HOME TOUR

Our adventure in Peru continues with my favorite experience of the trip–the Belmond Andean Explorer to Lake Titicaca. Peru was filled with unique experiences and this is one of them. Make sure to read Part 1 of this trip here. From the moment I read about this luxury train in a Condé Nast Traveler article years ago, I added it to the bucket list. And then you have little boys who LOVE trains and we knew it would be an experience we all would enjoy. The train only runs certain days so we planned the trip around this experience.

BELMOND MONASTERIO

Our first leg of the trip covered Machu Picchu which you can read about here. We left off with a train ride and car transport back to Cuzco where we spent the night at Belmond Monasterio hotel. This was a stunning hotel in an old monastery. Arched windows and columned walks, porticos with gardens and Spanish colonial details at every turn. The staff was attentive and kind and we had a delicious breakfast before having a quick hour to explore the main square. The hotel itself is right behind the Cuzco Cathedral. This hotel was another “I wish we had two nights here” kind of place and time to simply linger.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CUZCO

I loved the detail work above the windows and on the balconies in Cuzco. Vivid cobalt blue everywhere. I wished for a day just to drift through this city, coffee in hand but our train was departing at 10:15 am and our wandering time was quite short. We walked around the main Plaza and explored some back allies just off the main square. Gorgeous old doors, pretty paint colors, and adorable coffee shops dotted the Plaza.

I could have walked around all day admiring the architecture of this charming Peruvian city. And I may have a thing for blue doors. But the train wouldn’t wait and we were all SO excited for it.

BELMOND ANDEAN EXPLORER

Our driver picked us up and transported us to the train station. The Belmond Andean Explorer has its own station and the guests were greeted with friendly staff and welcome drinks. They had live music and dancing. The kids joined right in and we quickly realized our little ones were the littlest guests.

When we first started the booking process, Matt and I had a queen bed cabin reserved and a twin cabin for the kids. But when it came time to actually book, that cabin had been taken and we got bumped down to a twin cabin. Which frankly worked out well because we were right next to the kids and our train car was right next to the caboose and bar car–outside time for the kids and drinks for mom and dad. In retrospect, I couldn’t imagine being in a different car so it worked out the way it needed to, like most things in life. The kids spent a great bit of time watching the Andean countryside go by and running back and forth to their room. Cade’s favorite was when the train would make a long curve and you could see the engines all the way from the caboose.

PEEKS AT THE TRAIN

The train itself is a stunning masterpiece of vintage charm. From an era gone by that just resonates with my heart. I’ve always felt like an old soul lost in a modern, misguided world. So this fit me!  It is beyond aesthetically pleasing!

Every detail is thoughtful and intentional curated and even in the smallest cabin, we felt like it had every amenity we needed. The bathroom was tiny but luxurious and wonderful. The cabin itself a joy to spend time in with the ornate moldings painted in a beautiful mushroom color. Soft linens and Peruvian textiles were the cherry on top.

We did not realize it until the manager of the train gave his welcome speech and through teary eyes explained how excited the staff were to have us on this maiden voyage. He said there was an energy to the rails and boy could you feel it. They have been shut down for two years due to Covid and this was the very first trip! What an honor to be a part of that. In a country where tourism is vital for the livelihood of so many, we were thrilled to ride these rails.

The train was completely full, over 20 train cars with two engines to pull it. There is a dinner car and piano bar, the amazing bar car and caboose with outdoor seating even a spa car I so wanted to visit. A lovely work of art.

CHANGING SCENERY

We spent most of our time outside on the last car watching the countryside change from rolling tree-dotted hills to steeper mountains to the highest point of the journey, La Raya Pass at over 14,000 ft.

Here you can feel the pressure in your head change. The countryside is rugged–beautiful tundra grass criss-crossed with brooks, snow-clad peaks gracing the background. The Andes as you imagine the Andes. There are no trees and few towns. Only the occasional Alpaca farm dots the terrain. The train stops at a small, colorful church and the local craftsman gather to bring you their art. I found that the woven materials all started to look the same and couldn’t tell between real Alpaca and artificial so I gave up. Luckily I ended up with a gorgeous handmade platter from our hotel in Cuzco as my souvenir of the trip.

You can buy scarves, beautiful blankets, dolls or if you are my boys, scary dog hats. I mean of all things! I tried hard to let this one go but come on kids, perhaps I can interest you in a lovely blanket for the end of your bed?!

The little train lovers begged one of the engineers to see the engine during our stop, so he walked us along the side of the train all the way to the front and even took pictures of the happiest kids on the planet! What a delight to give our kids these memories and moments. It is not cheap and is not easy but it is so worth it.

As the sun sets, the colors of the scenery change. It is awe-inspiring and even the littles seemed to understand just how magical this was.

As you get closer to Lake Titicaca the train slows and you have dinner. Delicious, beautiful food. The chef customized the menu for the kids and made Aubrey plain pasta because she’s three and about as adventurous as a tree stump. The train eventually stopped for the night which I hadn’t expected. So you don’t actually fall asleep to the rocking of the rails but a quiet train with occasional hisses and grumbles. While at dinner the staff turn your rooms into sleeping havens.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast and disembarked to meet a new guide. The train goes on later in the day from Lake Titicaca to Arequipa. In order to get Matt back in time for a super busy work week, we couldn’t continue with the train but needed to get off, explore Lake Titicaca with our own guide, spend a night at the lake and then drive to a closer airport with a better connection time to Lima the following day. This is my biggest regret of the trip because the train was just that magical. Take the extra day off of work and don’t get off early!

LAKE TITICACA

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,500 ft. It’s beautiful and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a center for the Incan civilization. It straddles both Peru and Bolivia which you could see far in the distance.

The Uros people have created floating islands out of weaving reeds that naturally grow in the lake. You can visit this amazing site and get to know the people that call these floating islands home. When a young couple marries they may choose to create their own island or if the family gets too big, they split and create additional islands. There are many of these small floating islands in what is really a small floating town. This was a special experience for my kids because even with a completely different cultural background and language barrier, they sat right down and started playing with the kids. Which was the whole point of this trip. We even got to try on traditional attire and ride on an ornately woven cat boat made from reeds.

From the Uros floating islands, we took a boat for about 45 minutes to the island of Taquile which is known for its handicraft art. Named “masterpieces of the oral and intangible history of humanity” by UNESCO for the intricate textiles the men on this island produce. I found this fascinating! They have particular patterns they use to symbolize their status–single, married, widow, of age. And it is woven from hand. You’d never know either because they are so finely woven. Here we had a lunch of trout, local fried bread and quinoa soup.

We took a quick hike to the other side of the island where our boat picked us up. I forgot all about our motion sickness-prone little boy (mom fail) and Cade got seasick on our way back to the hotel. He didn’t eat dinner and went to bed early. It’s a big lake and choppy at times from wind. Plan ahead if you are prone to motion sickness.

We stayed the night at GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca which was everyone’s least favorite hotel of the trip. Dated rooms, blah food and we realized as we went to bathe the kids for bedtime there was no hot water. An hour later after a service repair man replaced piping, we had warm-ish water. This is a big miss for me. It is advertised as a 5 star hotel and it is not. But the view was pretty. This is a “we would have been fine if we had been warned” kind of place but when you book a 5 star hotel you expect hot water.

DAY 7

Our final day in Peru started off with a quick breakfast, drive through Puno and then onward towards Juliaca with a stop at Sillustani–a pre-Incan cemetery where the graves are built in above ground, tower-like structures called chullpas. The half standing one in the picture below was fine for hundreds of years but got struck by lightening in the 1970s. Isn’t this an interesting way to bury your loved ones? It had a lovely view.

I hope you’ve enjoyed part 2 of our trip to Peru. If you haven’t had a chance to read part 1, head there now. All the inspiration you need to add Peru to your travel list. Overall a difficult trip with kids given how much moving around we did but if you take it slower and spend more time it’d be all the more wonderful!