Ollantaytambo, Cusco Dept.

The town of Ollantaytambo lies at 9,250' in the Urubamba Valley. The ruins, said to be laid out against the moutainside in the profile of a llama, were the royal estate of the Inca Pachacutec. This was the last place of Incan resistance to the Spanish in the rebellion of 1536, before their flight to the final stronghold of Vilcabamba. Just a 5 minute walk from the main ruins, the village of Ollantaytambo retains its original Incan layout of narrow cobblestone streets with their intact irrigation systems still nourishing the town. A day trip finds us at the seldom seen Incan ruins of Pumamarca at about 12,000', returning along the heavily terraced mountainside to the town of Ollantaytambo. The scenery is breathtaking with spectacular views of the Patacancha Valley, jubilant displays of wildflowers and regrowth of native Alnus, Escallonia, and Myrcianthes trees on the Inca terracing.