I visited in 2016 but wanted to add this Report to the official record.¹
We took the Hiram Bingham Train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The four-hour trip is possibly one of the finest rail journeys in the world, think: white glove dinner service, a live band, and free (and freely) flowing pisco sours.
Actually, though we disembarked at Aguas Calientes, which is a town created specifically to enable tourists to take a train from Cusco and disembark adjacent to Machu Picchu . . . and therefore may not have been the most authentic part of our Peruvian adventure.
We then were whisked via coach bus that via numerous switchbacks took us to the Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu, the only hotel adjoining Machu Picchu.
If you don't hike in via the Inca Trail, then the train is the only way to get to/from Machu Picchu. So it's either the Hiram Bingham or other, shall we say, "more economical" train options.
If you don't stay at the Sanctuary Lodge then you will have to stay down in Aguas Calientes.
Staying at the Sanctuary Lodge has its benefits though: in the morning you will be the first to enter Machu Picchu, well ahead of the riff-raff staying down in Aguas Calientes.
- My stay at the Sanctuary Lodge was very memorable, though this may have also been due to the fact that it was the place where I learned that Donald Trump had been elected president.²
The above photo of Machu Picchu was taken from Huayna Picchu, which is the mountain directly behind Machu Pichu in most photographs. To scale it and effect a similarly cool photograph, a timed ticket is required.
Both the Sanctuary Lodge and the Hiram Bingham are quite expensive. So costly in fact that my wife refused to tell me how much. However, if there is one place in this world to splurge a little, this may be the one.³
No matter how you get there, the jumping-off point to the "Lost City of the Incas," will be the city of Cusco. We stayed in the Antigua Casona San Blas, which was centrally located and quite simply, delightful.
If after your journey on the Hiram Bingham and stay at the Sanctuary Lodge you feel the need for "more Belmond!" then you may want to stay at the Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco. I dined there once and can attest to its sumptuousness, lavishness, and devoutness.⁴
To make your trip to Cusco complete and memorable you will need to:
a. Eat guinea pig: They’re not pigs, they don’t come from Guinea and Peruvians don’t keep them as pets. They are a delicious delicacy best served with potatoes and salsa.
b. Drink a pisco sour: Peruvian pisco, freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Shake with ice, and decant into glass.
There is a whole lemon vs. lime thing, as well as a Peru vs. Chile imbroglio.
So that you can get in the mood during travel planning, I have created this Fact Sheet that includes the perfect formulation. Salud!
c. Take a free walking tour. I think we took this one, but I'm not entirely sure. If you find that this specific tour is too expensive for your taste, I have created a detailed DIY free walking tour.
d. Inspect the twelve-angled stone for fit and function. It was part of a stone wall of an Inca palace and is considered to be a national heritage object. The stone is currently part of a wall in the palace of the Archbishop of Cuzco.
It is an example of the Incas' advanced stonework and may make a mason wonder if mankind has advanced as a society.
While I enjoyed visiting Machu Picchu, I found Cusco to be much more interesting, as it is a real city, filled with real people who just happen to live in the former capital of the Inca Empire (13th century – 1532) and El Ombligo del Mundo.
Before visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu, we visited the town of Calca located in the Sacred Valley. Why should you visit?
While there are a few Incan archaeological sites, for me the best part was that there were almost no tourists. There was a group of locals performing a folk dance in the Plaza de Armas and we were the only tourists. It had an otherworldly feel to it because we towered over everybody by at least a foot.
The food is cooked by locals for locals. Real Peruvian food . . . and ridiculously inexpensive.
Before departing on your Andean experience, you need to watch the movie Secret of the Incas starring Charlton Heston. Filmed on location in Cusco and Machu Picchu in 1954, it was the inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark, provides extensive footage of Machu Picchu, and features a five-octave vocalist. If you take anything from this Report it should be to click this link and watch this movie.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to enjoy.
¹ And wanted to be sure to show you this photo which, as I type this endnote, hangs over my desk.
² The first time.
³ Another place to splurge may be to stay at the Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel when you spend 48.75 Hours in Iguazú Falls.
⁴ The Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco has its own chapel.
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