5 Free Day Hikes from Ollantaytambo, Peru

The Sacred Valley of Peru has so many different hikes you can take, but if you're looking for some budget-friendly options, here are 5 day hikes from Ollantaytambo, Peru. These day hike options are one of the many reasons why I believe that everyone should make Ollantaytambo their home base while staying in the Sacred Valley. There's so much to see! And although the main Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo are a site to see and well worth the admission fee, these free day hike options are a dream come true for the budget traveler who's spending more than just a few days in the Sacred Valley. 

Here, I've compiled a list of all of the day hike options that I know of. Out of them, Ramone and I did all of them but one. 

1.  Pinkuylluna

The ruins of Pinkuylluna are in Ollantaytambo proper, and are located down Calle Lares. They're almost directly across from the above-mentioned main ruins of Ollantaytambo. You’ll see a staircase with a sign that says Pinkuylluna, which is where you enter. The trail eventually splits off in two different directions, to which we started to the right and then doubled back and went on to the left afterwards. The ruins here are largely believed to be storage granaries, called colcas, that the Incans used. Although the granaries aren’t as well up kept as the ruins that you have to pay for, they’re still very intriguing and offer some really good views of Ollantaytambo. This hike is not very strenuous and you only need to allot a few hours for this. 

Related Article: Exploring the Main Ollantaytambo Ruins

2.  Naupa Iglesia

Ramone and I stumbled upon this little “church” completely by accident. We were meaning to check out the quarries, and went in the absolute wrong direction. What’s nice about this hike is that it’s surprisingly flat for the majority of the time. It’s perhaps 3 hours time from Ollantaytambo. 

To get to these ruins, you’ll need to cross the Incan bridge over the Río Urubamba and then take a left. You’ll be walking towards Pachar, and will be on completely flat ground. The road goes through beautiful farmland, and there’s random Incan terracing throughout as well. Once you hit the Pachar rail-line center, you take a right (follow the sign that has a waterfall picture on it). In order to get to the Iglesia, you can follow the road for some time, but when the rail tracks cross over you have to make sure that you cross the river. Otherwise, you’ll be on the wrong side of the river to get to the Iglesia. All of this makes a lot more sense as you're walking. 

The Iglesia really looks like a little spec from the road: it doesn’t look like much at all. In fact, Ramone pointed it out and I was convinced that we were going down a wild goose chase. He was right, though: once we started climbing up, we saw that it was indeed what we were looking for.

The Naupu Iglesia has a little burial section where there are tombstones, and then once you climb further up you see the little church/temple. There’s beautiful stone carvings on a slab that is somewhat broken but still incredible. We were originally the only two people there, and then as we were leaving a Peruvian man and his son were climbing up. He told us that Spanish gold diggers were the one who broke the large slab, as they thought that there might be gold inside. We could feel a thick presence here, and we knew instantly that this location was sacred. It's definitely worth the time to check out. 

Unfortunately, the back part of the Iglesia has caved in and so we don’t know what else was back there, but all in all it was still a beautiful site. 

3.  The Perolniyoc Waterfall + Ruins of Raqaypata

This is the one hike that Ramone and I did not do. The waterfall is farther down the same road as the Naupu Iglesia, although it is quite far down that road. I’m honestly not sure how long this would take on foot, and couldn’t find anything about anyone doing this trek this on google. I’d recommend taking a taxi there and then walking back, or at the very least asking around and seeing how long it would take to walk there and back. As mentioned above, the walk is very flat (at least the part that we took) so not strenuous at all. Just long. 

4.  Pumamarca

Pumamarca is about a 4-5 hour hike from Ollantaytambo, and is a decently difficult day hike. The alternative is to take a taxi to the ruins, and then hike back to Ollantaytambo as it’s all downhill on the way back. If you’re short on time or have health issues, this would be a good alternative. Ramone and I opted to hike both there and back, and it was well worth it. There are multiple smaller ruins on the way, as well as some beautiful Incan-made aqueducts, trickling streams, wild cows and horses, and an incredible face carved into a mountain. (We didn’t see the face until our way back, and boy does it feel otherworldly). 

Pumamarca itself is free, and generally tourist-free as well. It’s believed to have been a checkpoint for the Incan Empire. When we were there there were no tour guide options, and so the ruins were just there to explore.  

Rather than re-creating what’s already so well-written, Hachette Book Group has excellent, thorough hiking instructions on how to hike to Pumamarca from Ollantaytambo. They’ve taken the summaries of this hike and a few others from Awamaki (with permission). Pumamarka is by far the most difficult directions to follow (although still not hard), so I'd highly recommend you check out their step-by-step directions. 

5.  Inca Quarries + Incan Sun Gate

This is the hike Ramone and I were trying to go on when we went to the Iglesia. The Sun Gate hike is the most arduous hike out of these options. It takes about 4-5 hours to get to the quarries, and then another 2-3 hours to get to the Sun Gate. I’m ashamed to admit it, but Ramone and I did not make it all the way to the Sun Gate. We made it quite a ways past the quarries, saw the Sun Gate within what we thought was our grasp, and then after switchbacking for what felt like forever under a blazing sun we decided to turn back. We probably didn’t start hiking early enough for this one, so if you want to make it to the Sun Gate set out very early in the morning. It’s doable!

 This trail takes you very high up, and again offers you with some excellent views of Ollantaytambo, as well as the majestic mountain named Veronica. Ramone and I even saw a condor here! We swear! Condors aren’t known to necessarily be in the Ollantaytambo region, but it had to have been one. Condors are actually quiete ugly vultures, but when you see them flying they’re the most majestics creatures that I’ve ever seen. Their wingspan is ridiculously long, so they only have to slowly flap their wings every once in awhile and then they just soar. 

This trail is basically deserted. We met one person on our hike. So if you like having places all to yourselves and want a challenge, this is an awesome option. And just like on the hike to Pumamarca, there are a lot of free-ranging cows and horses, so do be careful and practice common sense. 

To find the trail you want to cross the Incan Bridge that goes over the Río Urubamba and make a right. You'll see the very steep trail going up. You'll also see what looks like a little avalanche in the distance, which are the quarries. There is a nicely labeled sign here as well that points out the different hiking options, so you can use that for reference. If you want a more detailed explanation, I’m going to send you back to the Hachette Book Club for specific directions for this hike as well, as once again they’re well-written and very thorough. 

Ready to Go Hiking in Ollantaytambo?

Well, what do you think? Did these free hiking options in Ollantaytambo convince you that it's worth it to go there? If you're spending time in Ollantaytambo, you should certainly extend your trip to try and explore as much as you can. 

Additional articles I've written about Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley of Peru:

An Introduction to Ollantaytambo

Exploring the Ollantaytambo Ruins

Best Food and Drink Options in Ollantaytambo

Relaxing Day Trips in the Sacred Valley