The journey to Cusco had been rather eventful for the small party of Americans that joined GQ’s train ride to the shores of Lake Titicaca. A snake on the plane had necessitated an unnerving aircraft change en route to Lima while the freeloading reptile was found and removed.
By contrast, GQ’s passage to Peru was uneventful: a 12-hour flight from London Heathrow; an overnight stay at the Belmond Miraflores Park hotel; a 90-minute flight to Cusco, which – once the centre of Incan civilisation – is now a base for those exploring the Inca Trail by road or onboard Belmond’s latest luxury train, the Andean Explorer.
Belmond (formerly Orient-Express) has operated a train between Cusco and its two Machu Picchu properties since 2003, contributing some belle époque glamour to the backpacker/bucket list destination.
The Andean Explorer is one of a kind, offering one- and two-night trips aboard a state-of-the-art train that once served passengers on OE’s Great South Pacific Express route. When that business wound up in 2003, the rolling stock was shipped to Peru and refurbished to create more passenger space in each of the cabins and make room for a staff of 35 and what must be the most enticing bar car in history.
In order to match the experience to the amenities, Belmond then partnered with PeruRail to create a one-of-a-kind route through the Peruvian Highlands, with stopovers at Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and an embarkation point for a Belmond property at Colca Canyon, home to the Andean condor.
GQ opted for the two-night trip, possibly the most convivial commute in the world. The train leaves Cusco at lunchtime, with a maximum 48 passengers united less by a need to tick the box than to unwind in consummate comfort and stellar scenery. We weren’t disappointed.
After a preprandial cocktail (a Pisco Sour, but then, when in Peru) and a light lunch, the first stop was the Incan settlement of Raqchi, all that remains of eight large buildings built by the Incas during their imperial phase.
By the time the conquistadors arrived (1562), the empire was believed to be the largest in the world – a 3,500 mile-long land-grab achieved without any wheeled transport, let alone animals large enough to pull it. Fortunately, the Explorer has two diesel locomotives that make light work of our inexorable climb into the high Andes.
The sun was already setting by the time we pulled up at our next stop. The highest point on our route to Titicaca, La Raya, home to a small Spanish church, in front of which were a dozen stalls selling cashmere and vicuña. It was a shrewd move: as the light fell and the temperature with it, business was brisk.
Dinner was served as we gently rocked our way towards Puno, the main point of entry for Titicaca, and consisted of alpaca tortellini and roast duck, as created by Belmond’s consulting chef, Diego Muñoz. After that, there was little to do but retire in readiness for daybreak over the lake itself: a once-in-a-lifetime moment that only a few passengers chose to enjoy from their cabins. Those that did brave the 2C chill were greeted with the truly memorable first sighting of a body of water that serves both as a natural border with Bolivia and an ecosystem by which many make their living. The most impressive of these must be the Uru, who reside three miles offshore on 42 floating “islands” built from the lake’s tortora reed beds.
Titicaca is truly vast and our time allowed for only a short exploration of its crenelated coastline. But then, why float when you can ride? And as darkness fell, the Andean Explorer pulled out of Puno bound for its final stop just as a fiesta was getting underway in the dusk-cloaked streets, a seemingly endless parade of peacocking pageantry that was all the more perfect for its disarming lack of touristic “theatre”.
The last stop was at the edge of another lake, Saracocha, this one similarly blessed with landing rights for what was apparently another unmissable sunrise (GQ missed it). From here, there was time to marvel at the 7,000-year-old Sumbay Cave drawings before we began the stately descent. In many ways, this final, undulating part of the journey is the highlight of the entire trip, an endless horizon of desert-dry grassland populated by wild vicuña, a spectacular diorama against which Muñoz’s epic cuisine did well to distract us.
Peru’s second city, Arequipa, was the final stop ahead of a late-night flight to Lima and a day spent exploring Miraflores and the bohemian district of Barranco, home to Mate, the art gallery of Peru’s most famous son, Mario Testino. Not to be missed, rather like the Belmond Andean Explorer.
Bill Prince’s travel tips
What to do:
Belmond offers five-day journeys from £2,275 per person, including two nights B&B at Belmond Hotel Monasterio and two nights aboard the Andean Explorer. belmond.com What to see Excursions include visits to the Inca site of Raqchi and the ancient Sumbay Caves, and a city tour of Arequipa.
What to pack:
Anti-altitude sickness remedies (but, just in case, there’s a nurse on board).
How to get there:
British Airways flies from London to Lima from £675 return. ba.com
