Belmond Hiram Bingham plus Belmond Sanctuary Lodge
Cusco → Machu Picchu → Cusco
The Belmond Hiram Bingham plus Belmond Sanctuary Lodge is the ultimate two-day immersion in the wonder of Machu Picchu — arriving in the style of a golden-age explorer aboard one of the world's most celebrated luxury trains, then spending the night at the only hotel perched at the very entrance to the ancient Inca citadel. Named after the American historian who brought Machu Picchu to world attention in 1911, the train itself is a rolling five-star experience: polished wood, gleaming brass, crystal glassware, and Novo Andean cuisine served as the Sacred Valley unfolds outside panoramic windows.
Departing Poroy station (a short drive from Cusco) at 09:05, the train winds through the fertile Andean highlands, descends through the cloud forest of the Sacred Valley, and skirts the rushing Urubamba River before arriving in Aguas Calientes at 12:25. From there a private bus whisks guests to Machu Picchu, where a small-group expert guide leads an unhurried two-and-a-half-hour tour of the 15th-century Inca masterpiece. Overnight at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge — 31 rooms, just steps from the citadel gates — delivers the rarest gift Machu Picchu offers: sunrise over the ancient stones before the day-trippers arrive.
The return on Day 2 is just as memorable: a morning of solo citadel exploration followed by a four-course dinner with fine wines and live Peruvian music on the evening train back to Cusco. This itinerary is tailor-made for travellers who want to experience Machu Picchu unhurried and uncompromised. For reservations and current pricing contact Palace Trains at 1-800-724-5120 or travel@palacetours.com.
- ✦Three-course brunch served on the legendary Hiram Bingham as it winds through the Sacred Valley
- ✦Private expert-guided tour of Machu Picchu's temples and Intihuatana Stone in groups of eight or fewer
- ✦Overnight at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge — the only hotel at Machu Picchu's entrance
- ✦Sunrise over the ancient Inca citadel before the day-trip crowds arrive
- ✦Four-course Novo Andean dinner with fine wines and live Peruvian music on the return journey
- ✦Open-air observatory car with panoramic views of cloud forest and the Urubamba River gorge
- ✦Optional early morning hike to the Sun Gate or Huayna Picchu for a bird's-eye view of the ruins
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Cusco to Machu Picchu (Poroy → Aguas Calientes → Sanctuary Lodge)
The journey begins at Poroy station, approximately 20 minutes west of Cusco's Plaza de Armas. Guests are welcomed with a traditional Peruvian cocktail — often a Pisco Sour — and a colourful folk-dance performance on the platform before boarding the beautifully appointed vintage-style carriages of the Hiram Bingham. The train departs at 09:05.
On board, the maître d' invites guests into one of the two dining cars — dressed with fine linens, crystal glasses, and polished silver — for a three-course brunch served as the train climbs away from Cusco and begins its descent through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Andean corn terraces and patchwork potato fields give way to cloud forest as the track follows switchbacks down from the altiplano. At Ollantaytambo additional guests board and the train turns south-east, running alongside the Urubamba River through ever-deepening gorges carpeted in tropical vegetation. A live band — blending Andean pan pipes, guitar, and percussion — plays throughout the outbound journey. A bar-observatory car with an open balcony invites guests to step outside for unobstructed views of snow-capped peaks and the narrowing river canyon below.
The train arrives at Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu station) at approximately 12:25. An exclusive Hiram Bingham bus transfers guests up the winding mountain road to the citadel entrance. Check-in at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge is at 13:00 — the property is a 15-second walk from Machu Picchu's entry gate, saving guests the repeated bus rides from the town below.
The afternoon is devoted to a guided tour of the Machu Picchu citadel with a private expert guide (groups of eight or fewer). Highlights include the Intihuatana Stone — the ritual astronomical granite pillar thought to have served as a solar calendar — the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows with its panoramic frames of Huayna Picchu and Putucusi mountains, and the agricultural terraces that cascade down the ridge. The citadel remains open until 17:30. After the guided portion guests are free to linger, photograph the empty terraces as afternoon light softens, or return to the lodge for afternoon tea in the garden. Dinner at the Sanctuary Lodge's restaurant — using fresh local produce with Andean influences — rounds out the evening.
Day 2 — Machu Picchu to Cusco (Early Citadel → Hiram Bingham Evening Return)
The Sanctuary Lodge serves breakfast from 05:30, allowing guests to fortify before the citadel opens at 06:00. Walking the three minutes to the gate in the early morning — before tour buses begin ascending from Aguas Calientes — is the defining privilege of an overnight stay: the terraces, temples, and guardhouses are virtually empty, filled only with mist drifting up from the valley and the calls of Andean birds. This is the moment to explore the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) on the Inca Trail above the citadel, or to observe the ruins from the Guardian's House viewpoint for the classic panoramic photograph.
Guests may re-enter the citadel for a second visit (subject to ticket availability and current entry regulations — a second ticket is required and should be arranged in advance). Optional add-ons include a guided hike to Huayna Picchu, the dramatic peak that towers over the ruins, offering a bird's-eye perspective of the entire site. Tickets for Huayna Picchu are strictly limited and must be booked well ahead through the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.
Buses depart the lodge for Aguas Calientes station at 17:00. The Hiram Bingham departs at 17:50 for the return to Cusco, and this is when many guests consider the train experience at its finest: a four-course Novo Andean dinner — with sommelier-selected wines, Pisco cocktails, and a dessert course — is served as the cloud forest slips past the windows in the fading evening light. Live musicians move between the carriages. The train arrives back at Poroy at approximately 21:15, where complimentary transfers return guests to their Cusco hotels.
Destinations & Highlights
Cusco — Imperial Capital of the Inca Empire
Cusco sits at 3,400 metres in the Peruvian Andes and served as the political, military, and spiritual heart of the Inca Empire from the 13th century until the Spanish conquest of 1533. The city's historic centre — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — layers colonial baroque churches and convents directly atop Inca stonework, creating one of the most visually striking urban landscapes in the Americas. The Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral of Cusco, and the district of San Blas are must-visits before or after the train journey. Guests typically arrive a day or two early to acclimatise to the altitude before departing on the Hiram Bingham.
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
The Sacred Valley stretches north-west of Cusco along the Urubamba River, and the train traverses much of its length on the way to Machu Picchu. This was the agricultural heartland of the Inca Empire — the altitude and microclimate ideal for growing the maize that fuelled the civilisation. From the train windows guests see the great Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo, whose massive stone terraces and Sun Temple demonstrate military and religious architecture at its most imposing. The town below is one of the best-preserved examples of Inca urban planning still inhabited today.
Machu Picchu — The Lost City of the Incas
Built around 1450 as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti, Machu Picchu was abandoned within a century, most likely during the Spanish conquest, and remained unknown to the outside world until Hiram Bingham's 1911 expedition — the explorer after whom this very train is named. The citadel sits at 2,430 metres on a saddle between two peaks, overlooking the Urubamba River gorge, and comprises around 200 stone structures connected by more than 100 stairways. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World since 2007, it is the most-visited archaeological site in South America. Key structures include the Intihuatana Stone (a ritual solar observatory), the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Royal Tomb, and the agricultural terraces that cling to the precipitous mountainside. The surrounding Historic Sanctuary encompasses cloud forest rich in orchids, hummingbirds, and Andean spectacled bears.
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo)
The gateway town at the foot of the mountain, Aguas Calientes takes its name from the natural thermal springs that bubble up nearby. The town's restaurants, craft markets, and thermal baths make a pleasant interlude, though guests staying at the Sanctuary Lodge are spared the daily bus commute from here. The train station — officially Machu Picchu station — is the terminus of the PeruRail luxury services and the point from which buses ascend the hairpin road to the citadel.