Ollantaytambo

Look for houses with red plastic bags hanging outside on posts. These houses are where locals go to drink chicha, a local brew made out of corn. It is a great way to experience the local flavor, provided that you speak enough Spanish to communicate with the other chicha drinkers. It is advisable that you look for a place that serves things other than chicha, as some people find the taste unpleasant. However this is an acquired taste and can be overcome easily. Chicha, unlike masato made in the rainforest is not made by mixing with saliva as erroneously stated in the entry that this is correcting. Careful with the chicha, however - it is sometimes made under unhygienic conditions and it could make you quite sick.

Visit the Old Town

Unique in all of peru, this part of ollantaytambo was built by the incas over five hundred years ago is inhabited to date. entering an inca cancha or courtyard is like travelling back in time.

Awamaki is a small non-profit organization that works to support Quechua women weavers from remote, rural communities in the Patacancha Valley.Awamaki runs a small-scale sustainable tourism initiative to support this project, conducting tours to the Quechua communities where it works, and coordinating workshops in traditional Andean crafts. Tours to the community of Patacancha offer the chance to experience and learn about Andean indigenous culture, while also contributing to its survival and to the well-being of rural indigenous women and their families. Awamaki also works to promote sustainable tourism with families in town. They can arrange homestays in Ollantaytambo or even in the indigenous communities where they work. For bookings and inquiries please contact [email protected] or stop by the Awamaki fair trade store in Ollantaytambo.