{"id":25063,"date":"2024-11-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlusttstg.wpengine.com\/inspiration\/best-train-journeys-south-america\/"},"modified":"2024-11-18T16:42:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:42:28","slug":"best-train-journeys-south-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/best-train-journeys-south-america\/","title":{"rendered":"7 unforgettable train journeys across South America"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"first\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-756158\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-first\" data-placement-id=\"63374\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    <style type=\"text\/css\">.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-advert .wak-advert-container{display:flex;justify-content:center;width:100%}<\/style>\n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div 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a{font-size:1.125rem!important;line-height:2.125rem!important}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h1,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h2,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h3,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h4,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h5,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h6{margin:0;padding:0;word-break:break-word}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h1{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:3.75rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:4.0625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h2{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:3rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:3.25rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h3{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:2.25rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:2.5rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h4{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:1.75rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:2.0625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h5{font-family:Noe Display;font-size:1.25rem;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.5625rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content .wak-copy h6{font-family:Jost;font-size:.75rem;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:.08313rem;line-height:.875rem}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-article-image,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-copy-content,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-copy-content+.wak-acf-block-image-carousel{margin-top:80px}<\/style>    <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The train was a boxy grey express that had seen better days, but it pulled out of Oruro on time. I boarded late and breathless, having lost track of the hour in town. Breathlessness was nothing new to me in Bolivia \u2013 it being a country where altitudes of 3,500m are routine \u2013 but this time it was self-induced. I unshouldered my backpack and collapsed into my seat, clutching paper bags full of half-squashed <em>saltenas<\/em> (pastries), and looked out of the window. Within minutes the show began.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The train was making its way by bridge across Lake Uru-Uru, a broad expanse of water just outside town. A belt of low grey hills rumpled the horizon. On the water, meanwhile, an unexpected sight: hundreds of flamingos feeding in the shallows. And as we moved, so, too, did the birds. It was gradual at first, with one or two stick-thin flyers flapping above the lake, then great flocks emerged, as a pale blizzard of pink peeled off from the water and followed the train south. I watched the silhouettes of the birds disappear into the distance as the train nosed its way onto the vast emptiness of the <em>altiplano<\/em>. Our journey was just starting but had already been worth the ticket price.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>South America isn\u2019t veined with extensive train routes in the same way as Europe or India, but the continent still offers some hugely memorable rail experiences. They range from the no-frills to the luxurious, and from the staggeringly scenic to the boldly ambitious. Here are seven of the best.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-952670\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <style type=\"text\/css\">.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image{flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-title{text-align:left;width:100%}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-title+picture{margin-top:40px}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image .wak-caption{color:gray;margin-top:8px;text-align:right;width:100%}.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-article-image,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-copy-content,.wak-acf-block.wak-acf-block-article-image+.wak-acf-block-image-carousel{margin-top:80px}<\/style>        \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Expreso del Sur, Bolivia<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_793249351-1-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78717\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Uyuni Salt Falts at sunrise (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-456582\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 15.5 hours (one-way)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Altiplano scenery and visiting the salt flats<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Oruro \u2013 Uyuni \u2013 Atocha \u2013 Tupiza \u2013 Villazon<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The south-west of Bolivia is a land of extremes: high altitudes, colossal views and mind-bending landscapes. Little wonder, then, that this rail journey finds its way on to so many travel itineraries. Yet the <em>Expreso del Sur<\/em> is rather misleadingly named \u2013 it takes some seven hours to cover the 300km between mining town Oruro and the salt flats hub of Uyuni. Luckily, its once weekly afternoon departure means you can enjoy the trip during daylight hours, as the views are spellbinding.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Oruro (a three-hour bus ride from La Paz) is best visited at carnival time, when <em>La Diablada<\/em> sees locals dressed as demons hit the streets in early November for a riotous week-long festival. At other times, a side-trip to the flamingo-frequented waters of Lake Uru-Uru \u2013 which you\u2019ll later pass \u2013 is well worth it as a precursor to the altiplano vistas through which the train trundles.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>But the big draw here is the vast salt flats of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/inspiration\/salar-de-uyuni-salt-flats-guide\/\">Uyuni<\/a> \u2013 the largest in the world. It is one of Latin America\u2019s most incredible natural spectacles, and often takes on a very different feel between December and April, when seasonal rains can turn its cracked, crusty surface into a giant liquid mirror of the sky.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>From here on, it\u2019s an overnight trip through the cowboy country of Tupiza (good for treks and horseriding) to Villaz\u00f3n on the Argentine border. But there are no sleeper carriages and it can get cold on board, so pack accordingly.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-890029\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Tren Crucero, Ecuador<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1203573376-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78719\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Through the Andes on the Tren Crucero (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_1\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-461604\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_1\" data-placement-id=\"63376\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63376\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63376'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"wak-acf-block-967874\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 4 nights (one-way)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Volcanic views and dramatic rail engineering<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Quito (bus to Otavalo Station) \u2013 Valley of the Volcanoes \u2013 Riobamba \u2013 Devil\u2019s Nose \u2013 Bucay \u2013 Duran (Eloy Alfaro Station, Guayaquil)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Billed as journeying from \u2018The Andes to the Pacific\u2019, the <em>Tren Crucero<\/em> goes from the 2,850m heights of Quito to the lowland coastline of Guayaquil. En route, it covers the continent\u2019s most dramatic stretch of track: the <em>Nariz del Diablo<\/em>, or Devil\u2019s Nose.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Its fame stems from the complexities of building a railway across the Andes, requiring many dramatic switchbacks. Completed in 1908, the result is an engineering masterpiece \u2013 and the views are just as magnificent.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Since 2013, the route has been operated by the high-end<em> Tren Crucero<\/em>, which runs four-night itineraries in either direction. Between the 17th-century colonial facades of Quito\u2019s Old Town and the vibrant metropolis of Guayaquil, you\u2019ll pass over a dozen volcanoes, as well as river gorges, cloud forest, fruit plantations and a national park.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also possible to catch a shorter tourist service that takes in the Devil\u2019s Nose section from sleepy Alausi, a town midway along the line. This is also a good jumping-off point for treks along the old Inca Trail (from Achupallas) or trips out to its many thundering waterfalls.<\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-931411\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Bogot\u00e1 to Zipaquir\u00e1, Colombia<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2359017669-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78718\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Zipaquir\u00e1 salt cathedral (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-676631\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 9 hours (return)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Underground chapels and travel by steam train<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Bogot\u00e1 \u2013 La Caro \u2013 Zipaquir\u00e1 \u2013 Cajic\u00e1 \u2013 Bogot\u00e1<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>A fleet of five restored steam trains and two diesel locomotives \u2013 all of them salvaged from old railroad workshops in the 1990s \u2013 plough a route that was once part of the Bogot\u00e1 Savannah Railway. This line was completed in 1896 but was latterly abandoned as Colombia\u2019s state-owned rail company collapsed less than a century later. Thankfully, in 1993 it was resurrected and reborn \u2013 like much of the nation\u2019s railways \u2013 as a tourist train route.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Today, the <em>Tren Tur\u00edstico de la Sabana<\/em> (or <em>Turistren<\/em>) makes the three-hour trip north from Bogot\u00e1\u2019s historic Sabana Station to Zipaquir\u00e1 once a day. Here, passengers hop off to explore the town\u2019s famed salt cathedral.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The site is an extension of the old shrines that the salt miners would carve, long before the first cathedral was built here in 1954. This was closed in the early 1990s for safety reasons, but a second one replaced it in 1995. Naves and chapels have been carved into vast tunnels that extend up to 75m (and 180m below the surface at its lowest point). It can reputedly hold up 8,400 people, with crowds packed in like sardines for its Sunday service.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Before making the return trip to Bogot\u00e1, the train stops at the town of Cajic\u00e1 for a meal. It\u2019s by no means a luxurious ride but expect lively traditional music performances once the journey\u2019s underway. And last but by no means least, the countryside scenery \u2013 all sweeping savannah \u2013 is astonishing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-670128\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Belmond Andean Explorer, Peru<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1229515183-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78720\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Belmond Andean Explorer (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_2\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-246481\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_2\" data-placement-id=\"63377\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63377\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63377'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"wak-acf-block-929813\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 2 days (one-way)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Luxury travel and ancient Inca heritage<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Cusco (Wanchaq Station) \u2013 Puna \u2013 Arequipa (Arequipa Station)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When the <em>Belmond Andean Explorer<\/em> service through the Peruvian mountains launched in 2017, headlines proclaimed it \u2018the most luxurious train in South America\u2019. And for those keen on seeing the Andes\u2019 high altitudes in serious comfort, the hype is justified.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Passengers \u2013 up to 48 at any one time \u2013 can expect mahogany panelling, chandeliers and plush compartments. There\u2019s even an on-board library, for those times when staring out of the window at the cascading highland scenery doesn\u2019t cut it. But such moments should prove few and far between.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Starting in the one-time Inca stronghold of Cusco (gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu), the route takes in natural marvels such as Lake Titicaca \u2013 the planet\u2019s highest navigable body of water. It almost goes without saying that the route forges one of the highest railway lines in the world (over 4,250m in places).<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The terminus \u2013 or start-point, depending on which direction you travel \u2013 is Arequipa, a city arguably less well known than Cusco but just as spectacular on the eye. Ringed by volcanoes, its UNESCO-listed historic core is a vision of baroque buildings created from local white igneous rock. Pay a visit to its vast cathedral, which was first founded in the mid-1600s \u2013 even earthquakes and rebuilding work haven\u2019t dimmed its glory.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-402694\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">La Trochita, Argentina<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1096651577-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78721\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">La Trochita (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-997573\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 45 minutes or 9 hours (one-way)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Far-flung wilderness and the romance of the past<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Esquel (Esquel Station) \u2013 Nahuel Pan \u2013 El Mait\u00e9n (El Mait\u00e9n Station)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>As Paul Theroux wrote in his 1979 travelogue <em>The Old Patagonian Express<\/em>: \u201cI wanted something altogether wilder, the clumsier romance of strangeness.\u201d Few quotes sum up this part of Patagonia better. The final leg of Theroux\u2019s trip was made on the steam train still known locally as <em>La Trochita<\/em>, or \u2018<em>The Little Gauge<\/em>\u2018, though the name that he christened it has since entered into common usage, even if the service is a much reduced one these days. However, for rail \u2013 and travel \u2013 enthusiasts it remains a thrilling prospect.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Today, only the odd charter runs the full 402km route between Esquel and Ingeniero Jacobacci. The most viable option now for travellers is the weekly 20km run between Esquel and the native Mapuche settlement of Nahuel Pan (45 mins), as you ride along in old vintage carriages. Less frequent services cover the 165km journey between Esquel and El Mait\u00e9n (9 hours), usually coinciding with maintenance work on the engines.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>But whichever route you take, it\u2019s worth exploring the area. Just south of Esquel is Trevellin, the archetypal \u2018green valley\u2019 sought by Welsh settlers in the late 19<sup>th<\/sup> century \u2013 Welsh is still heard in its tea rooms and chapels today. To the east lie the steppe-like plains of the Chubut, or head north of El Mait\u00e9n for the Argentine Lake District \u2013 a genteel mix of snow-capped peaks and beech forests flanking crystalline waters. Still, little can compete with the romance of chugging the wild foothills of the Andes.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-170572\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Serra Verde Express, Brazil<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_2254034041-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78722\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Serra Verde Express (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"in_content_3\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-813779\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-in_content_3\" data-placement-id=\"63378\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63378\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63378'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"wak-acf-block-913260\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 10 hours (return)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> Riding through Brazil\u2019s wild rainforest<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Curitiba (Curitiba Station) \u2013 Morretes<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Without doubt, it takes a certain bloody-mindedness to construct a railway through the middle of a rainforest. Indeed, when plans for a route across southern Brazil\u2019s Atlantic Forest were first raised more than 150 years ago, several engineers deemed it impossible. Yet by 1885, thanks to the toil of some 9,000 workers, it was complete, and what started as a way of transporting grain to the coast is now one of Latin America\u2019s most thrilling journeys.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The so-called <em>Serra Verde<\/em> (or<em> Green Saw<\/em>) <em>Express<\/em> operates a daily there-and-back route between Curitiba and Morretes. Take time to stroll both, with the former famed for its eco-minded layout \u2013 its pedestrianised downtown was one of the first big streets in Brazil to ban cars. Visit the eye-shaped Oscar Niemeyer museum, a fascinating insight into the architect who designed much of the country, or stretch your legs on the 15km trail to Paranagu\u00e1 through Marumbi NP. Meanwhile, the whitewashed Portuguese houses of Morretes are surrounded by forested hills and plenty of trails leading to a series of waterfalls amid the Serra da Graciosa range.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s around 3.5 hours of journey time in each direction. Along the way, you\u2019ll skirt bridges, mountain canyons and plenty of lush rainforest. But it\u2019s definitely worth booking ahead, particularly between the summer months of December and February, with the best views on the outbound trip found on the left-hand side.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n    <div id=\"wak-acf-block-823929\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-article-image wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n                \r\n        <h3 class=\"wak-title wak-h3\">Tren a las Nubes, Argentina<\/h3>\r\n                    \n<picture>\n    <source media=\"(max-width:575px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-700x470.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(max-width:991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <source media=\"(min-width:992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-1280x693.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-2560x1386.jpg 2x\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-350x250.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-350x250.jpg, https:\/\/www.wanderlustmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/shutterstock_1388593037-700x470.jpg 2x\" class=\"attachment-78723\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"250\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>   \r\n        \r\n        <span class=\"wak-caption wak-image-caption-text\">Tren a las Nubes (Shutterstock)<\/span>    <\/div>\r\n\n\n<div id=\"wak-acf-block-204068\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-copy-content wak-content-layout-default\">\r\n        <div class=\"wak-copy wak-body-standard-text\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong> 13 hours (return)<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best for:<\/strong> High-altitude scenery and dramatic ravines<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Route:<\/strong> Salta (Salta Station) \u2013 San Antonio de los Cobres \u2013 Polvorilla Viaduct<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Since being inaugurated in the late 1940s, Argentina\u2019s famous<em> Tren a las Nubes<\/em> \u2013 or <em>Train to the Clouds<\/em> \u2013 has been regularly ranked among the world\u2019s top rail adventures. It\u2019s also been frequently out of action, hampered by everything from financial problems to a derailment, and it\u2019s impacted on the route.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>It remains, however, one of the simplest ways of witnessing the country\u2019s towering north-west. A bus departs from the attractive colonial city of Salta at 7am, though it\u2019s worth arriving here a day early to explore. Wander the crumbling 17th-century buildings or visit the curious Museum of High Altitude Archaeology, where you can see mummified remains found in an Inca burial site on nearby Mount Llullaillaco.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The bus makes multiple photo stops en route as it snakes west through the tobacco fields of the Lerma Valley, passing forests of red-blossoming ceibo (the national flower of Argentina). From there, it rises into the brightly coloured rocky ravines of the Quebrada del Toro, slowly twirling up into the high-altitude desert plains of La Puna and \u2013 five hours after leaving Salta \u2013 the old mining town of San Antonio de los Cobres. This is where you\u2019ll board the train and set out across the high plateau to reach the Polvorilla Viaduct, a structure that sits at an atmospherically thin 4,200m above sea level, seemingly on top of the world. Just prepare for the altitude sickness.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wak-non-acf-block wak-non-acf-block-core-paragraph\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"wak-acf-block wak-acf-block-sidebar-content\" data-ad=\"last\"><div id=\"wak-acf-block-467768\" class=\"wak-acf-block wak-content-layout-default wak-acf-block-advert wak-ad-last\" data-placement-id=\"63380\" data-advert-visible=\"1\">\n    \n    <div class=\"wak-advert-container\">\n        \n            <div id=\"div-gpt-ad-63380\">\n                <script>\n                    googletag.cmd.push(() => { \n                        googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-63380'); \n                    });\n                <\/script>\n            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Andean highs to coastal lowlands, South America&#8217;s railroads cross some of the most dramatic scenery on 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