Ollantaytambo with Kids: Our 2-Day Family Itinerary
Ollantaytambo is easy to treat as little more than a stop on the way to Machu Picchu. I’m glad we didn’t.
We spent two nights in Ollantaytambo with our 6-month-old baby and 2.5-year-old toddler as part of a two-month round-the-world trip. I deliberately built the town into our Peru itinerary before Machu Picchu and Cusco, giving us time to start adjusting to the higher elevation while also exploring more of Peru’s Sacred Valley.
And Ollantaytambo is worth exploring. The small village sits surrounded by dramatic mountains and Inca ruins, with narrow cobblestone streets, old stone buildings, open water channels, and a central plaza that makes it easy to slow down and wander. We could walk almost everywhere, which was especially helpful while traveling with two very young kids.
For families continuing on to Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo can be both a practical base and an interesting destination of its own. Below, I’m sharing what we did during our short stay, family-friendly things to do in Ollantaytambo, where we ate, and practical tips from visiting with a baby and toddler.
If you’re planning a larger Peru trip, also read about our experience exploring the Sacred Valley with a baby and toddler and how we planned our visit to Machu Picchu with two very young kids.
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Our trip details
- Length of stay: 2 days, 2 nights
- Accommodation: Intitambo Hotel – amazing views from rooftop deck
- Type of trip: family travel with kids (6 months old & 2.5 years old), part of larger round-the-world 2-month trip
- Month visited: July
- How we got in/out: fly into Cusco, car to Ollantaytambo, car back out to Cusco
- How we got around: walking
- Additional places visited on the same trip: Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lima
Itinerary Ideas for Ollantaytambo, Peru
- Wander the village
- Admire the beautiful mountains
- Explore the streets and shops – notice the narrow cobblestone streets, traditional stone doorways and buildings, and open irrigation channels
- People watch in Plaza Ollantaytambo
- Mercado San Pedro – a market for local foods and goods
- Archaeological Park Ollantaytambo – an Incan archaeological site historically used as a city, estate, fortress and more, Cusco Tourist Ticket required
- Pinkuylluna Mountain Granaries – an Incan archaeological site, steep hike and not as well maintained as the other Ollantaytambo ruins, but it’s free and offers a great view
- Moray – an Incan archaeological site with unique concentric circular terraces thought to be used for agricultural experimentation but not completely understood, about 30-40 minutes drive outside of Ollantaytambo, Cusco Tourist Ticket required
Food Ideas for Ollantaytambo, Peru
- Foods/drinks to try: quinoa soup, chicharron (fried pork belly), lomo/pollo saltado (stir-fry beef/chicken), alpaca, anticuchos (grilled meat skewers), Inca Kola (popular local soft drink)
- Inka’s Tower – traditional, casual Peruvian food, climb up to the top level for great views of the mountains and village
- Apu Veronica Restaurant – traditional, homey Peruvian restaurant, located on the 2nd floor
Top Tips for Ollantaytambo, Peru
- Take it slow as you explore Ollantaytambo to help yourself acclimate to the altitude. Ollantaytambo’s elevation is higher than Machu Picchu’s, but lower than Cusco’s so depending on where you arrived from, it can be an adjustment for your body.
- It’s best to walk everywhere in Ollantaytambo, but there are tuk-tuks for hire too if you need a lift (and cars are available too if you need to go outside the town).
- Bring layers and some cold weather accessories; even in summer the mornings and evenings can be very chilly.
- For the ruins sites, you cannot purchase separate single tickets, you need to purchase a Cusco Tourist Ticket.
- Ollantaytambo is not stroller-friendly; bring a baby or toddler carrier if your little one cannot walk everywhere.
Is Ollantaytambo Worth Visiting with Kids?
Ollantaytambo ended up being much more than a convenient stop on our way to Machu Picchu. Staying for two nights gave us time to slow down, start adjusting to the elevation, and actually experience this small Sacred Valley village rather than only passing through.
With a baby and toddler, I especially appreciated how compact Ollantaytambo was. We could walk almost everywhere, wander the cobblestone streets, spend time around the plaza, and take in the surrounding mountains and Inca ruins without packing too much into each day.
The uneven streets and steps make Ollantaytambo challenging with a stroller, so a baby or toddler carrier is much more practical. Otherwise, we found its small size worked well with young kids.
If you’re already traveling through the Sacred Valley on your way to Machu Picchu, I think Ollantaytambo deserves some time of its own. Even a short stay gives you a chance to experience another part of Peru’s Inca history while breaking up the journey and slowing down your itinerary.
Keep Planning Your Family Trip to Peru
Ollantaytambo was one stop on our larger Peru trip with a 6-month-old baby and 2.5-year-old toddler. Continue planning with these related Peru travel guides:
- Exploring the Sacred Valley with a Baby and Toddler: See how Ollantaytambo fit into our larger Sacred Valley route, including why we chose to stay here before Machu Picchu and Cusco.
- Bringing a Baby and Toddler to Machu Picchu: Read exactly how we planned our visit to Machu Picchu with 2 very young kids, including our approach to elevation and getting there from Ollantaytambo.
- Machu Picchu Pueblo and Aguas Calientes: See what to expect in the small town below Machu Picchu and how we spent our time there.
- Cusco with Kids: Continue our Peru route into Cusco, where we spent another 2 nights after visiting the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
- Lima with Kids: Start at the beginning of our Peru trip with our short family stay in Lima before flying to Cusco and continuing into the Sacred Valley.
- A Taste of Peru: See some of the foods and dishes we tried throughout Lima, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, and Cusco.
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