Peru's spectacular train journeys are in
themselves a major attraction, and you should
aim to take at least one long-distance train
during your trip, especially as the trains
connect some of Peru's major tourist sights. At
the time of writing, the Central Railway , which
climbs and switchbacks its way up from Lima into
the Andes as far as Huancayo on the world's
highest standard-gauge tracks, is currently
operational for passengers only on the last
Sunday of the month (returning Monday); but this
situation is likely to improve.
The Southern Railway , starting on the south
coast at Arequipa, heads inland to Lake Titicaca
before curving back towards Cusco, from where a
line heads out down the magnificent Urubamba
Valley, past Machu Picchu, and on into the
fringes of the Amazon forest. The trains move
slowly, are much more bumpy than buses,
depending both on the level of track maintenance
(presently poor between Cusco and Puno, for
instance) and, of course, the state of the
comparative road the bus is taking. Trains,
however, generally allow ample time to observe
what's going on outside, but you do have to keep
one eye on events inside, where the carriages -
often extremely crowded - are notorious for
petty thefts . Wherever possible tickets should
be bought in advance by at least a day.
Most trains in Peru offer three different
classes. Ecomonico is the cheapest and most
basic, usually with hard seats, overcrowding and
a reputation for pickpockets and petty thieves.
Pullman costs substantially more, but is still
cheap by European or North American standards;
this has better security, is more comfortable,
has waitress service and tends to be less
crowded. Inca or Turimso class is pricier still,
has waitress service, a bar and dining, very
comfortable seats and generally has more empty
seats.
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