciting for us to realize, while touring the place, that on the next day we'd be passing through on the train, on our way to MP.

Henry lagged a bit behind the rest of us heading to the car when it was time to leave and made these two video clips of colorfully-dressed villagers preparing for and performing a short dance for the tourists. (The clips last about 20 seconds each, but may take much longer to load.)

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