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See also:
TRAIN FROM CUZCO TO MACHU PICCHU
AND MACHU PICCHU TO CUZCO
THE JOURNEY
 The train journey from
Cuzco to
Machu
Picchu is a
highlight of any trip to the Andes. The 3 and a half to
four hours journey takes you through a changing
landscape. First there is a steep climb out of Cuzco
into the surrounding hillside, by means of a series of
switchback turns known locally as "the zig zag".
The train then stops at Poroy before descending into the
Sacred Valley
of the Incas, passing by lush, green fields and colourful villages in the foothills of the Andes. After
departing Poroy and going through Cachimayo, the train
descends to the plateau of Anta, a patchwork landscape
of typical Andean crops and passes lush fields and
colourful villages in the foothills of the Andes.
Far to the left, just below the horizon, the massive
agricultural terraces of Jaquijahuana can be seen, close
to the village of Zurite. Sadly, these great terraces
are all that remain today of what was once a major Inca
city, lost forever during the first years after the
Spanish conquest.
Beyond the town of Huarocondo the great plain narrows
dramatically as the track enters a deep gorge carved by
the rushing Pomatales River down which the railway, too,
is funnelled until it meets the Urubamba River, which
runs through the beautiful Sacred Valley.
The train passes through extensive areas of terracing
dotted with the ruins of Inca fortresses. Bisecting this
are still-visible sections of an ancient, long-abandoned
highway adopted by the muleteers of the late 19th
century, who used it to travel between Cuzco and the
rubber plantations of the Amazon lowlands.
Five kilometres beyond Pachar, is the village of
Ollantaytambo where farmers work with the same patience
and skill that their ancestors must have employed to
shape and then move the huge blocks of stone with which
they built both their homes and the temples in which
they worshipped.
As the train leaves
Ollantaytambo to begin the last part
of its journey to Machu Picchu, the temple complex known
as The Fortress, dedicated sometime in the 15th century
to the many deities of the Inca pantheon, can be seen to
the right above the earthwork ramp once used to drag its
monolithic blocks up from the valley floor.
The railway follows the river into the Urubamba Gorge.
At Coriwaynachina, known simply to the generations of
hikers who have begun the Inca Trail there as Km 88, a
fine staircase carved into the rock leads to a series of
ruined buildings where once, it is said, Inca artisans
took advantage of the constant wind that rises from the
valley floor to smelt gold.
Emerging from a short tunnel, a series of beautiful
agricultural terraces marks the ruins of Qente, which in
Quechua means hummingbird. In this fertile microclimate
fed by a nearby waterfall, giant hummingbirds are indeed
a common sight in the early morning and bright flowers
bloom all year round.
Surrounded by tall ceibos and rocky outcrops hung with
orchids and bromeliads, the train passes Km 104 at
Chachabamba, from where the one-day trek to Machu Picchu
via the magnificent ruins of Wiñay Wayna begins.
At just two km from the Inca Remains, the train arrives
at Machu Picchu Town. Surrounded by the high, green
mountains that cradle the famous lost city, as well as
myriad other Inca remains, this small town, which is
well known for its thermal baths, has blossomed into a
popular overnight destination for travellers to Machu
Picchu.
Guests disembark at Machu Picchu Town to start a unique
experience at Machu Picchu Inca Citadel.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
DEPARTURE
Daily departures all year round from San Pedro Station
(Cuzco).
ITINERARIES, FARES
AND RESERVES ONLINE
Source: PeruRail - Orient Express Peru 2008
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