A JOURNEY TO THE HEAVENS AT
MACHU PICCHU
Checking off a bucket-list trip, a Canadian writer joins the ranks of celebrities and royalty who’ve taken the unforgettable train journey to the Peruvian Andes’ most iconic destination.
By Claire Sibonney
Travelling from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, the Hiram Bingham blends luxury with breathtaking views. | VIDEO: COURTESY OF HIRAM BINGHAM
From an open-air viewing platform, passengers on the Hiram Bingham can watch the scenery shift as the train ascends. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF HIRAM BINGHAM
Machu Picchu, one of 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Peru, is one of those rare places that feels mythic long before you see it. Widely believed to have been a 15th-century retreat for Incan royalty, it sits where the Andes meet the Amazon, on a site with a compact citadel of about 200 stone structures carefully laid out across terraces and plazas.
Over the years, Machu Picchu’s appeal has only grown. More than 1.5 million tourists visit the site each year — so many that Peru has introduced timed-entry tickets and capped daily numbers to help protect it. I’d been dreaming about Machu Picchu ever since I was a child, paging through my National Geographic magazines. But I wondered whether I was cut out for the gruelling hike to get there — until I discovered another way to reach the site — one far more my speed. A golden age ride
For many people, the thrill of reaching Machu Picchu is hiking the demanding, four-day Inca Trail. For those who lack the time or ability to hike, an easier alternative is to take a bus or taxi to a station, then take a standard PeruRail or Inca Rail train into the gateway town of Aguas Calientes, just under 9 km from the citadel. I was after something different. I wanted to feel transported to the golden age of train travel, when luxury trains, such as the Orient Express in Europe and the Blue Train in South Africa, offered a travel experience as exciting as the destination itself. This is why I opted for the Belmond Hiram Bingham, Peru’s answer to old-world rail service. Named for the American explorer who brought global attention to Machu Picchu in 1911, this luxury train makes the three- to four-hour route to the UNESCO site feel less like a mode of transport and more like a red-carpet prelude.
Warmly welcomed
My journey begins 11,000 feet above sea level on the train station platform in Poroy, about 30 minutes northwest of Cusco. Three Andean musicians play lively folk music in the crisp morning air while cocktail waiters weave through the crowd, offering Peruvian bellinis — Prosecco mixed with local gooseberry and an herbal liqueur. It’s not yet 9 a.m., but indulging feels entirely necessary. When you’re about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you might as well lean into luxury from the start.
The quena (Peruvian flute) player steps to the microphone, his voice low and steady as he narrates a blessing for Pachamama, Mother Earth, asking for safe passage through the mountains. Fragrant palo santo burns in a small clay bowl, and Quechua women in brightly layered skirts and men in shaggy red headdresses move through the crowd, offering coca leaves. Then they kneel and lift trios of the leaves toward the sky, inviting passengers to do the same. This is a daily ritual and a reminder to visitors that we’re stepping into a living Incan tradition, not just a bucket-list adventure. Ascending in style
On the train platform, the 1920s Pullman-style carriages stand gleaming, royal blue with gold trim. Inside the dining car, sunlight spills through large windows framed by cream tie-back curtains. Art deco lamps give off a warm glow, and each table is dressed in white linens, fine cutlery and small vases of Peruvian lilies.
A few steps down, I discover the sleek, wood-panelled bar car, where bartenders shake up classic pisco sours and a slate of drinks created by renowned Lima mixologist Aaron Díaz. At the back is the observation car with a partially open terrace, floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights that frame stunning views of the Sacred Valley.
(Clockwise from top left) Quechua dancers in traditional dress perform on the station platform; the terraced Inca fortress in Ollantaytambo; the journey’s unhurried pace allows passengers time to admire the changing landscape. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HIRAM BINGHAM
The party atmosphere kicks in when the onboard band begins to play. A crowd gathers, drawn in by the music. The band launches into Peruvian cumbia, pulling a mother and daughter from Mexico onto the dance floor.
The train manager casually mentions that the Hiram Bingham is a favourite of celebrities and royalty such as the Prince and Princess of Wales, Japanese Princess Akiko of Mikasa and Ed Sheeran. As I watch the Peruvian highlands roll by — enormous agave plants, patchwork fields of corn and potatoes, adobe villages, terraces pressed into mountainsides — it’s easy to see why. Midway, we pause in Ollantaytambo, an ancient village set beneath snow-capped peaks, to pick up more passengers. Brunch begins soon after: a crisp corn tartlet, Angus beef skewers with native potatoes, and a banana-passion-fruit mousse. It’s a meal inspired by local ingredients traditionally eaten by communities in the region.
“As I gaze out on the citadel, I think of Bingham’s words: ‘In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare with it.’ ”
Machu Picchu is one of only a few major pre-Columbian ruins discovered nearly intact. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF HIRAM BINGHAM
The ”Lost City" found
The train moves at an unhurried pace, but time doesn’t. A couple of hours slip by unnoticed, and somewhere between easy conversations with fellow travellers, the three-course meal and quieter moments spent soaking up the views, I realize I’ve stopped thinking about Machu Picchu altogether; I’m so wrapped up in the experience of getting there. As we draw closer to our destination, the landscape transforms. The valley narrows, the air grows more humid, the Urubamba River thrashes alongside the tracks. Jungle vegetation closes in, and clouds drift across jagged peaks. Before long, most of us have wandered to the observation car, pulled in by the drama of the cloud forest. At Aguas Calientes, we step off the train, weaving through the small town square dotted with sleeping stray dogs to board a shuttle bus that climbs the mountain. From the final stop, it’s a short uphill walk past stone walls and wild orchids clinging to the hillside. At first, we catch only a glimpse of the ruins from the side. But as the path curves, the splendour of Machu Picchu appears, just as it did in those photographs I pored over as a child. Terraces cascade down the ridge, and neat clusters of stone buildings and staircases spread out below the iconic peak of Huayna Picchu. Llamas wander the stone steps, seemingly unbothered by the crowds. It’s as spectacular as I imagined it would be. As I gaze out on the citadel, I think of Bingham’s words: “In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare with it.” It’s clear that some destinations are well worth the journey, no matter how you choose to get there. CAA
Whether you’re tackling the four-day Inca Trail or gliding in on a four-hour train ride, a trip to Machu Picchu takes planning. CAA Travel Consultants can help you secure hiking permits and timed-entry tickets well in advance, make arrangements with reputable tour operators, book train tickets, and organize hotels and transfers throughout the magnificent Sacred Valley. That way, you spend less time juggling logistics for your once-in-a-lifetime trip and more time taking in the moment you’ve been dreaming about.
(Above) Machu Picchu is often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas. (Below) The Andean village of Aguas Calientes is known for its thermal baths and as the gateway to Machu Picchu. | PHOTOS: ENVATO/MATTHEWWILLIAMS-ELLIS; JSUBIRA/ADOBE STOCK
SACRED VALLEY SIDE TRIPS
Peru’s Sacred Valley holds many wonders beyond Cusco and Machu Picchu, including ancient ruins and vibrant villages built on original Inca foundations. Here are three must-do side trips.
Ollantaytambo
The only “living Inca city,” Ollantaytambo still sits on its original 15th-century grid. After tackling the 200 steep steps up to the military fortress, wander the narrow streets where ancient canals flow, then browse the market for scaly green custard apples, purple quinoa and handwoven textiles in every shade of the rainbow.
Moray
These concentric terraces, thought to be an Inca agricultural laboratory, create a dramatic bowl in the landscape. Nearby, chef Virgilio Martínez’s Mil Centro serves a high-altitude tasting menu inspired by native ecosystems.
Salineras de Maras
Hike among over 3,000 brilliant geometric salt pools fed by a hypersaline spring. This stunning ochre-and-white hillside is worked by Quechua families using pre-Inca techniques to harvest the famous mineral-rich Peruvian pink salt.
