The four ways from Cusco
| Duration | from | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared colectivo van | 1 h 45 – 2 h | US$4–6 | Budget travellers with time to spare |
| Private transfer | 1 h 30 – 1 h 45 | US$25–55 | Early trains, luggage, families |
| Sacred Valley tour with drop-off | Full day | US$26–120 | Anyone continuing to Machu Picchu |
| Taxi | 1 h 30 | US$40–70 | Late departures, small groups |
Shared colectivo van
Vans leave Calle Pavitos in Cusco as soon as they fill, roughly every 15–30 minutes through the day. Cheap, frequent and perfectly safe, but they leave when full rather than on a timetable and stop for other passengers.
Private transfer
Door to door from your Cusco hotel to your Ollantaytambo hotel or the station, at whatever hour you need. Split between two or three people it costs little more than a colectivo each.
Sacred Valley tour with drop-off
A guided day through Pisac, Moray and Maras that ends in Ollantaytambo rather than returning to Cusco. You sightsee and transfer in the same booking. Confirm your luggage travels with you.
Taxi
Street taxis will make the run and you can negotiate. Agree the price before you get in, and note that a booked transfer usually costs about the same with none of the uncertainty.
Coming from Lima or abroad
- Fly Lima to Cusco (Alejandro Velasco Astete, CUZ) — about 1 hour 20 minutes, with frequent morning departures.
- From the airport it is roughly two hours by road to Ollantaytambo. Pre-booked transfers meet arrivals; taxis are also available outside.
- Going straight to the Sacred Valley on arrival is a good idea: Ollantaytambo at 2,792 m is a much gentler introduction to altitude than sleeping in Cusco at 3,400 m.
- There are no direct international flights to Cusco. Everything connects through Lima, and occasionally La Paz or Santa Cruz.
From elsewhere in the valley
- From Urubamba: colectivos run constantly, take about 30 minutes and cost a couple of soles.
- From Pisac: change at Urubamba — about an hour and a half in total.
- From Chinchero: colectivos to Urubamba pass through, then change; around an hour.
- From Aguas Calientes: the train, and only the train — 1 h 25 to 1 h 45 back up the valley.
Ollantaytambo railway station
- The station sits about 1.5 km from the Plaza de Armas, downhill along Avenida Ferrocarril. It is a fifteen-minute walk, or a few soles by mototaxi.
- Both PeruRail and Inca Rail have ticket offices there, but buying on the day is a gamble — services regularly sell out.
- The approach road is closed to traffic near the platforms, so private cars drop you a couple of hundred metres short.
- There are cafés, luggage storage and toilets at the station, and a cluster of hotels within five minutes’ walk.
Practical tips
- The road climbs to nearly 3,700 m before dropping into the valley. If you are freshly arrived from sea level, that first pass is where altitude tends to announce itself.
- Occasional strikes (paros) can close the Cusco–Urubamba road at short notice. Ask your hotel the night before if you have a train to catch.
- Colectivo drivers charge extra for a seat taken up by a large bag, which is fair enough — factor it in.
- Give yourself a buffer of at least an hour before any train. The line does not wait and tickets are not transferable.
