Ollantaytambo Pachamanca & Weaving Experience

Ollantaytambo – Sacred Valley – Cusco
  • Full-day
  • 5 Flavors
  • Adult $119 USD
  • Under 18 $119 USD
Shared Groups only

Ollantaytambo Pachamanca & Weaving Experience

Adult $119 USD
Under 18 $119 USD

Earth-Oven Lunch in the Sacred Valley

This 6 hours activity begins in Ollantaytambo and will be split into two very authentic activities: the weaving demonstration and the earth oven lunch experience. Your day starts with a beautiful drive ascending nearly 1000 meters up the Patacancha Valley. Following a river, you will pass small farms, Incan agricultural terraces, little-visited ruins, a colonial church, and stunning mountain views on your way to the artisans women’s cooperative. Upon arrival in one of the upper Andean villages of Patacancha or Huilloc, the artisans will meet you and welcome you warmly.
This experience received a rating of 5 stars on TripAdvisor
  • 6 hours

    Starting time
    Shared Groups (English-only)
    - 9:00-15:00
  • Local Community Hosts

    You will receive a warm welcome from the members of an Andean community – Patacancha or Huilloc – in the upper Sacred Valley.
  • Free Cancellation

    Cancel for free up to 48 hours before the tour' start time, no questions asked. Unfortunately, it's harder to accommodate last minute changes because of our commitment to the artisans.

Your adventure begins here. Are you ready?

  • 5 Flavors
    color/negro
    Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by the community with a warm cup of tea. The day will kick off with a workshop led by local women during which they will share their ancestral knowledge, and tell you more about the culture and traditions of the Quechua people, while explaining the entire weaving process. They will show you how alpaca or sheep wool is spun into yarn by hand, before giving it a try yourself!
    You will then learn how different local plants and materials are used in the dyeing process. Artisans will then teach you how to weave a small bracelet on a backstrap loom, in a one-on-one lesson.
    Later on, you will take part in the preparation of the earth oven lunch – a.k.a. Pachamanca – from A to Z. Community members will introduce you to every step of the process: from digging the perfect Pachamanca hole to building a fire and covering it with rocks to get to the appropriate cooking temperatures.
    You will be adding marinated chicken, sweet potatoes, fava broad beans, and a variety of Andean potatoes and native tubers to the cooking pit once all the rocks are hot. And just like that you will become a master of the ancestral Pachamanca cooking technique.
    While the Pachamanca is being cooked, you will finish up your bracelet. Then, you will participate in the food extraction from the cooking pit, before sharing it with the artisans and other community members.
    After lunch, you will visit a traditional home accompanied by one of the members of the cooperative, before returning to the center where you will have the opportunity to purchase textiles directly from the women who hosted you.
    Finally, you will head back down to Ollantaytambo, and make one final stop at the Awamaki store, where you will see the work of Awamaki’s women-led partners cooperatives, including contemporary accessories crafted with the artisans' textiles.

Testimonials

  • A delightful day

    Our family of five had a delightful day learning the process of weaving and about the local villages way of life. We each had the opportunity to weave our own unique bracelets with the help of our own personal weaving teachers.The women were very warm, friendly and patient with us and the earth cooked lunch was absolutely delicious. Definitely a day well spent.
    Kim - Jun, 2022

Additional information

What is included

  • Preparation and cooking of a earth-oven lunch
  • Tasting of ancestral Pachamanca
  • Weaving and dyeing workshop
  • Cup of tea
  • Transportation between Ollantaytambo and the rural community
  • Local translator provided by our nonprofit partner
  • 2% donation to the Impact Eat Foundation to help small local producers
  • Dedicated travel support while you are in Peru
  • Pick up and drop off from/to Ollantaytambo before/after the tour

Additional data

  • We can accommodate most special requests, and we can accommodate nearly all dietary restrictions, make sure to let us know at the time of booking.
  • Please note that this experience requires 2 participants minimum.

Meeting point

Where do we meet?

  • The meeting point is in Ollantaytambo Plaza de Armas, in front of La Esquina Café
  • 9 am
Remember that
Please, think about bringing water, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, warm layer, rain jacket (just in case!) and small bills in soles if you plan to purchase from the artisans

Questions?