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een one ruin, you’ve... Not like these, you haven’t.

Start in Cusco, former capital of the Inca Empire and oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent. The spirits of the Incas still linger here. You sense their presence near the village of Pisac, where well-defined remains tell stories of Inca life as it once was, and in the mortarless masonry of Ollantaytambo, a "living ruin." In Chinchero, see women artisans demonstrate traditional textile-making just for the likes of us. Then the odd salt works of Maras and the terraced ruins of Moray.

Take lunch in a hacienda of a well-known Cusco family.

Board a luxurious train now to get to our next destination. Aboard the Orient-Express's luxurious Hiram Bingham, experience rail travel in a thoroughly new way. What's not to love? Dramatic scenery out the windows, and within, gourmet meals, utter comfort, great company, extraordinary service.

Though what we've seen so far has been something else, it is only a preamble to Machu Picchu, Lost City of the Incas. In 1911, American historian Hiram Bingham was wandering about looking for one lost city when he chanced upon another lost city. (Isn't that always the way?) Hidden for centuries in the clouds, Machu Picchu is wonderfully preserved (the Spanish never got there). Archaeologists and anthropologists think it was a religious center for the ancients.

Precariously perched 2,000 feet above the Urubamba River, it's arguably the ruin with the most spectacular setting of any in the world. Seeing Machu Picchu in the light of the setting sun is wondrous; seeing it at dawn is a defining moment. We stay at the only lodge situated at the entrance to the site, so we can access Machu Picchu before other visitors arrive. Lucky us.

The Hiram Bingham takes us back to Cusco to continue our explorations. Develop a taste for Spanish colonial architecture. The Larco Herrera Museum hints at former Incan riches almost impossible to imagine (try anyway). Head beyond the city limits to see what else the Inca left behind —the fort of Sacsayhuaman, the oft-missed complex of Tipon.

Train back to Cusco to continue our explorations. Develop a taste for Spanish colonial architecture. The Larco Herrera Museum hints at former Incan riches almost impossible to imagine (try anyway). Head beyond the city limits to see what else the Inca left behind –the fort of Sacsayhuaman, the oft-missed complex of Tipon.

On to Lima, founded by conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535. Churches, palaces, and vast catacombs have such tales to tell.

Home again, having finally met the ancients.

Perusing Peru. Sunset & Sunrise Over Machu Picchu Included. 9 Days.