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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 26 January, 2023
Expert travel writer: Anthony Lambert

Belmond has become a byword for luxury train travel, and South America’s first luxury sleeping-car train has become the way to explore the austere beauty of the altiplano south of Cusco.

The two-night tour between Cusco and Arequipa takes in the journey takes in the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca, cave art thousands of years old, and the World Heritage Site of Arequipa. Wild grasses cover the hillsides rising up to snowy summits until the train descends to more fertile country dotted with adobe villages.

As a new train, it’s beautifully designed and has every amenity, but it inevitably lacks that sense of authenticity from times gone by.

Price from: £3000
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: 2 nights

Getting there & doing it

Trains start at either Cusco or Arequipa. There are additional options to explore the Colca Canyon and stay at Belmond’s luxury retreat in the canyon, Las Casitas. The train can also be paired with Belmond’s Hiram Bingham day train from Cusco to the mountain-top ruins of Machu Picchu.

The carriages include all-en-suite sleeping cars for 48 guests, two dining cars, a lounge car, an observation car with open deck, and a spa car. Seasonal menus with an Andean flavour are devised by the chefs at Belmond’s Hotel Monasterio in Cusco.

When to do it

The only month the train does not operate is February. The best months are May to October when there is a greater chance of clear skies and crystal-clear light.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Monasterio

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

A grand, luxury hotel housed in a restored 16th-century monastery and filled with priceless colonial art. Restful and meditative, yet just a few blocks from Cusco’s historic heart. 

Official star rating:

Belmond Palacio Nazarenas

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

A luxuriously-restored convent with a glittering baroque chapel, filled with Cusqueno artworks and home to one of Cusco’s top restaurants.

Official star rating:

El Mercado

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

Good-value, centrally located hotel with modern rooms fitted into the cloisters of the Spanish-colonial market.

Official star rating:

El Retablo

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

A tranquil, family-run guesthouse sits in up-and-coming, arty San Blas neighbourhood, with views of central Cusco at every street corner.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Peru

Peru

A land of spectacular deserts, high mountains and rainforests that teem with wildlife, Peru is also home to an array of dramatically situated pre-Colombian ruins, including Machu Picchu.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

A day in Cusco

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

The heart of the old Inca empire has a wealth of Inca ruins, Spanish treasures and historic architecture to explore.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 1 day

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Qorikancha

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

The Inca empire’s most elaborate sun temple, covered in gold and silver, is now a colonial church housing stunning Inca stonework.

Best for ages: 18+ | £2

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Hikers reaching the viewpoint at the summit of the mountain
Experience

Rainbow Mountain

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

A mountain of striking, colourfully-striated rock bands, caused by layers of varying mineral deposits. It’s a 2-hour drive from Cusco, followed by 5km (3 mile) walk.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Round-ups that include this experience