I found a worthy alternative to Peru’s luxe sleeper train – it’s a bargain
I watch intently as the waiter steadily balances a wine glass on a silver tray and pours a glass of red from the bottle he’s holding in the other with expert precision. No mean feat, given we’re on a moving train that every so often sways and jolts with the rhythm of the tracks .
“I’ve been practising for this for two years,” he tells me, proudly. I’ve observed him nimbly making his way through the carriage, deftly moving his body to counteract slight movements and avoid any spillages, pouring glass after glass without spilling so much as a drop.
We’re on PeruRail’s Titicaca train, recognisable for its royal blue and canary yellow livery, heading south from historic Cusco to Puno, gateway to Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake that straddles the Peru-Bolivia border.
However, this train hadn’t been my first choice. When I began planning my trip to Peru, I became enamoured with the idea of taking one of the world’s most fabulous train journeys – the Belmond Andean Explorer, which was South America’s first luxury train when it made its debut here in 2017. But when I saw the number of zeros on the ticket, I knew I’d need to rethink.
I was in luck, as an alternative was right in front of me – I didn’t even need to open a new browser tab. As well as selling the Andean Explorer, PeruRail sells its own services. As quickly as the luxury train idea had slipped away, a plan B had formed. I could do almost the exact journey, minus the overnight stay onboard, for one fifteenth of the cost.
PeruRail’s Titicaca train still isn’t cheap. It cost me about £220, including a three-course lunch with wine, afternoon tea and a pisco sour enjoyed while watching the onboard entertainment of traditional Peruvian dancing and a band. Plus, my ticket could be used to claim discounts at hotels and restaurants.
The cheapest Andean Explorer fare on the same route is £3,340 for a solo traveller in a bunkbed cabin (£4,400 for two sharing).
My journey certainly doesn’t feel like budget travel. Right from the 7am start at Cusco’s Wanchaq station, there’s a sense of occasion: luggage is whisked away and I’m ushered into a lounge with armchairs and a tea and coffee station. I’m then shown to my seat – something that feels a world away from my usual GWR experience at home.
Carriages are dressed with white tablecloths, fresh flowers, table lamps and cushioned armchair-like seats that are comfortable for the entirety of the 10-hour journey.
Slowly, the train pulls out of Cusco and chugs along at no more than 20mph – a reminder I’m here for the journey and the views along the way. Soon, we climb up to the vast Altiplano plateau, where ochre plains stretch out, dotted with herds of llama and alpaca grazing wind-rippled grasses, and sheep herders with their flocks against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. The glass-roofed, open rear carriage swiftly becomes the place to be.
Lunch exceeds my expectations. Pumpkin cream soup with spinach ravioli is followed by slow-cooked Andean short rib. Next is a chocolate pudding with lucuma, a sweet orange-coloured Peruvian fruit, and later, afternoon tea is served.
When we reach La Raya, the highest point, at 4,335m, surrounded by snowy peaks, the train stops and we get out. There’s a tiny church and nearby are stalls where women usually sell woolly jumpers, hats, scarves and other souvenirs, but as it’s just started snowing their wares remain under wraps.
Back on the train, we travel through markets that tightly hug the tracks in Juliaca. From the observation deck, I see some stalls have even sprawled out between the rails and the traders barely blink as the train glides right over them without causing any damage.
Darkness begins to settle in as we roll into Puno. 10 hours have slipped by almost unnoticed. Belmond’s train may have the glamour, but the real luxury isn’t marked in thread counts or butler service; it’s in the views of sweeping plains, grazing alpacas and snowy peaks rolling by outside the window. And those, thankfully, don’t have to cost the earth.
PeruRail Titicaca from Cusco to Puno costs from $290pp (£215pp), perurail.com
