FIRST CLASS TRAIN Across Peru on the “Andean Explorer”

welcome on board south america's most luxurious overnight train come along with us for three days and two nights across peru enjoying breathtaking views and five-star service along the way this is one of the highest trains in the world we'll climb to more than 14 000 feet in the andes mountains it's also one of the most luxurious in the world offering plush accommodations craft cocktails and over-the-top meals you won't believe this is a train join us for our most incredible rail journey yet hello jet setters and rail fans i'm jeff brooks from greenergrass.com right now i'm on board the andean explorer join my wife suzanne and me as we discover the islands of peru and the absolute lap of luxury we flew into the old incan capital of cusco the day before our train's departure tomorrow we'll leave this bustling city behind and head south toward lake titicaca nestled high in the andes from there we'll move west toward peru's second most populous city and our terminus arequipa this train is different than most in that it stops overnight to ensure we don't miss any scenery while also enjoying uninterrupted sleep [Music] unlike trains to machu picchu which leave from a different station the andean explorer leaves from wanchak station about five minutes by car from the heart of cusco from here the tracks lead all the way to arequipa [Music] the train was absolutely beautiful and with our first glimpse of the observation car at the back we knew where we planned to spend most of our three days on board the festive atmosphere matched the enthusiasm of the 60 guests on the train and it turned out purely by chance we'd booked the first official trip for this train in more than two years as soon as we sat down we were offered a fermented fruit drink as a means to celebrate the beginning of our journey well uh cheers here's to a great rail journey there must be something like 15 or 20 cars in this train this thing's huge and we just learned it's full so this will be a pretty uh pretty exciting adventure that sense of adventure built even more as dancers joined the musicians and we all know what came next suzanne of course join the fun [Music] this is always an exciting moment when you're getting on a train and this guarantees to be one of our most epic journeys yet boarding was a fairly straightforward process half of the passengers were invited to a lounge located toward the front of the train and the second half the lucky half including us got to go to the observation car now of course we headed straight outside to the very back where we found these two seats then it was at this point i wasn't sure we'd ever move from this spot right here officially on board we're on board outside we're about to leave the station outside how crazy is that with another toast after 24 months our train pulled out of wanchak station only about six minutes late but who cares this is an adventure our two engines slowly ease the 20 cars of this train out of cusco and almost immediately the incredible scenery we'd experience over the next three days appeared and there can be no doubt peru offers some of the world's most beautiful countryside and if you'd like to see even more transportation experiences featuring scenes like these from around the world please consider subscribing to the channel and don't forget to hit that bell icon too we eventually remembered we hadn't even seen our room yet this 1300 foot long train includes 35 cabins divided into three types of accommodation there are bunk rooms twin rooms which is what we booked and these absolutely over-the-top suites all the rooms in this train have ensuite bathrooms including showers and each car is named for a local animal plant or other important element our car is called totora which are the reeds we'll see all over lake titicaca tomorrow morning let's take a look at our twin room in its daytime configuration welcome it's time for a room tour spoiler alert it's incredible well there's one thing i can say for sure this is a lot different than an amtrak room as nice as those are this is spectacular so the sofa and the seat will both fold down at night into twin beds there are plenty of extra towels and pillows they're even extra sheets and blankets they're plugs everywhere and in this closet you'll find robes a lock box and even slippers [Music] not to mention the bathroom let's take a look in here it's small but mighty with more amenities than you'd expect on a train and the shower was larger than i would have thought it would be easy to make ourselves comfortable here for three days no details too small you bring your water bottle as a cover welcome gift very plush it's a small duffle bag the room also had this box which contained hand sanitizer but the best part the best part were these views they just never stopped [Music] this is a truly luxurious experience you've got pretty much everything you could want am i missing amtrak right now [Music] as we continued along the rio huatane on our climb up into the andes we decided to head back to the observation car it's important to get your train legs under you and because of these narrow hallways it helps to learn words like permisso lo siento perdon [Music] we started our climb we're about thousand six hundred the highest we'll get on this train is about fourteen thousand and change uh and unfortunately there's oxygen on the train if if you need it there's a nurse here to administer it i think we'll be okay but uh we're definitely feeling feeling uh the altitude at this point it was time to check out the lounge space inside the observation car here you'll find a fully stocked bar with a bartender who's ready to whip up just about anything you can think of and everything you eat and drink on board is included with your ticket price there's also another well-appointed bathroom in here [Music] and in addition to this public space there's another lounge the piano bar which we'll check out just before dinner there are also two restaurant cars in the train suddenly though the train's manager appeared and asked us to follow him we were just we were just in the observation car and um the train manager came up to us and uh we just got an upgrade to the biggest room on this train i i think it's just because somebody didn't show i mean they don't know we're making this video or anything like that it was just pure luck this this is incredible incredible okay so we were in a twin room and now we're in the suite let me show you how it works on this map this was our room and now this this whole thing this is now our room it's time for room tour number two all of the same amenities in the last room just laid out a little bit differently so we've got a double bed which is incredible along with two chairs which we can move around to maximize the views there's a dresser and a table this room has an added benefit you can actually uh open a window to see the other side of the train look at this this is incredible despite our residual shock from our good luck it was time to head to one of the train's two restaurant cars now because our train was full passengers were divided into two groups to eat we were given the second seating which meant we did not eat until after two for each meal passengers are presented with menus in addition to an appetizer or two there'll be two choices for a main course in this case we both selected the sea bass i wasn't sure whether to watch the scenery or the food both were incredibly beautiful and the food really was five star all the way the chefs work both on the trains as well as in bellman's hotels around peru and the quality in no way suffered on account of the cramped quarters inside this kitchen also the service was spectacular it was efficient but not at all rushed it was quite simply what i've always imagined first class service should be [Music] we've just arrived in the small town of loriah so we're going to hop off the train because this at 14 200 feet is the highest will be on this entire trip so let's go check it out in addition to being a great place to stretch our legs and check out the local church loria also had a small market where suzanne bought some gloves they'd come in handy as we continued on this journey made a purchase of the market my new gloves altitude was one of my big concerns coming on this trip and here we are at the highest point of the train journey i'll say i'm feeling 100 but i'm not feeling too bad our doctors prescribe us the altitude medicines because that could be it but we're also trying to stay real hydrated well plus some wine and gymnastics like i'm not ready to run a marathon that's for sure but generally you know it's not that bad but our time in loriah was coming to a close so it was time to get back on the train and head out it was here as we left loriah behind and the moon rose while the sun set that the scenery truly became extraordinary this was just one of those moments where a camera hardly does it justice [Music] [Music] so it's time to head out for cocktails and then dinner the dress code on this train is smart casual whatever that means i put on a different shirt and jeff what did you do oh okay always smart casual this one over here feeling slightly judged for my choice of uniform we made our way to the piano bar where an onboard musician played yeah that's right this train has its own baby grand piano after cocktails and tapas we headed over to one of the two restaurant cars for dinner we'd been given the menu earlier in the afternoon to make our choices for the main course beef for both of us again everything's included and there's a choice of red or white wine with each meal or you can order from the bar not only were the first courses spectacular and there were two of them but the beef was perfectly prepared again particularly impressive given the obvious constraints of cooking on a train [Music] it's about 9 45 the train's gonna stop in 45 minutes or an hour or something like that but it's time for some shut eye because it's an early morning tomorrow we're gonna catch the sunrise over lake titicaca so uh see in the morning the next day we woke up at 12 500 feet on the banks of the world's highest navigable lake suzanne was grateful for her gloves despite the cold air the sunrise over lake titicaca one of my favorite places on earth was just perfect we really lucked out with the weather our trip in mid-april came just at the end of the rainy season but you wouldn't know it we didn't see a drop during our time here i love this lake for so many reasons but mostly because it has so much history and meaning it's considered the birthplace for the incas and the tiwanaku people who preceded them there's also fascinating biodiversity here it's even the only place you'll find bolivia a completely landlocked nation by the way operating its navy [Music] once the sun was up we'd head back on board for breakfast before leaving the train once more for a trip to one of south america's most unusual neighborhoods just out there on the horizon [Music] this is not a traditional train trip where we're just trying to get somewhere instead built-in excursions like the one we're about to experience give passengers the chance to see a slice of peru as part of the itinerary well that was one of the most beautiful sunrises i can remember seeing anywhere and having it happen here at lake titicaca one of my favorite places on the planet made it all the more special now let's get the rest of the day started so how'd you sleep last night i slept really well actually um i think the altitude helps me sleep how about you it was a short night but it was a good [Music] night uh as we were getting ready for this uh this train journey uh suzanne did a little research and discovered that the cars uh on this train are actually refurbished from australia and there's a plaque we've just found that highlights that does that make you want to go back to australia and take a train oh totally that's on the list should we do the indian pacific or the gan or both when we were back on board it was time for breakfast which got the attention of at least one local [Music] my omelet was great and suzanne was happy with her scrambled eggs too now everything that's consumed on this train every ingredient is loaded in cusco according to the trains manager their quality expectations are so high that they won't just pop into a local supermarket here at puno to top up on some missing ingredient the complex logistics required to make this train run really do blow the mind this train is long and uh the stations are short so we always exit through the piano bar so we're headed now puno has about 140 000 residents and perhaps the most interesting part of the city is what lies just off the shoreline of this lake all the passengers from the train boarded boats to explore something we can only see here the oros islands are man-made floating islands where the oros people have made their homes for thousands of years at 12 500 feet above sea level lake titicaca is the world's highest navigable lake it's also south america's largest and these islands made of floating reeds that are woven together have offered a safe refuge for the people who call them home for at least 4 000 years [Music] have a disagreement with your neighbor just cut them off we jumped at the opportunity to travel in one of their more traditional reed boats i even got to row trust me it's harder than it looks nearly three miles above sea level [Music] and seeing these islands and meeting their people offered a reminder that the way you and i live is just one way humans have made the world home our stay here was brief but certainly offered a perspective on the world that most traditional rail journeys simply can't people sometimes ask about amtrak whether you can get out and explore the area and you can but you've got to wait for the next train to come by those stops just aren't long enough whereas on this trip well our train hasn't moved since 11 o'clock last night we're not scheduled to leave here for a little while at least after lunch so this is really designed to experience these parts of the world we left the floating islands behind to return to the train or so we thought no train where'd it go i don't know but uh it's really weird it was here this morning her train was gone so we're not scheduled to depart here for a few hours so not so worried about that apparently something on the train broke and they sent it away to be fixed nobody on the staff seemed too concerned and the plan all along was to have a buffet lunch here in the private station bellman maintains in pono almost two hours since we got back from our excursion on the lake still no train but we did have lunch and and we think we might have heard a train horn so it's possible it's possible the train's coming in now stand by it's back that's reassuring yeah when i said it was coming back did you doubt me a little bit i like it i like the feeling of it being here a little better despite that hiccup we were still on schedule the plan was to stay here for a little while longer so i decided to get cleaned up you know what this is this is a guy who needs a shower and thankfully this incredible room has an incredible shower i'm going to hop in there and hopefully look a little different just a second good news i feel a lot better bad news the shower won't stop running they're bringing the mechanics on uh to try to fix it as a reminder this is the first time this train is run in two years so naturally they're going to be some reopening paints this is one of them of the 38 crew members on board several are maintenance professionals and two of them came in to work on the shower they had to remove some fixtures and just like that it's back up and running thanks to those uh incredible guys who came in and fixed it and got it well got it stopped and then fixed i for one can't believe how fortunate we are to be experiencing this to see the world as we are and who cares about a little broken shower it didn't really uh take too much time or effort and actually certainly no time and effort on my part and again thanks to the guys that got it working again but just remember to pack your patience as we all return to the world of travel cocktail in hand we pulled out of puno on our way towards sarakocha for our second overnight stay a stay that would position us for yet another incredible sunrise [Music] with the sun below the horizon we headed back to the piano bar before dinner coming as no surprise at all tonight's meal was superb suzanne's highlight was this lima bean cappuccino but she just couldn't get enough of it [Music] and i was over the moon for the duck which i'd chosen as my main course [Music] that's a wrap on day two we've just reached sarah kocha and we're about 14 000 feet it's about 10 o'clock in other words it's time for bed see in the morning that was a pretty good night's sleep i think sleeping at this high in altitude makes a big difference i just sleep better but the sun is up so let's head outside and catch the last bit of the sunrise [Music] you know look like much of a hill but climbing it at 14 000 feet it's not easy but like most challenges the view from the top is worth it lying between two mountain lakes sarakocho was the perfect place to wake up and watch the sun rise suddenly suzanne appeared her case of fomo overpowering her sleepiness [Music] who takes your breath away huh the altitude or [Music] we made our way back down the hill and onto the train where we found some hot coffee in the observation car just in time to pull away from this picturesque setting and encounter some of the most stunning scenery we'd seen yet but first the switch needed to be changed for the mining trains that also used this track bellmond operates luxury hotels and trains throughout the world including the orient express and the royal scotsman this scenery along through here almost made us feel like we boarded that train through the scottish highlands the andean explorer began in 2017 as south america's first luxury sleeper train it's owned by peru rail it's a 50-50 joint venture between bellmond and lorenzo souza the founder and chairman of peru rail these tracks have been vital to peru's transportation network for a long time and opening them up in this way has been a welcome addition to the country's well-established tourism economy i've said it before and i'll say it again south america is my favorite continent there's so much to see here and this train is just one example of the tremendous opportunities for exploration and discovery on this magnificent continent our stomachs brought us back to reality and we made our way forward for breakfast as delicious as the food was and it was always delicious the seemingly endless horseshoe curves on this morning's ride were far more enthralling it was impossible not to daydream while taking in this landscape and being here it's hard not to reflect on the fact that peru and indeed much of south america has been a cradle of civilization for thousands of years although most tourists focus on the incas it was a relatively young empire when the spanish arrived in fact it only lasted about 100 years the preceding civilizations also embraced the incredible technology known to the incas like advanced architecture deeply meaningful art even irrigation in fact the tiwanaku people were able to produce 21 metric tons of potatoes per acre in this region modern techniques even with 21st century fertilizers can only produce a mere 14 metric tons in the same area we like to think we're so smart but it's also true that so much knowledge has been lost to the course of time [Music] now is the time to keep a sharp eye out for wild pecunias unlike their cousins llamas and alpacas these beautiful animals cannot be domesticated they have a wool that's so fine during the time of the incas only royals could wear it [Music] [Music] we're heading up to the piano bar because we've got another excursion now the last one of the trip we're gonna go explore some caves uh near the uh near the tracks here spotting this volcanic eruption was a reminder of just how volatile this part of our planet can be thankfully our caving experience wouldn't go too deep underground [Music] time to go spelunking a short hike down into this canyon introduced us to cave paintings dating back more than 10 000 years another reminder of just how ancient this part of the world is [Music] never trust a height that goes down first that's good advice probably for life too the train pulled away from the stopper maybe we were chased out at least that's the story this dog would tell other passengers on this train included families groups honeymooners and even some solo travelers most of them were for south america europe or north america but it was a generally friendly atmosphere on board it was easy to strike up a conversation over a pisco sour in the observation car we never did have to share a table during an onboard meal though it was also not quite as stuffy as some other first class experiences can be and we saw a range of clothing on board smart casual was broadly interpreted like many of our fellow passengers we wore jeans to dinner but others chose to dress more formally no one seemed uncomfortable or out of place we've stopped here near colca canyon belmont has a hotel here so a lot of passengers take the train from cusco and then stop here and stay at that property we're continuing on to narakipa the terminus of the train of course because well we like trains and we want to see the whole the whole route so there's still lunch time to be had um but uh we've got i guess maybe a few more hours on the train and then we'll uh we'll head into our arequipa you can also book this trip as a single overnight and get out in puno but we were glad to have gone the whole way the scenery going into araquipa is definitely not to be missed [Music] this is my first time trying peruvian line it's from a vineyard about four hours south of lima and it's really very nice [Music] there's no doubt about it this was a bittersweet meal while it was like all of the others spectacular in fact it might have been our favorite it was also a sign that this experience was nearing its culmination the end of just about any trip is sad of course but this one was just so unbelievably perfect despite the slight hiccups in the second day we couldn't have asked for a better experience every single aspect of this trip was incredible i feel like i've used that word too many times to describe this experience but there's not a better one but what put it over the top what made it so special were of course the people working on board their passion for service was unlike any we've encountered anywhere there were 38 crew members on board to ensure the comfort of 60 passengers many of them operated behind the scenes we never saw them and the warmth of the peruvian people was hard to miss too so many waved enthusiastically as the train went by for many here this train is a point of pride and we count it as an honor to have been part of the first group to help bring it back to its glory after two years away this train quickly became home for us and we cannot wait to get back on board at bellman train sometime soon between now and the next time see on the rails [Music] that's a blooper the toilet and the shower oh they're two separate things wait what i'm not 100 sure whether this is a prune it could be a raisin that was a raisin that was an early morning but one of the most beautiful sunsets i can remember seeing you'll have more information than we did we have to know where to look but yeah it's it's more complicated than people realize sure suzanne guess what what el train esta aqui you want to be in this uh no okay well el tren esta aqui i'm the brains of the operation what can i say what it is in a couple hours which uh seracopa is that right saracopa no sarakocha

Channel: Jeb Brooks

Views: 576,140

Keywords: First Class Train, First Class Train Cabin, First Class Train Travel, First Class Train Food. Belmond, Andean Explorer, Andean Explorer Route, Belmond Andean Explorer, First Class Train Ride, Luxury Train, Luxury Travel, Train Travel, Train Trip Report, Peru Rail, Andean Explorer Review, Andean Explorer Train Reviews, tren andean explorer, andean explorer train peru, belmond andean explorer perú, tren belmond andean explorer, First Class Overnight Train, Peru, Train in Peru

Id: uzyYKAPcfmE

Length: 30min 10sec (1810 seconds)

Published: Sat May 07 2022