Ollantaytambo
Cusco Region, Peru[5.4 miles]
After Machu Picchu, this huge fortress cut into the side of a mountain is the most spectacular – and most poignant – of all Inca ruins.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Best places to stay:
A room with view? They don’t get better or scarier than these glass-walled pods pinned to the side of a sheer cliff-face above the spectacular Sacred Valley of the Incas.
No one notices the room interiors – which are all-glass and with little more than a bed and bathroom. It’s all about the views – if you can get over the vertigo. The Urubamba River winds below, ridges of snow-capped peaks hover above, and the ancient Inca fort at Ollantaytambo clings to the face of the mountain opposite.
Stays are not for the faint of heart. Arrival is by a breathy mountain climb followed by a harness ride to the pod itself (wearing a hard hat and gloves). Guests return to earth via zipline.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Cusco Region, Peru[5.4 miles]
After Machu Picchu, this huge fortress cut into the side of a mountain is the most spectacular – and most poignant – of all Inca ruins.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Cusco Region, Peru[15.6 miles]
Dotted with clifftop ruins, cut by a rushing river and coursed by numerous trails, the spectacular Sacred Valley of the Incas near Cusco is Peru’s top light adventure destination.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[9.7 miles]
Looking like bone-white Balinese rice terraces and surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery, these ancient salt pans, cut in Inca times, are still in use today. Accessed from the town of Maras in the Sacred Valley, 40kms from Cusco.
Best for ages: 18+ | £1
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Peru
A land of spectacular deserts, high mountains and rainforests that teem with wildlife, Peru is also home to an array of dramatically situated pre-Colombian ruins, including Machu Picchu.
Round-ups that include this placetostay
Multiple countries
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