Ollantaytambo

We decided to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Cuzco and spend a couple of nights in the Sacred Valley at the village of Ollantaytambo.  This is a real gem of a place and we really enjoyed our  stay here.  We stayed a a great hostel KB Tambo, which is also a mountain bike lodge.  The village is a pretty chilled out place with some fantastic restaurants.  Every evening volleyball matches were played in the village square - fun to watch whilst having a beer.
We spent one day hiking to some of the Inca Ruins nearby, and the other day we booked onto a bike trip, where we were taken upto the Abra Malaga (4300M) and cycled back down to Ollantaytambo at 2000M.  It was a fantasic experince, starting from the freezing Veronica Glacier, down through the Andean Highlands past Llama's and Alpacas, through pine forests and into the high jungle.  Luckily it was all downhill, blasting through all the switch backs to the bottom.

Church at the top of the Abra Malaga.

 A cup of coca tea for the cold and altitude.

Ready for the big descent.

Many of the homes on the highlands are similar to Blackhouses on the western isles.

Switchback heaven.

Nice gloves!

More switchbacks.

 Made it to the bottom !!!

And the reward? - Steak and Burritos.

Ollantaytambo Inca Ruins.

(Andean) Border Terrier !!