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There are many ways to reach Machu Picchu, and while some travellers dream of hiking the legendary Inca Trail, I discovered that there is something wonderfully satisfying about letting the train take you there. My journey began in Ollantaytambo, where I boarded a PeruRail train bound for Aguas Calientes. The journey covered only about 43 kilometres, but those kilometres felt like an adventure in themselves. Settling into my seat beside the large windows, I watched the Peruvian landscape slowly unfold—lush green valleys, towering mountains and a river winding its way through the dramatic scenery. There was no need to hurry and no trail to conquer. I could simply sit back, enjoy a drink and a snack, and watch one of the most extraordinary landscapes I had ever travelled through pass outside the window.

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I had friends who chose the harder route, spending days trekking through the mountains toward Machu Picchu. They arrived tired, covered in dust and carrying the unmistakable satisfaction of having earned every step of their journey. I arrived by train considerably fresher. Perhaps my journey lacked the sweat and physical challenge of the Inca Trail, but it certainly didn’t lack adventure. In fact, I rather liked the contrast. The train felt like a gentle introduction to what was waiting for me—a gradual transition from the modern world into the ancient landscape of the Incas. With every bend in the track, the mountains seemed to close around us, and I found myself wondering what it must have been like for the people who once travelled through these valleys long before there were railway lines, comfortable seats or panoramic windows.

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When I finally stepped off the train in Aguas Calientes, I knew the real adventure was about to begin. Machu Picchu was no longer a distant photograph or a place I had only imagined from books and documentaries. It was somewhere ahead of me, hidden among those mountains. Looking back, I remember the train journey almost as vividly as the ancient citadel itself. Sometimes we become so focused on reaching the destination that we forget that getting there is part of the story. For me, that short journey through the Sacred Valley was more than simply transportation. It was a moment to slow down, look out the window and appreciate the extraordinary landscape before coming face-to-face with one of the world’s great wonders. I may not have conquered the Inca Trail, but I had my own adventure—and sometimes the most memorable journeys are the ones where you simply find a window seat, watch the world go by and let the landscape tell you where you’re going.

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