Peru has some of the best train rides in South America, and most of them cross terrain you can’t easily reach any other way. The Andes dominate every route.
The Andean Explorer: PeruRail’s overnight sleeper runs Cusco–Puno–Arequipa, cutting across the altiplano at over 4,000m. Carriages come with wood-panelled lounges, a spa car, and dinner service; it’s one of the more deliberate luxury trains on the continent and a direct answer to South Africa’s Blue Train.
The Vistadome: PeruRail’s Cusco–Machu Picchu service with roof panels — the panoramic windows that give it the name. It runs through the Sacred Valley and down the Vilcanota gorge to Aguas Calientes. Lunch, Andean music, and a short dance performance are included on the higher classes.
The Hiram Bingham: Named for the American academic who publicised Machu Picchu in 1911, this is Belmond’s Pullman service — Peru’s flagship rail experience. Polished wood, white tablecloths, cocktails, lunch and dinner, live music. More ocean liner than train.
Whether you want altitude, scenery, or dinner at 3,000m, Peru’s trains deliver the trip the way the brochure sells it. Book here.
