Ollantaytambo is a bustling town in the Sacred Valley, midway between Cusco and Ollantaytambo.

Ollantaytambo calls itself the "Living Inca City" because it boasts not only an impressive Inca fortress and many smaller ruins, but also, because it is the best surviving example of Inca town planning. Many of the existing buildings in town hae Inca foundations, Inca canals run through town, and people still farm using the fields and irrigation system build and developed by the Inca. The town itself is small, with a population of about three thousand, but very busy, and sees hundreds to thousands of tourists passing through every day on their way to Machu Picchu. The tourist influx keeps residents busy and prosperous and assures a lively bar and restaurant scene. Despite the tourists, however, the town maintains a strong sense of community and Andean identity, and agriculture is still the main economic activitiy. Spanish-speaking Ollantinos are friendly towards foreigners, maintain a strong family life, and enjoy frequent traditional and rowdy fiestas. The town is nestled amid towering mountains, and as it was an Inca administrative center, Ollanta is home to some of the most impressive Inca ruins in Peru.  The lives of Ollanta’s residents are closely connected to the two seasons – dry and rainy – and the land from which they earn their livelihoods. 

Ollantaytambo is the municipal seat for the district of Ollantaytambo. The district includes a number of small towns also on the valley floor, as well as the indigenous communities that are high in the mountains that rise above the Sacred Valley. We work in Ollantaytambo and other communities on the valley floor principally in health, education and sustainable tourism. Our office is located in Ollantaytambo, as is our fair trade store and our tourism office. All of our staff and most of our volunteers live in Ollantaytambo. Most work in Ollantaytambo as well, though we also work some in other, smaller communities on the floor of the Sacred Valley, like Chilca, Pachar and Yanahuara. In these smaller communities, people speak Spanish but many speak more Quechua. These towns are poorer, see almost no tourism except the passing train, and agriculture represents most of the economy.