The Luxury Train to Machu Picchu

Surrounded by wisps of cloud wrapped around the Peruvian Andes, Machu Picchu seems an impossible feat of engineering. Hewn from thick slabs of stone, it is held together only by gravity, balanced on precisely built terraces with nothing but the sky and towering rainforest-cloaked peaks in sight.

Six hundred years after it was first built by the Inca people, this UNESCO World Heritage Site feels just as otherworldly today. Its mysteries remain mostly unexplained, from exactly how it was created to what purpose it served. It is largely believed to have been a royal retreat but also appears to have had astronomical and religious significance, with structures aligned to track the sun and temples built to worship Inca gods.

In the mid-16th century, it was suddenly abandoned, shortly after the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru. Hidden from history by the nearby jungle and protective neighbouring villagers, it wasn’t until 1911, when American explorer,  Hiram Bingham, was guided to the ruins by locals, that his "discovery" was presented to the world.

Today, Bingham’s legacy endures. Machu Picchu’s remote nature means most must spend around four days hiking the Inca Trail to get there, braving the altitude, steep climbs and basic campsites along the route. The less hardy, however, no longer need to miss out. There is another, far more luxurious, way to see this wonder of the modern world without even laying eyes on a sleeping bag – or, heaven forbid, a tent. Named after the explorer himself, the Hiram Bingham, A Belmond Train makes it possible to see Machu Picchu in a day for the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Handsomely painted in navy blue and gold, the train leaves Poroy, just outside Cusco, to travel over three hours through the Sacred Valley to the town of Aguas Calientes, which sits at the foothills of Machu Picchu. In Poroy, passengers sip cocktails of champagne, gooseberry and Peruvian brandy pisco, while local folk musicians and dancers in colourful traditional dress perform on the platform. Guests can join them in burning dried coca leaves in an ancient Inca ritual of gratitude before boarding. 

Turns out, we have a lot to be thankful for. The 1920s-style Pullman carriages hark back to a golden age of rail travel, with cream curtains tied at the windows, brass fittings and glossy wood at every turn. Lamp-lit tables are laid for lunch for a maximum of 84 passengers, but none are shared, even if you’re travelling alone. The back of the train houses an Art Deco cocktail bar, preceding the glass-roofed observation car with an open balcony for the best views. 

Pisco sours and champagne flow freely, and a three-piece band serenades the trundling train as it passes alongside fields of alpacas towards the Andes. The track continues so close to farms, you can almost reach out and touch the corrugated roof of a chicken shed and see wellies abandoned in a heap by a back door. We pass women picking potatoes, a man chopping wood who pauses to wave, and herds of disinterested cows, before the train begins to run alongside the churning Urubamba River, sheer-sided mountains on either side. A traditional meal of beef tenderloin in pachamanca sauce, corn ceviche and cassava and chickpea tortilla is served for lunch before we arrive in Aguas Calientes.

Here, the streets are crowded with overloaded stalls of tourist trinkets and a seemingly endless queue for the bus to travel the final 30 winding minutes up the mountain to the citadel. But not for Belmond guests. We are quickly escorted onto a waiting bus to meet with private guides for three memorable hours of gazing in awe at Machu Picchu itself. It’s hardly surprising the mood is jubilant on the return journey, with strangers clinking glasses and dancing together as dinner is served and the band strikes up again to play us back to Poroy.

Even with Machu Picchu ticked off the bucket list, it would be a mistake to rush onwards from Cusco. Abercrombie & Kent can tailor-make packages to include stays here or elsewhere in Peru. To extend your trip further, visits to secluded Andean villages to meet indigenous Quechuan highlanders, descendants of the Incas, can be arranged. Overlooked by the towering Andes, Cusco gives helpful perspective to the region’s fascinating history with its Inca museum and impressive stone architecture. It's also just a joy to wander through. Staggeringly ornate churches line steep cobbled streets and give way to squares filled with pretty cafés. The alleyways bursting with flowers lead to fairy-lit courtyards where you might chance upon a Peruvian cooking class, a pisco tasting session or a boutique selling the softest alpaca woollen goods in every colour. 

Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco sits just a short stroll from the city’s main sights. Once an Incan palace and later a 16th-century monastery, it now centres on a serene courtyard filled with flower beds, a grand fountain and a magnificent 300-year-old cedar tree. Rooms have vaulted ceilings, carved wooden furniture, handwoven alpaca blankets and oil paintings in antique gold frames. Some are even enriched with oxygen to help acclimatise to Cusco’s considerable altitude of 3,399 metres above sea level. 

Peruvian details are plentiful. Be it the chunky locally made pottery, Sacred Valley honey or a fresh pot of emoliente tea made from Andean medicinal herbs and plants waiting in my room each evening, each feature is an homage to its home country. It’s also worth popping next door to Belmond’s second hotel in the city, Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco, where Inca stonework is visible under glass floors in the spa and in the acclaimed restaurant Mauka. Led by Lima-born Pia Leon, named the World’s Best Female Chef, it’s yet another reason Peruvians have to be proud of this remarkable country. 

Even after leaving Peru, the silence and scale of Machu Picchu stays with you. This is a country where history is sculpted into the landscape of today. Where the lines between past and present blur. So what better way to see it, than by returning to the glamour of a bygone era? Onboard the Hiram Bingham, a Belmond Train, even the rails seem to remember.

Abercrombie & Kent’s 8-day tailor-made Peru itinerary, from £6,695pp, based on two people sharing. Includes all flights, private transfers, three nights B&B at Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco and a return journey on the Hiram Bingham, A Belmond Train to Machu Picchu. Book at https://www.abercrombiekent.com/