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Railway above the clouds

On the road in the Andes with the new Belmond luxury train

It is an area like from another time: mysterious, fabulous even. And majestic! It is the former Inca Empire through which these tracks pass – between the peaks of the Andes, from Cusco at 3,400 metres up to Lake Titicaca at 3,800 metres.

The train, which has been navigating this land of adventure since May 4 is called the ‘Belmond Andean Explorer’ and it is something like the South American equivalent of the legendary ‘Eastern & Oriental Express’ in Asia, or the ‘Venice Simplon Orient-Express’ in Europe: with all the luxury one could wish for. Elegant cabins, gourmet cuisine – and panorama windows! My favourite spot: the Observation Car with the open viewing platform. There are two current arrangements, one is three days with two overnight stays on the train and the other is two days with one night on board. Will they become lasting memories? Definitely.

Photo: © Belmond