Leaving from Ollantaytambo a dirt road takes us up the Patacancha side Valley  (1 hour) until reaching the community of Pallata. Here you can observe the native Quechua way of life where crops are sown and textiles woven with simple hand tools that have been in use for centuries.  A steep ascent to the roadhead will bring us to the small archaeological complex at Pumamarca, a small Inca settlement overlooking the Patacancha valley that managed the irrigation system of the Inca terracing below. After visiting this site we will begin hiking along and through the terracing complex of Choquecancha, with great views of the surrounding landscape.   A three hour descent through these farmed terraced areas will bring us to the outskirts of Ollantaytambo Village where we will arrive for lunch. After lunch we will visit the Ollantaytambo ruins, one of the few Inca towns that have survived much as the Incas designed it several hundred years ago. Here we can see Inca canchas, enclosures of multi-family living quarters that share just one exit to the street, ingenious stonework, cobbled streets, and an extensive communal water system that survives to this day. Transfer to the train station to board late afternoon train to Machu Picchu village and overnight there.  Dinner on your own. L

A half hour bus ride will bring you to the citadel for a  guided visit on a group service, which on average takes three hours as your official guide walks you through the different sectors of the hill-top citadel, with astonishing views, telling you aspects of life here that will take you back in time. After lunch, return to the village where the train will take you to Ollantaytambo and transfer to your hotel. B/L