We purchased our Peru Rail train tickets almost 7-months ago, so this trip has been on our radar for a long time. Apparently, there was only one other couple from Sydney, Australia who purchased their tickets right before we did, because they had the best seats on board with a window in front of them next to the conductor. Our seats were right behind theirs.
Since 2009, trains to Machu Picchu no longer depart from the Cuzco train station, so we had to take a taxi to the town of Poroy from Cuzco (about 20-30 minute ride) to get to the Peru Rail train station.
The scenery through the Urubamba Valley was stunning! We had many windows to view the scenery from. The entire valley is the Urubamba Valley, where part of it is more famously called the Sacred Valley. The main river is the Vilcanota River, but again, many may know it as the Urubamba River.
We actually got served a nice little meal! Roasted potatoes and Andean cheese skewers with quinoa tabbouleh salad and small crackers.
We loved the windows on the ceiling to view the height of the mountains.
We stopped at the picturesque town of Ollantaytambo to pick up more passengers. This place is also a backpacker haven for exploring the Sacred Valley more closely. Next time, we would love to spend a while in this town.
After Ollantaytambo, the scene started to change from high desert, tan mountains to snow-capped peaks, greenery, and more white water on the Vilcanota River.
At kilometer marker 82 (measured from Cuzco) is the trailhead to the Inca Trail. We saw plenty of Trekkers getting ready to start their 4-day hike to Machu Picchu. What an amazing experience that would be!
We were enjoying the scenery so much that 3.5 hours flew by! We were in Machu Picchu Pueblo (formerly called Aguas Calientes) in no time.
Our return train was a little different. We had table service with drinks and a light meal. Our snack consisted of various Andean cheeses, bread, quinoa caramel custard, and tomato confit.
The staff of PeruRail demonstrated a traditional Incan dance on board. This reprents costume worn by Sa'qra dancers at the huge annual Fiesta Virgen del Carmen on July 15th, for the patron saint of the mestizo population. The staff also put on a fashion show of clothing made from alpaca hair! Highly entertaining.
