El Albergue –A Unique Hotel in The Sacred Valley 

I made it to Ollantaytambo – also known as the last “Living Inca City.”

Spending my days exploring ancient Inca ruins and engaging in traditional Andean experiences including a Pachamanca lunch, I was fortunate to do some photography work for El Albergue, a stunning hotel situated in the train station of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. The abundance of life force energy in this place was unlike anything that I have ever experienced before. 

With its own farm and organic garden that supplies the ingredients for their restaurant, as well as a coffee roasting and Andean distillery, staying here was an experience in and of itself.

During my stay at El Albergue, I had the opportunity to take part in an unforgettable culinary experience right on their very own farm – the Pachamanca Lunch. Pachamanca, which roughly translates to ‘earth oven’ or ‘earth pot’ from the Quechua language, is a traditional Peruvian dish and includes hot stones as the method of cooking. This tradition of cooking is more than 8000 years old and is now often only used for special occasions/community events. With every ingredient sourced from El Albergue’s farm, this was truly one of the most wholesome experiences I have ever been a part of. 

Question: How long do you think it took to cook everything (whole potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, beans, bone-in chicken, lamb, and pork), from the minute the food was added to the rocks?

Answer: 15 minutes

Earlier during my trip, I also travelled to Cusco, Peru, where I photographed El Albergue’s sister property, El Balcon. I finished off my time in Peru in Lima, where I photographed Atemporal, a luxurious casa in the heart of Miraflores.