Luxury Vacations in Machu Picchu & the Andes

No number of visitors can detract from the mystery and magic of the Incas’ great 15th-century citadel in the mountains – particularly when the terraced plateau and the peaks at either end are wreathed in cloud from the surrounding rainforest.

Getting to Machu Picchu involves the four-day 43km Inca Trail hike at around 4,215m above sea level, a one-day hike from the KM 104 station, or the somewhat easier option: in five-star luxury aboard Belmond’s Hiram Bingham train from Cusco. Either way is worth it to marvel at the Sun Gate, which aligns with the sunrise at the summer solstice, and the Incan engineering: without mortar to withstand earthquakes; with crushed rock underground to optimize drainage. Before visiting, take time to acclimatize in the former imperial capital of Cusco, which was built by the Incans in the shape of a puma and has a UNESCO-protected historical quarter of steep cobbled streets and lively cevicherias, as well as the beautiful Sacred Valley carved out by the Urubamba River.