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This is a preview of the full content of our Peru’s Best app.

Please consider downloading this app to support small independent publishing and because:

  • All content is designed for mobile devices and works best there.
  • Detailed in-app maps will help you find sites using your device’s GPS.
  • The app works offline (one time upgrade required on Android versions).
  • All advertising (only present on Android versions) can be removed.

The app will also allow you to:

  • Add custom locations to the app map (your hotel…).
  • Create your own list of favourites as you browse.
  • Search the entire contents using a fast and simple text-search tool.
  • Make one-click phone calls (on phones).
iOS App Store Google Play

The Machu Picchu Train

Cusco/Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes

Peru Rail Train

If you are not walking to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail or other similar trek, you will take the train from Ollantaytambo or Cusco to Aguas Calientes. The train ride from Ollantaytambo takes about two hours. It is a scenic route along the Vilcanota River (on a lower section the same river is called the Urubamba River). Along the way there are a couple points where you can look high up on the canyon walls and see Inca ruins.

PeruRail & IncaRail

There appears to be two companies that sell train tickets: PeruRail and IncaRail. However, they are subsidiaries of the same company, created for the illusion of competition. One company controls ticket prices, which is why they are ridiculously high and sold in USD. The trains are owned by a foreign company, though they used to be a government-run public transportation service.

The Expedition & the Vistadome

The trains also have different “levels” of service. I have ridden both the PeruRail Expedition and Vistadome trains and found that the slight differences were not enough to justify the higher cost of the Vistadome. However, if the Expedition is sold out for the time and day that you want, you’ll have to take the Vistadome.

Practicalities

Read the full content in the app
iOS App Store Google Play

Machu Picchu Practicalities

Machu Picchu In-A-Day

From Cusco

Text © Heather Jasper

Image by Heather Jasper