Peru: An Odyssey Across a Time-Honoured Land

It’s hard to capture the true meaning of the word “sariri” in English. It comes from the Aymaran language, spoken by the indigenous people of the Andean Altiplano, and can be seen as the key to unlocking the many experiences Peru has to offer. You could define sariri as “traveller,” but that doesn’t quite get you to the real meaning. Sariris do indeed travel, but they do it with purpose; sariris are explorers, gathering wisdom throughout their journeys. To truly experience Peru, you need to have a sariri mindset – one that Belmond and its partners have used to build their Peruvian collection over the last twenty-five years, working closely with local experts and communities to craft an odyssey packed with these authentic stories. 

It’s best for a sariri to start their journey in Lima, the country’s capital. The city’s edge is fringed by the Pacific Ocean, and its Historic Center has bustled for centuries. These dense streets are so steeped in history that they’ve been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, where roads are lined with mansions and Baroque churches. Within them, Lima has been fermenting one of the most interesting food scenes in the world. The city has achieved this by constantly embracing new cultures and adding them to traditional layers of cuisine to create the great Peruvian gastronomy, which boasts renowned chefs – people such as Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, owners of a World’s Best award-winning restaurant, Central (while León also creatively directs Mauka for Belmond in Cusco). 

This mix of cultures has also influenced a dynamic arts scene that a sariri will find in galleries, bookstores and design districts. You should start your grand tour of Peru on the rooftop of Belmond’s Miraflores Park, one of the city’s most stunning hotels, looking down at the city of Lima. Unlike sariri, the name Miraflores is easy to translate: It means “Look! Flowers!” Sitting at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, it offers views of both the expanse of water and Lima’s skyline.

The journey from Lima to Cusco isn’t just a change in altitude – it’s a transition between worlds. It’s only an hour-and-a-half flight, but it takes you from the sprawling coast to the majestic Andes, where the landscape opens and the sky seems nearer. Here, you shed the habits of a tourist even more to slow down, take deeper breaths and listen more closely. 

Along Calle Siete Culebras, the walls are carved with the images of snakes said to evoke one of the Incas’ sacred creatures, Amaru. This street runs between two Belmond hotels also housed in historic structures: Palacio Nazarenas, a former nunnery, and Monasterio, where, once upon a time, the San Antonio Abad Seminary (and later the university of the same name) was located. City lore says that these two cloisters were connected through secret tunnels used by the religious devotees who lived there in the seventeenth century.  

The Urubamba Valley reveals a different side of the area surrounding Cusco, one intertwined with the rhythm of the Urubamba River. The hotel Rio Sagrado is situated on the banks of a river that has always given life to the valley and city beyond. Guests can discover the hotel’s local organic corn and potatoes, as well as ocas and mashwas – two small, colorful, striped, potato – like local tubers. Guides at the hotel teach burgeoning sariris about the textile art of nearby Chinchero, the salt mines of Maras, the circular terraces of Moray and the Inca complex of Písac. Known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, this is where sariris can connect to the spiritual center of ancient Peru.

Cusco is the gateway to Machu Picchu, the so-called Lost City of the Incas. One of the most important archaeological sites in the world, this fifteenth-century citadel is fifty miles from Cusco and can be accessed only by foot or train. Belmond’s luxurious Hiram Bingham train is named after the American adventurer who was the first Westerner to document Machu Picchu, in 1911. The train, built to evoke a 1920s parlor, with wood-panelled interiors and brass finishes, has a bar car where bands play local songs and bartenders pour pisco sours.  

Upon arrival at Machu Picchu, guests conclude the private tour with high tea at Sanctuary Lodge, the only luxury hotel that operates within the World Heritage site. Here, guests have the privilege of waking up on the mountain peak, contemplating one of the wonders of the world over breakfast. After returning to Cusco aboard the Hiram Bingham, a sariri has gained a deeper understanding of Peru – the history, the people, the food, the art, the music. Yet there is still so much to learn. Another Belmond train, the Andean Explorer, shares huge and otherwise inaccessible swaths of the country, traveling between Cusco, Puno and Arequipa. South America’s first luxury sleeper train, the Andean Explorer has twenty carriages and thirty-five private cabins, each with an en suite bathroom.  

The Andean Explorer makes a stop at the Pampa Cañahuas station, a disembarkation point for passengers heading to the Colca Canyon. It is here that you will find Las Casitas, Belmond’s luxury retreat in this region. Only three hours away from Arequipa, the hotel captures the tranquility of this part of Peru through its lush gardens. Here you can witness the Wititi, the colorful dance of the Collagua and Cabana communities, in which men and women twirl in richly embroidered skirts.  

Belmond’s two trains and six properties across Peru are all unique, embedded as they are in the country’s diverse locations, communities and histories. What connects them is what connects Peru: a spirit built from many layers of memory and traditions. It’s this complexity that will stay with the sariri long after they’ve returned home, and it is their duty to share it with the people they meet on their next journey. 

The above is an abridged extract from “Peru: An Odyssey Across a Time-Honored Land” © 2025 Assouline Publishing, Catherine Contreras. Purchase the book here.