The old Incan fortress at Pumamarca is a must visit. Not simply for the ruins themselves, which are perhaps a touch underwhelming compared to other grand sites, but for the setting, solitude and the incredible walk back down to the town of Ollantaytambo, along an original Inca trail.
If you’ve enjoyed exploring the more famous ruins in the Sacred Valley, but felt the atmosphere is a little off due to big crowds, then you have to come up to Pumamarca. You’ll likely be the only ones here, particularly if you visit in the late afternoon.
You can then take the easy path down the mountain enjoying spectacular views. If you time your walk to finish up at sunset, the light is magical.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Pumamarca Ruins.
How to visit the Pumamarca Ruins
Our preferred way to visit Pumamarca is to take a taxi from Ollantaytambo town to the ruins and then walk back down. This means the entire hike is downhill and almost never steep, making it a very easy trail. You could walk both ways, but this is much more of an exertion as the path to the ruins is almost entirely uphill.
We took a taxi to the ruins a few hours before sunset and hiked back down, arriving at Ollyantaytambo just as dusk was setting in. This was perfect and we never saw another tourist, either at the ruins or on the walk down.
You could of course drive up to the ruins and back, but I think you’d be missing out on a glorious walk, which for us, was the highlight. It’s worth noting a car cannot take you all the way, everyone must walk the last 400m uphill to the ruins and back down to the road again.
There are longer hikes which take in the Pumamarca Ruins, but in this guide we’re covering the easy route.
For reference, our one way taxi cost 40 soles (approx USD $11). We had read you could pay half this, but we asked a couple of people and the price was always 40 soles or above.
Considering the journey was 20 minutes along a windy gravel road, we didn’t think this was too bad really, as they still have to drive back even if you aren’t coming with them.
Technically you could also take a tuktuk, which would be significantly cheaper, however, the road is steep and narrow, so it would be a little tougher going than in a car.
Exploring the Pumamarca Ruins site
The Pumamarca Ruins are believed to be the remains of an old Incan fortress, guarding one of the entrances into the Sacred Valley. There are no signposts whatsoever here, so if you don’t have a guide (which we didn’t) you may want to read up on what little information is available online before you go.
To be perfectly honest we couldn’t find out too much about the site, but despite this we were happy not to have gone with a guide. We preferred the chance to wander the ruins completely alone and really soak up the atmosphere and setting.
The ruins are quite extensive and easy to walk around. All the buildings and rooms are empty shells now, but there are plenty of little corridors and doors to walk through.
There aren’t any roped off sections, so you can explore to your heart’s content. If you’re lucky, the alpacas will be grazing on the lawns, so remember to close the little wooden gate as you enter and leave - sadly for us they weren’t there, but apparently that’s quite unusual!
The ruins are surrounded by mountains which keeps the site feeling wild and remote. There are plenty of big rocks you can sit on when you’ve finished walking round, so you can relax and take in the views.
Bring bug spray though as when you stop there were a few little midge like insects, although they never bothered you if you were on the move.
Overall, although we enjoyed pottering around the site, it was the solitude combined with the walk back to Ollyantaytambo that made it really special.
The walk from the Pumamarca Ruins to Ollyantaytambo
The stats
Distance: 7.2km (one way, including the initial walk up to the ruins from the road)
Elevation gain: 85m
Difficulty: Easy, when walked one way downhill
The trail
From the ruins you’ll head down the narrow grassy trail back to the road, this is roughly a 400-450m stretch of track that you would have already walked uphill to reach the ruins - as a taxi cannot take you along this last section. The path is a narrow dirt trail and quite steep and uneven.
It’s not slippery when dry though and you’ll pass great mountain views and plenty of corn plants that were taller than us!
Once you are back on the road you’ll see the little picnic area (your driver will likely have dropped you here initially). There is a shelter with picnic benches and also a western toilet, there isn’t any toilet paper, but there is soap.
From this picnic shelter, if facing the ruins, you turn left and follow the narrow path. The path will then curve left, so you will be walking downhill with your back to the direction the ruins are in.
At first the trail feels more like a dirt road and I admit that I wasn’t sure how great it was going to be. Happily it becomes a proper walking track further along and the scenery gets more and more beautiful.
Roughly 550m after the picnic area you’ll come to Pumamarca Wasi, with little picnic tables and chairs beside a lovely view. You can buy drinks here if you fancy a little break before heading down to Ollantaytambo.
The well maintained path will continue gently downhill alongside an irrigation channel and ever more fantastic views. The fact the track is gradual rather than steep also means that it’s easy, even if you’re like me and sometimes find mountain descents hard on the knees.
After another 600m you’ll pass some little waterfalls, more like cascades, but lovely nonetheless. We also passed plenty of Eucalyptus trees which filled the air with their soothing aroma and took us right back to our beloved Australian bush walks.
As well as the Eucalyptus trees, we also saw plenty of cactus along the trail, something we definitely weren’t expecting in the mountains of Peru!
As you continue heading gently downhill you will pass a small settlement, with plenty of golden corn drying on the verandah of the small wooden home.
It was these little moments, witnessing a bit of local village life, that also made the walk special. Although we didn’t see a single tourist, we did meet a couple of locals along the way and everyone welcomed us with a cheery ‘hola’.
Roughly 500m from the cascades you’ll come to a signpost (the outskirts of Ollanta are now just 1.9km away) and this is when the big views really kick in. From here it was one wow after another, some of the scenery really reminded us of the Grand Canyon.
I couldn’t believe it could be so spectacular and yet no one else was walking the trail. The path continues to be very well maintained, with just one short rocky patch at around the 2.9km mark.
A few hundred metres later you’ll enter a short but very pretty stretch of forest, before you’re back out at those big views again.
We were walking this stretch as the sun was beginning to go down and the soft light was glorious. Once you’ve been walking for 4.1km the town will come into view, it still looks a way off, but you’re definitely heading back to civilisation.
You’ll also see some large terraces and from this point the trail becomes much steeper and a bit rougher for a time. This section is less than 400m long and wasn’t overly slippery, but it was the only bit which felt noticeably steep and I trod more carefully.
Once you’ve been walking for 4.5km total, you will reach the road and the outskirts of Ollanta.
After the peace and serenity of the trail it’s a bit of a rude awakening, but you will see a path on the left after 150m which takes you off the road and onto a riverside path.
It’s a pretty trail with the forest and river on your left and some characterful houses on the right. You’ll follow the river for just under 1km when you’ll then have to walk along the road again.
Roughly 300m later you’ll reach a fork and a left turn will bring you to the Plaza de Armas which is reached after a total walk of 7.2km (this distance includes walking up to the ruins from the road too, which was an additional 400-450m).
Pumamarca Ruins opening hours and entry fee
At time of writing, there is no opening times or entry fees for the Pumamarca Ruins.
Where we stayed in Ollantaytambo
Sol Exclusive Ollantaytambo
We stayed in Sol Exclusive Ollantaytambo, a one minute walk from the main square. The reason we picked it is that Peru can be a very noisy place and if you get a room by the river here, that’s all you’ll hear. We slept to the sound of rushing water, rather than music or other noise common in most Peruvian towns.
The rooms are ok, nothing to write home about, but the beds are large and very comfy. The shower pressure was good, although on one of our four nights I could only get tepid water. We slept really well here, so though it’s quite basic, we were very happy with our stay.
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