The wonderful Orient Express train journey takes ten hours to negotiate the 351km journey from Lake Titicaca to Cusco, with only two stops – at Juliaca to pick up additional passengers, and at La Raya, the highest (4,313m) point on the journey. Past Juliaca the train crosses the agricultural altiplano and climbs 400m to La Raya before descending fairly steeply and following the lush Vilcanota River valley. Arriving in Cusco you feel like you are in another country: the tourism on which the city thrives has had a major impact on the economy. The streets hum with activity, buildings are beautifully restored and maintained, and even the newer buildings look quite good – very unlike Arequipa or Puno. It is a pleasant town in which to just wander – particularly the delightful lanes around Plaza San Blas with their artisan workshops where, away from the tourist heart of the city, everyone seems laid-back and genuinely friendly.

Around Cusco there are several interesting Inca sites worth visiting, including Sacsayhuamán, Qenko, Coricancha and Tipón. And, if you drive part of the way to Machu Picchu, the dramatically picturesque Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) takes you to the ceremonial site of Intihuatana, perched precariously above the colonial town of Pisac. The 360-degree views from here take your breath away, to the Rio Chongo valley in the east, straight down to the Sacred Valley in the south, and across the Kitamayo Gorge to the west. At the end of the Valle, where the only way onwards is by train, lies Ollyantaytambo where more massive Inca terraces dominate the mountainside behind the village, designed not for agriculture, but to protect the residents below from landslides.