Train To Machu Picchu

Train To Machu Picchu

At least two PeruRail trains depart from Cusco's San Pedro station daily for Aguas Calientes, near Machu Picchu. The Vistadome leaves at 6 AM and arrives in Aguas Calientes at 9:40. It returns from Aguas Calientes at 3:30 PM, arriving in Cusco at 7:25. A second Vistadome service departs at 6:15 AM. The round-trip fare is S/429. Snacks and beverages are included in the price, and the cars have sky domes for great views. The return trip includes a fashion show and folklore dancing.

The Backpacker train leaves Cusco at 7 AM, arriving in Aguas Calientes at 10:40. It leaves Aguas Calientes at 5 PM, getting back to Cusco at 9:25. The round-trip fare is S/290. Conditions are comparable to second-class trains in Western Europe and are quite comfortable.

A second Vistadome or Backpacker train may be added during the June-August high season, depending on demand.

All trains make an exaggerated series of five zigzag switchbacks, climbing as they leave from Cusco before descending into the lower-altitude Sacred Valley. Trains stop at Poroy, Ollantaytambo, Km 88 (the start of the Inca Trail), and Km 104 (the launch point of an abbreviated two-day Inca Trail). Arrival is in Aguas Calientes, where you catch the buses up to the ruins.

The return trip takes longer, but you can disembark in Poroy, about 15 minutes by highway from Cusco, where an Asociación de Agencias de Turismo de Cusco bus meets every Cusco-bound train. The fare is a time-saving S/5, and the bus deposits you on Cusco's Plaza de Armas.

Vistadome and Backpacker trains depart from Cusco's San Pedro station, where, in theory, same-day tickets can be purchased but waiting that late is risky. Purchase tickets in advance from the PeruRail sales office at Cusco's Wanchaq Station, weekdays from 7 to 5, and weekends and Peruvian holidays from 7-noon—note that PeruRail does not accept credit cards—or from a travel agency. (Most tour packages include rail tickets as well as bus transport to and from Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu and admission to the ruins, and lodging if you plan to stay overnight.) Also in theory, PeruRail accepts e-mail reservations through its Web site: you send them the names, passport numbers, and travel dates of all passengers—but no credit-card numbers—then take the confirmation they send you to Wanchaq Station upon your arrival in Cusco and pay for your tickets in cash. At best, that procedure is cumbersome, and we hear frequent reports of e-mails not being answered or confirmations never received.

PeruRail's luxury Hiram Bingham train proffers a class of service unto itself (with prices to match). Trains depart from Poroy station, about 15 minutes outside Cusco, eliminating the tedious switchbacks necessary for the other trains to get out of and into the city. Departure time is a more leisurely 9 AM daily except Sunday, arriving at Aguas Calientes at 12:30 PM. Return service leaves Aguas Calientes at 6:30 PM, returning to Poroy at 10. The timetable permits you to stay at the ruins for a few hours after the day visitors have departed on the mid-afternoon trains back to Cusco. Trains consist of two dining cars, a bar car, and a kitchen car, and evoke the glamour of the old Orient Express rail service, no surprise, since Orient Express is the parent company of PeruRail. The S/1,775 round-trip price tag includes brunch on the trip to Machu Picchu, bus transport from Aguas Calientes up to the ruins and back in vehicles exclusively reserved for Hiram Bingham clients, admission to the ruins, guide services while there, and an afternoon buffet tea at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. The trip back entails cocktails, live entertainment, and a four-course dinner.

If you're using the Sacred Valley as your base, PeruRail operates a daily Vistadome train departing from Ollantaytambo at 7 AM, with arrival in Machu Picchu at 8:20. Other trains leave Ollantaytambo at 10:30 AM and 2:55 PM, arriving at Aguas Calientes about 75 minutes later. Return trains leave Aguas Calients at 8:35 AM and 1:20 and 4:45 PM. Round-trip fare is S/362. Shuttle buses connect Ollantaytambo to Urubamba. This service can give you more time to spend at the ruins than you'd have with a Cusco departure, or flexibility of travel at various times of day. A daily Backpacker train departs Ollantaytambo at 9:05 AM, arriving at Aguas Calientes at 11. Return from Aguas Calientes is at 4:20 PM, with arrival in Ollantaytambo at 6. Round-trip fare is S/260.

PeruRail's service is generally punctual. Schedules and rates are always subject to change, and there may be fewer trains per day to choose from during the December to March low season.

Tourists are not permitted to ride the Tren Local, the less expensive, but slower train intended for local residents only.

Information

Asociación de Agencias de Turismo de Cusco (Nueva Baja 424, Cusco. 084/222-580). PeruRail (San Pedro station, Cascapara near Santa Clara, Cusco. 084/233-551. www.perurail.com.)