A Belmond Train · Day journeys
Hiram Bingham
The civilised way to Machu Picchu — Poroy · Rio Sagrado · Ollantaytambo · Aguas Calientes
The Hiram Bingham is named for the American explorer whose 1911 climb brought Machu Picchu to the world's attention, and it is the civilised way to follow him. This is a day train — there are no cabins — running from the Cusco region up to Aguas Calientes, the station below the citadel, with brunch on the way out and dinner on the way back.
There are three departure points, which is the detail most guides get wrong. Poroy station serves Cusco, Ollantaytambo sits in the Sacred Valley, and Rio Sagrado has its own private station at Belmond's hotel of the same name in Urubamba, a route Belmond marks as seasonal. All three terminate at Aguas Calientes. Journeys can be taken one way or as a single-day round trip.
The fare is all-inclusive in a way the other trains are not: food, drink, the bus transfer up to the citadel and a guide at Machu Picchu are all part of it. There is an observation and bar car, and live Peruvian music the length of the journey. The return leg, coming down in the dark after the citadel has emptied, is the part people remember.
The journeys
Cusco to Machu Picchu
Day journey
Departs Poroy at 9:05am and reaches Aguas Calientes at 12:24pm. Available one way or as a round trip returning to Poroy by 9:16pm.
Machu Picchu to Cusco
Day journey
The evening descent, leaving Aguas Calientes at 5:50pm — dinner and music on the way down.
Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu
Day journey
From the Sacred Valley, departing 10:53am, with a round-trip option returning by 7:25pm.
Rio Sagrado to Machu Picchu
Day journey
From the private station at Belmond's Rio Sagrado in Urubamba, departing 9:40am. Belmond marks this route as seasonal.
The carriages
The observation and bar car
Open at the back for the climb through the Urubamba gorge, and where the pisco sours happen on the way down.
The dining cars
Brunch on the outbound leg and dinner on the return, both included in the fare.
Live Peruvian music
Played through the train rather than staged — it is a large part of why the return journey feels like an event.
Booking this train
Because it is a day train there are no cabins to choose, but the departure station matters: Poroy for a Cusco base, Ollantaytambo or Rio Sagrado for the Sacred Valley. Getting that wrong means a long transfer at the wrong end of the day, and it is the most common planning error on a Peru trip. The bus transfer up to the citadel and a guide are included. We pair the train with Belmond's Sanctuary Lodge at the citadel gate for dawn access, and with Monasterio or Rio Sagrado at the other end, sequencing the whole route so the altitude and the timings work.
Questions, answered
Does the Hiram Bingham have sleeping cabins?
No. It is a day train to Machu Picchu and back, with no overnight accommodation on board. If you want a sleeper in Peru that is the Andean Explorer, which crosses the altiplano between Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Arequipa — a completely different journey.
Where does the train leave from?
Three stations, and picking the right one matters. Poroy serves Cusco, Ollantaytambo is in the Sacred Valley, and Rio Sagrado has a private station at Belmond's hotel in Urubamba on a route Belmond marks as seasonal. All arrive at Aguas Calientes below the citadel.
What is included in the fare?
More than most: brunch outbound, dinner on the return, drinks, live music, the bus transfer between Aguas Calientes and the citadel, and a guide at Machu Picchu subject to availability. It is the reason the Hiram Bingham compares better to the alternatives than the headline fare suggests.
Can it be done as a day trip?
Yes, and that is how most guests take it — round trips run from Poroy, Ollantaytambo and Rio Sagrado, out in the morning and back the same evening. The alternative is to stay at Sanctuary Lodge beside the citadel and travel one way, which is what we usually suggest if the point is to see Machu Picchu at dawn.
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Hold a cabin on the Hiram Bingham
Tell us your dates and we will confirm live availability, hold the strongest cabin category, and plan the hotels at either end around the journey.
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