Need to know
Rooms
16 standalone tented lodges.
Check–Out
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 1pm.
More details
Rates include a breakfast spread of seasonal, home-grown produce from the organic gardens (freshly-made fruit bowls, juices and jams), plus à la carte options like Peruvian pancakes and eggs. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available.
Also
Many of the tents have ramp access and no-step showers, plus extra-wide clearance on the lodge doors for wheelchair-users.
Hotel closed
The property is open between 1 March and 31 January each year, closing for annual maintenance during February.
At the hotel
Botanical gardens, organic vegetable garden, fire pit, sauna, outdoor onsen, geodesic wellness dome, lounge, boutique, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: private terrace, wood-burning stove (in twin and family tents), electric heater, minibar stocked with organic, local produce, herbal tea-making kit, flashlight, and eco-friendly Anyah bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Each tented lodge is surrounded by a different type of native flower, which gives your room its name (and unique aroma). As the sacred flower of the Incas and national plant of Peru, the cantuta-covered lodge is a strong choice if you’re visiting during spring (September to November), when its bright pink flowers are in bloom. There’s an African safari-style feel to every lodge, but especially in the upper bedroom of the Group Tents where you can sleep directly beneath the canvas.
Spa
Drawing on ancient healing rituals of Andean medicine, the tented spa (open daily between 10am and 6.30pm) at Las Qolqas stands on the banks of Patacancha River – which means the Peruvian-inspired treatments are set to the soothing soundtrack of running water. This riverside setting has inspired the 60-minute hydrotherapy circuit, starting in the barrel sauna, followed by a mineral-rich soak in the outdoor onsen, before a refreshing cleanse in the wood-panelled Spanish shower (with overhead mountain views). The massage menu is extensive, varying from Shiatsu and Thai techniques to hot stones – and the list of Andean beauty and hydration treatments is equally impressive. Local, all-natural ingredients like Maras salt, quinoa powder, honey, Quillabamba coffee beans, and coca leaves form the base of medicinal pastes, body wraps, and exfoliating scrubs – which will give your skin an Incan-descent glow. Yoga and meditation classes take place in the sustainably-constructed, glass-roof geodesic dome, which is flooded with natural light (or twinkling stars by night). The majestic Apu Pututuyuc rises 800 meters above the dome, a rugged cliff which is home to nesting condors that swoop above your wellness sessions – and the mountain air is filled with sweet scents of chamomile, Andean mint, and rosemary from the surrounding aromatic gardens and fruit orchards.
Packing tips
Focus more on your footwear for this trip – trekking boots should be sturdy yet lightweight, and ideally waterproof. You’ll also want to save some space in your suitcase for some handwoven textiles made by local Patacancha artisans, available to purchase from the hotel’s boutique.
Also
With all the Andean hiking, your step count will be through the roof here. Soothe weary muscles with a post-trek foot reflexology session from the comfort of your tent’s private terrace.
Children
The two-bedroom Family Tents are ideal if you’re traveling with little ones; larger families can spread out across two floors in the Group Tents which sleep up to eight.
Sustainability efforts
A stalwart protector of its Sacred Valley setting, Las Qolqas Eco Lodge keeps the environment and local community in mind at every mountain-backed turn. The safari-style tents are thermally efficient, make use of solar-powered lighting and recycled water, are stocked with eco-friendly amenities, and sit within botanical gardens planted with native flowers. The property is strictly plastic-free, and has adopted a zero-mile approach for its restaurant, bar and spa – growing a variety of seasonal, organic produce in the on-site orchards and vegetable garden (from which guests can gather ingredients for their meals). The grounds are carefully tended and irrigated with recycled wastewater (treated with bio-digesters), and the compost is monitored on a weekly basis by the resort’s biologist. Las Qolqas extends a helping hand to neighboring villages through its non-profit association, which includes running various educational programs with local schools, Queñuas tree-planting and reforestation projects, and supporting the maintenance of Ollantaytambo’s archaeological sites and Inca terraces, trails and walls along the Patacancha River.