Belmond Andean Explorer lounge car
South America’s first luxury sleeper train, the Belmond Andean Explorer, will dazzle the travel world beginning next May, the company says.
Running along one of the world’s highest rail routes, traversing the Peruvian Andes from Cusco to Lake Titicaca and Arequipa, the new luxury train will explore natural wonders and ancient kingdoms on one- and two-night journeys.
Want your name in the hat for a chance to experience the Belmond Andean Explorer next year?
Email The Society of International Railway Travelers®, and we’ll put you on our “first notification” list, at no obligation to you. Or call us at (800) 478-4881, (502) 897-1725.
Give us the names (as they appear on their passports) of those traveling, your postal address and a phone number where you best can be reached.
You’ll be among the first to get details as they emerge.
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“This truly is some of the most breathtaking and inspiring scenery in the world — traveling across the Peruvian Altiplano with the Andes in the background. It is astonishing,” says IRT’s President, Eleanor Flagler Hardy.
“Our guests already enjoy PeruRail’s Andean Explorer day train. It is one of our World’s Top 25 Trains® – and has been for years. The 10-hour trip between Cusco and Puno was such a blast.
“Enjoying the journey all the way from Arequipa to Puno and on to Cusco is an amazing proposed routing.
“And combining with the Belmond Hiram Bingham to see Machu Picchu will be a fascinating itinerary. Bravo to Belmond for planning this!”
Artist rendering of bedroom in Belmond Andean Explorer.
The reverse itinerary, from Arequipa to Cusco, also will be possible, Belmond says.
Up to 68 guests will reside in en-suite cabins, according to an article in the Telegraph, with two double cabins; 20 twin cabins; and 12 bunk-bed cabins.
Cabins
Cabins will be available in suite/double, twin and bunk bed configurations. Each will have its own en-suite toilet and shower.
Lounge Car
Belmond says the lounge car will include a baby grand piano, comfortable seating and picture windows through which guests can gaze at the majestic vistas drifting past. The lounge also will include a full bar.
Two Dining Cars
The fare in the restaurant cars will be fresh, colorful and seasonal, Belmond says. Dishes will incorporate locally sourced ingredients from the Peruvian Andes. The menus will be designed by chefs from the Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco.
Observation Car
The rear car, meanwhile, will be the place to unwind, meet new friends and enjoy the views while sipping Pisco Sours from the bar. The car will include an open-air deck — one of the IRT Society’s favorite extras — where travelers can breathe in the bracing Andean air.
An IRT member enjoys the open-air platform at the back of the current Andean Explorer train. IRT photo by Eleanor Hardy
Itineraries
Peruvian Highlands: Cusco-Lake Titicaca-Arequipa City (2 nights, 3 days)
The longest trip departs from Cusco, capital of the ancient Inca Empire, across the Altiplano towards Puno and the reflective beauty of Lake Titicaca. Guests will visit Sumbay Caves, where the Peruvian highlands’ first humans created their rock art, before reaching the volcanic ‘White City’ of Arequipa.
Andean Plains and Islands of Discovery: Arequipa City-Lake Titicaca-Cusco (2 nights, 2 days)
This trip departs as the sun sets on the baroque architecture of Arequipa. The train travels overnight towards Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. It continues through deep valleys and over high mountains, where South American camelids graze on the wide-open plains and through the ‘big sky’ country of the Peruvian Altiplano.
Spirit of the Water: Cusco-Puno (1 night, 1 day)
Belmond describes this journey as “an overnight escape aboard the stylish carriages of Belmond Andean Explorer,” departing from Cusco, crossing the giant peaks and wide-open spaces of the highest plains of the Andes and ending at Lake Titicaca, birthplace of the Incas.
View from the current Andean Explorer train, en route to Puno from Cusco. IRT photo by Eleanor Hardy
Spirit of the Andes: Puno-Cusco (1 night, 1 day)
Guests on this trip travel along one of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world, Belmond says, across the highest plains of the Andes from Puno to Cusco.
The Telegraph said “trips will cost from $462 (£320) per person for the one-night Spirit of the Andes journey, inclusive of all meals, an open bar and scheduled excursions,” although IRT could not immediately confirm this with Belmond.
The train’s cars began their “luxury life” in Australia. Operating over Queensland Rail tracks, the Great South Pacific Express began running in 1996 before ceasing operations in 2003, according to a story dated Feb. 25 of this year in the Queensland Times. The equipment was shipped to Peru in May for refurbishment.
Tags: all-inclusive train tours, deluxe trains, International Railway Traveler, luxury rail, luxury rail tours, luxury trains, Peru Luxury Rail, Society of International Railway Travelers, Society of IRT, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, World's Top 25 Trains
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