My Peruvian Train Adventure – Stranded in the Andean Altiplano

Entering Cusco’s train station early that September morning, I was warmly greeted by white-gloved PeruRail staff. They directed me first to the Equipaje (luggage area) to leave my larger checked bag. Returning, I was shown to my seat #A-10 on the “Inka Class” train car that would soon transport me to Puno & Lake Titicaca – in luxury! – on a 10-hour scenic journey.

As I settled in and surveyed my stylish surroundings, I was filled with a sense of pure delight. After my successful but arduous hike of the 4-day “classic” Inca Trail from Peru’s Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu a few days earlier – including tent camping each night complete with latrine potties – this was a well-deserved treat indeed!

My hiking friends had all flown home to the States, but I was excited to be traveling on my own for another week in Peru & Bolivia. I had hired a lovely young woman, Valeria (an Argentine living in Cusco) as my personal guide for the next six days.

“Life is What Happens” When You Travel

I’m sure you will agree. When we travel, unexpected “mishaps” will sometimes happen. At first, they are often anxiety-provoking or even downright scary. Luckily, they usually turn out fine but not without some angst. And they allow us to authentically exclaim “This will be a great story one day!”

This is just such a story – of an unexpected mishap in the high reaches of the Peruvian altiplano on my train ride from Cusco to Puno (on Lake Titicaca) back in 2002.

Even though this Peruvian “train adventure” took place a long time ago, the memories of that fateful day are still vivid in my mind. To add some comic relief, you’ll clearly note a “much younger me” in the photos I’ll be sharing! I will also admit that the photos (from my old film camera) are far from award-winning.

The Story – How It All Began

It started that Monday morning (around 7:30am) when I took a taxi to the Cusco train station. To save money, my guide Valeria was taking the 6-hour bus ride from Cusco to Puno, located on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Her ticket cost was $10.

My Inka Class ticket for the 10-hour train ride (8am-6pm) was a whopping $50! (This was 2002, after all!). Valeria & I would meet up that evening in Puno.

I boarded the train and took my seat. Car “A” was elegant, paneled with dark wood, and accented with fabric and brass. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and the seats were comfy. In my carriage, there were 13 rows, with tables on each side of the aisle, seating either 2 or 4 passengers. Most seats were filled.

The train departed at 8:00am, right on schedule. For the next 30 minutes, we passed slowly through the outskirts of Cusco with adorable children enthusiastically waving at the train – and passengers like me happily waving back.

Soon after, nicely dressed train attendants – a sweet young man and woman – came around to take our drink orders and provide us with menus for breakfast and/or lunch (all for an additional fee).

Of course, this luxury train was designed for tourists, so most travelers seemed to be English speaking Westerners, along with a few Asians (from Korea). Early on, I met Maria & Michelle from Michigan who had also just hiked the Inca Trail. We had fun swapping stories of our “bucket list” adventure.

Enjoying the Train Experience

I took a walk to explore more of the train, which included around 6 cars. The carriage next to Car “A” was the Bar & Lounge. Then came the last carriage – an Observation car with padded seats, big picture windows, and an open-air balcony at the end for unobstructed views. I spent some quality time here enjoying the fresh air & scenes of the changing landscape. (photos below are clearly PeruRail’s professional pix with models!)

Leaving Cusco environs, the train passed through small villages with their mud-brick homes. For quite a while, we traveled along a pretty river – the Vilcanota – with mountains framing each side of the river valley.

At 11am, we were still traveling in the valley, dotted with villages and farmland where oxen were plowing the fields. A few of the homes had blue tin roofs and many women were working in the fields.

At noon, the staff began to serve lunch in courses, starting with Pisco Sours. This favorite Peruvian cocktail is made with pisco, lime juice and egg white, and topped with a few dashes of Angostura bitters. My next course was a delicious asparagus soup. However, memory (and lack of a food journal entry) fails me on what came next.

The Andean Altiplano

Soon after (around 12:20pm), I noticed the landscape was starting to change, as we climbed higher into the Altiplano. The terrain was rockier with vegetation of small yellow grasses and shrubs. I could see why this was home to high-altitude alpacas and llamas, now bred for their desirable wool.

To that point: I came home from this trip with the most beautiful multi-colored alpaca sweater purchased in Cusco which I still proudly wear 20+ years later!

Quick Background: The Altiplano – a Spanish word for “high plain” – lies in the central Andes at an average of 12,300 feet (3,750 meters). In fact, it is the world’s most extensive high plateau, outside of Tibet. The bulk of the altiplano lies in western Bolivia, with some parts in southern Peru and northern Chile. (see map)

Our Stop at La Raya Pass

It wasn’t long before we reached the highest point of our journey – La Raya Pass (sitting at 14,200 ft/ 4330 meters). There, we made a short stop in front of a small yellow stucco church with a red tile roof. Local villagers were eagerly waiting for us. Mothers and children, in their brightly colored Peruvian dress, were accompanied by adorable alpacas.

Of course, local Andean handicrafts and souvenirs were prominently displayed for sale, much of it made from alpaca wool. Some quick shopping ensued, along with photos of the locals who graciously posed for us.

After a few short minutes, we were ushered back onto the train. We went only a short distance before we stopped again. Turns out, the train runs for most of this journey on a single track. So, we needed to wait for the Puno – Cusco train to arrive at this “passing loop” before both trains could continue heading in their opposite directions. (photo above right) 

My journal entry for 1:40pm notes that we were starting to gradually “head down.” The day was beautiful, with clear blue skies punctuated with a few flowing white clouds. I had noted a mix of animals out on the plains, including alpacas, llamas, cows, sheep and horses.

The Adventure Begins

Then at 1:45pm, the train began to shudder. Suddenly my cabin car was lurching to one side, with items falling off the tables onto the floor. What was happening? Oh, my God, I realized the train had just derailed!

After the initial disbelief and some brief panic, we passengers checked with each other and thankfully found that no one in the car was injured – except, of course, the train!

We carefully exited the carriage to see that Car #A had, in fact, partially come off the track and was tilting to the side. (the photos above really tell this part of the story!) Just behind us, the Bar Carriage & Observation car had completely disconnected from the train and was sitting a short distance away (below right). The first three cars up ahead were still on the track, upright.

Many of us moved outside to sit on the grassy area near the train to wait for help to arrive. I sat with Cathy, from Australia, who was still a bit freaked out. I worked to calm her, reassuring her that we were all in this together. We tried to get answers from the PeruRail staff but it didn’t seem like anyone was in charge.

So, there we were – stranded from an “unexpected mishap” in the middle of the Peruvian Altiplano!

Stella, a Peruvian tour guide (thus, a fluent Spanish speaker) who was on the train with a small group, continued to make valiant – yet unsuccessful – efforts to get answers on what was happening and when we would be rescued.

Remember, it was 2002 – before cell phones were commonplace! Today, we’d all be on our phones calling the CEO of PeruRail & others for help! 

More Waiting for Answers

Despite being in the “middle of nowhere” in the Altiplano, it was comforting to see that there was a village nearby. In fact, some of the villagers had gathered near us in the field to watch and wait. Obviously, train derailments were not a common occurrence, so this provided some entertainment & excitement for them too!

So, we sat and waited and waited some more – still without answers. For a while, I was content to chat and read my Peru guidebook, sitting in the grass in the comfortable afternoon air.

In time, I learned that just beyond the village was the main – and only – highway that traversed this part of the altiplano. It ran roughly parallel to the train route in many places – this was also comforting to know.

A group of rail workers had arrived to assess the track situation (below right). But, again, no real answers from them.

But as the hours dragged on, we were all getting increasingly nervous. We wondered if we were going to be stranded and forced to spend the night out here? Would we need to sleep on the dark train (without electricity) or walk to the village in the dark and knock on doors? Neither were a pleasant prospect.

To the Rescue

Suddenly, around 5:45pm, a bus appeared just as it was starting to get dark. The driver told us that passengers from Car “A” should board the bus. Phew! As we drove off, I felt a sense of intense relief, yet one mixed with worry and pangs of guilt for the others who were being left behind. There was a magnificent red sunset filling the sky.

Our bus drove for around an hour to a small town (don’t know the name) located somewhere on the rail line and there we stopped. We waited for another hour and a half on the darkened bus. They told us the train would be coming but I couldn’t imagine how? In the meantime, two more buses with train passengers showed up to wait with us.

Then, miraculously at around 8pm, our train came chugging down the tracks, arriving with five cars filled with the rest of the people. OMG! How they got the cars back on the track, I’ll never know! We were so relieved! Yet, still more waiting… the next half hour was chaotic with people in charge trying to figure out what to do about all the luggage.

It was finally decided to load the luggage on our three buses – tied on top, as well as below in the storage hold. It was 8:30pm when the buses, filled with all the train passengers, took off for the 2 ½ hour drive to Puno.

Arrival in Puno / Lake Titicaca

We arrived in Puno at 11:00pm – 15 eventful hours since we had left Cusco that morning. There were collective shouts of joy! We needed to wait a little while longer for our luggage to be off-loaded, but we were finally here!

Valeria was at the bus station waiting for me. I was so happy to see her smiling face! She had arrived in Puno that afternoon around 3pm by bus, with only one flat tire along the way that had to be fixed. We agreed that hers was a relatively small “mishap” compared to mine!

Valeria accompanied me (by taxi) to my Puno hotel at 11:30pm. Safely in my room, I could finally relax. As I prepared to drift off to sleep, I reflected on my day & the Peruvian Altiplano train adventure. Yep, I thought, it’s certainly going to make a “great story one day”! And voila, I’m finally sharing it with all of you.

Hope you enjoy….

FINAL NOTE – LAKE TITICACA: Valeria & I headed off the next morning to explore beautiful Lake Titicaca, as planned. Straddling the border between Peru & Bolivia, Lake Titicaca sits at 12,500 ft (3,800 meters) above sea level. It is one of South America’s largest lakes and is the world’s highest navigable body of water.

We visited the fascinating floating reed islands of Uros Islands with their fully functioning villages sitting on top of the reeds. But that’s a story for another day! (here’s a couple photos from our visit). 

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Update: The Cusco – Puna Train Today

Good news! This epic train ride (hopefully minus any train “mishaps”!) continues today. Not surprisingly, the tourist-oriented train journey has become more upscale over the years!

In general, PeruRail has an informative website for its many train trips around Peru, including the popular Cusco to Machu Picchu route.

In regard to the Cusco – Puno (Lake Titicaca) Rail Journey, I checked the PeruRail website for updates. As of Sept. 2024, this 10.5-hour journey takes place 3 times each week (Wednesday, Friday and Sundays).

The PeruRail Titicaca Journey features:

• Panoramic Views of the Andes
• Live Music & Traditional Dance
• 3-Course Gourmet Lunch
• Pisco Sour Demonstration
• Tourist Stop at La Raya
• Afternoon Tea

Of course, I wanted to know the current price for this special, upscale train journey. Using a November 2024 date, I found an adult ticket price of $270, assuming this is an all-inclusive price.

Certainly, the ticket is more expensive than my trip 22 years ago! However, I would still recommend this train journey as a memorable & relaxing way to travel between Cusco and Lake Titicaca. Check out the PeruRail Titicaca journey website page for more specifics on this particular trip.

COMMENTS:  Have you taken the PeruRail train from Cusco to Puno / Lake Titicaca?  When was that? How was your experience?