peru-8-cuzco-sacred-valley

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Cuzco & the Sacred Valley T S O H I L G L E H A S T N AC S TAY & R E AC TA D T M VA I B V L O I T L I E Y S
off at the Maras/Moray turnoff. Taxis usually
wait at this turnoff to take tourists to Moray
and back for around S30, or both Moray and
Salinas and back to the turnoff for around
S50. If you’re coming in the depths of low
season, it’s worth calling the Maras taxi
company (%75-5454, 984-95-6063) to ensure
that a taxi is waiting for you at the turnoff.
A taxi from Urubamba to visit both Salinas
and Moray costs around S80.
You could also tackle the 4km walk to the
village of Maras yourself. From there, follow
the road another 9km to Moray.
From Maras, you can walk or bike to Salinas,
about 6km away. The trail starts behind
the church. The Maras taxi company rents
out bikes for this purpose – this is a fun, fast,
single-track ride.
Ollantaytambo
%084 / POP 700 / ELEV 2800M
Dominated by two massive Inca ruins, the
quaint village of Ollantaytambo (known to
locals and visitors alike as Ollanta) is the
best surviving example of Inca city planning,
with narrow cobblestone streets that
have been continuously inhabited since
the 13th century. After the hordes passing
through on their way to Machu Picchu die
down around late morning, Ollanta is a lovely
place to be. It’s perfect for wandering the
mazy, narrow byways, past stone buildings
and babbling irrigation channels, pretending
you’ve stepped back in time. It also offers
access to excellent hiking and biking.
Currently, Ollantaytambo suffers for being
a thoroughfare between Cuzco and the
jungle. Since there are no alternate roads,
huge semi trucks and buses barrel through
the narrow main street (barely missing pedestrians).
Locals question the disruption of
town life, along with the effect of excessive
exhaust on the ruins, but talk of an alternative
road has not materialized in any immediate
plans.
There are a couple of internet cafes and
ATMs in and around Plaza de Armas. There
are no banks, but several places change
money.
1 Sights & Activities
Ollantaytambo Ruins
RUINS
(admission with boleto turístico; h7am-5pm) The
huge, steep terraces that guard Ollantaytambo’s
spectacular Inca ruins mark one of the
few places where the Spanish conquistadors
lost a major battle.
The rebellious Manco Inca had retreated
to this fortress after his defeat at Sacsaywamán.
In 1536, Hernando Pizarro, Francisco’s
younger half-brother, led a force of
70 cavalrymen to Ollantaytambo, supported
by large numbers of indigenous and Spanish
foot soldiers, in an attempt to capture
Manco Inca.
The conquistadors, showered with arrows,
spears and boulders from atop the
steep terracing, were unable to climb to
the fortress. In a brilliant move, Manco
Inca flooded the plain below the fortress
through previously prepared channels. With
Spaniards’ horses bogged down in the water,
Pizarro ordered a hasty retreat, chased
down by thousands of Manco Inca’s victorious
soldiers.
Yet the Inca victory would be short lived.
Spanish forces soon returned with a quadrupled
cavalry force and Manco fled to his
jungle stronghold in Vilcabamba.
Though Ollantaytambo was a highly effective
fortress, it also served as a temple. A
finely worked ceremonial center is at the
top of the terracing. Some extremely wellbuilt
walls were under construction at the
time of the conquest and have never been
completed. The stone was quarried from
the mountainside 6km away, high above
the opposite bank of the Río Urubamba.
Transporting the huge stone blocks to the
site was a stupendous feat. The Incas’ crafty
technique to move massive blocks across the
river meant carting the blocks to the riverside
then diverting the entire river channel
around them.
The 6km hike to the Inca quarry on the
opposite side of the river is a good walk
from Ollantaytambo. The trail starts from
the Inca bridge by the entrance to the village.
It takes a few hours to reach the site,
passing several abandoned blocks known
as piedras cansadas – tired stones. Looking
back towards Ollantaytambo, you can
see the enigmatic optical illusion of a pyramid
in the fields and walls in front of the
fortress. A few scholars believe this marks
the legendary place where the original Incas
first emerged from the earth.
KB Tambo
MOUNTAIN BIKING
(%20-4091; www.kbperu.com; Ventiderio s/n)
Considered the best tour operator in town
for mountain biking and recommended for
families. Also offers treks.