Belmond Andean Explorer, Peru

Overview

Winding through the high Andes from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, the Belmond Andean Explorer is South America’s first luxury sleeper train. By day, panoramic carriages slide past glacial peaks, Andean plains and salt flats, with staff pointing out condor sightings as you sip cocoa tea in the observation lounge. At night, plush cabins adorned with handwoven alpaca textiles, carved wood and soft lighting glide past remote stations surrounded by Andean silence.

Dining becomes a narrative of region and altitude – quinoa-stuffed peppers on a backdrop of mountainous valleys, Andean cheese soufflés, and highland trout paired with local red wines. At key stops, small groups disembark for excursions: Sunrise on Lake Titicaca’s reed islands; hidden monasteries near Arequipa; or rafting beneath the morning mist that rolls off the volcanoed horizon.

As evening settles, the train is illuminated by soft amber lights and simmering fireplaces in the lounge. Music might drift down the corridors – Andean flutes or amber strings—while guests drift to sleep under a wall of remote landscape. Traveling on the Andean Explorer is a pilgrimage through altitude, history, and raw geography – each kilometre a chapter in Peru’s unfolding narrative.