The train ride into Machu Picchu is one of the great scenic rail journeys in South America — not because of the distance, which is modest, but because of the altitude drop. Cusco at 3,400 metres down to Aguas Calientes at 2,040 metres, through the Urubamba gorge with cloud forest climbing both walls.
From Ollantaytambo (most travellers board here) the ride is 90 minutes. From Cusco it is three and a half hours. The track terminates at Aguas Calientes station in the valley below the citadel.
Peruways sells across PeruRail and Inca Rail. Service classes: Expedition and Voyager at the budget end, Vistadome and 360 with panoramic windows and included snacks, Hiram Bingham at the top with lounge car and five-course meal. All on the same track.
We bundle the train with the Consettur bus up to the citadel and the timed-entry ticket. Book at Peruways.
