Discover darkest Peru

In a land of surprises, one of the strangest sights was that of guests being given oxygen in the hotel foyer. A man wheeled the cylinder to a large woman with flapping arms and placed the mask gently over her face. She breathed deeply, relaxed... then the same treatment was given to another lady sitting nearby.

It's a scene you'd expect to find in a hospital casualty unit rather than a hotel lobby. But the Libertador hotel is 11,000ft above sea level in Cusco, the ancient Inca capital in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, where condors fly and the air is thin.

Dizziness and headaches are normal until you acclimatise, which usually takes no more than 24 hours. Oxygen is always there if required, but the traditional remedy is coca tea, provided freely from a large urn.

Generally, visitors readily accept a small degree of discomfort as a price worth paying to see one of the most exciting destinations in the world.

For most people, Cusco is a stepping stone to Machu Picchu, the fabled 'lost' city of the Incas.

Some don hiking boots and go the hard way, trekking 25 gruelling miles along the Inca trail that used to link the two centres.

Others squeeze onto the crowded ''backpacker'' train. And a fortunate few, (ourselves included), journey in great style aboard the luxurious Hiram Bingham express, named after the American explorer who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911.

The journey to the mysterious Inca city begins, for everyone, with the much less memorable Peruvian capital, Lima.

With no direct flights from London, we flew with Dutch airline KLM, via Amsterdam and then the Dutch island of Bonair off the coast of Venezuela. Total journey time topped 16 hours.

To bleary-eyed arrivals at the international airport, Lima gives a depressing first impression - the city is polluted, ugly, traffic-infested and encircled by shanty town slums. But it is a gateway to great treasures.

Thankfully, Cox & Kings eased our way by by placing us in the sumptuous Miraflores Park hotel, perched on a cliff-top overlooking the Pacific. The shower alone - like a glorious hot waterfall - is worth the stay here.

To be fair, Lima has redeeming features. The historic centre of the city, containing cathedral and presidential palace, deserves a visit, as does the nearby San Francisco monastery, built on a labyrinth of catacombs.

Lima also has good museums, such as the Larco Herrera Museum, housed in an 18th century colonial mansion. It holds the most extensive collection of pre-Columbian art in Peru, and a unique assortment of erotic pottery.

Three hours drive north of Lima lies the recently discovered sacred city of Caral, which no fan of Indiana Jones should miss.

The city dates back 5,000 years and is one of the oldest seats of civilisation known on Earth, second only in age to ancient Mesopotamia in modern day Iraq.

A sprawling collection of step pyramids, amphitheatres and circular temples, Caral rises out of a bone-dry desert where rain never falls. As a result, even the wooden supports of its incredibly old houses are remarkably preserved.

The city's existence was announced to the world in 2001, and it was only opened to the public two years ago.

Facilities there are still very limited, and visiting Caral is a pioneering experience. Be warned - the final leg of the journey is a bone-shaking, 55-minute ride down a dirt track more suited to donkeys than tourist buses.

On our way there we learned of one of Peru's greatest contributions to the civilised world, besides the potato - it seems Peruvians were toasting corn before the birth of Christ.

''Hollywood gave us the movies, but we gave the world popcorn,'' said our guide, proudly.

Needless to say, most visitors spend as little time as possible in the capital before an hour-long flight to Cusco.

And after Lima, Cusco, the oldest city in the western hemisphere and cradle of Inca civilisation, is a revelation.

Even the weather is different. Lima is usually overcast and shrouded in fog, while Cusco enjoys clear, bright sunshine.

Although the conquering Spanish tried to destroy Inca buildings, the solid workmanship of the original owners was not easily swept aside. Old stone walls can still be seen, often supporting later structures and narrow cobbled Inca streets, dead straight, are like those of the Romans.

Around the picturesque main square, dominated by a beautiful cathedral and church, upmarket boutiques sell high-quality alpaca woollens, (the alpaca is a small relative of the llama).

In the side streets - much safer than Lima's - are markets filled with colourful arrays of merchandise, from ponchos to musical instruments.

It's fine to haggle, but shrewd traders only give ten per cent off for cash. Better bargains are obtained from traditionally dressed locals selling their wares at archaeological sites nearby.

Eating in Cusco is an adventure in itself - with baked guinea pig a local speciality. The whole roasted animal appears on a plate, paws and all, with carrot clamped between its white rodent teeth.

The Hiram Bingham train leaving Poroy, near Cusco, is Peru's answer to the Orient Express. The journey takes three and a half hours in gorgeous carriages decked out in wood and brass, with delicious food and wine served while a cinemascape of dramatic scenery slips by.

High open plains give way to spectacular steep gorges and cloud forest. The train stops at the ramshackle backpacker town of Agua Caliente, from where a succession of buses ascend a narrow winding road to Machu Picchu.

Even before reaching the city, you realise this is an extraordinary and special place. Mountains rise, jagged and sharp, like rows of teeth, seeming alive because they are clad in lush green forest. Machu Picchu sits on a kind of saddle, 8,500ft up, amidst this natural splendour.

The ruins consist of a collection of terraces, stone walls, steps and temples covering an area of about five square kilometres. Their mystical quality takes the breath away.

On every side, towering peaks, precipitous chasms, ravines and valleys stretch as far as the eye can see.

The Incas believed mountains were the hands of the Earth stretching up and trying to touch heaven. And the peaks of Machu Picchu, their tops brushed by wisps of cloud, do indeed seem to be reaching for the sky. Climb to the high 'guard post' and you feel dizzy with the immensity and majesty of it all.

There are many people around - more than 1,500 visit the site each day, prompting calls for controls - but they fade into insignificance. You can almost believe you are standing in the palm of God's hand. It really is that impressive.

Since the Incas left no written records, little is known about why Machu Picchu was built - possibly as military citadel, religious site, or royal retreat.

Even less is known about why the city was abandoned and left to the jungle after being occupied for only about ten years, all long before the Spanish arrived. Was it a plague, attack or massacre?

But you hardly need to probe Machu Picchu's secrets - it is quite enough to simply savour its atmosphere.

TRAVELFACTS

* John von Radowitz travelled with Cox & Kings, staying at Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima and the Libertador in Cusco. His eight-day, seven-night package, available year round starts at £2,360 per person in September, including most meals, and a return trip to Machu Picchu on Orient Express-owned Hiram Bingham train.

* Cox & Kings' seven night Highlights of Peru tour, via Lima, Cusco and Machu Pi cchu, from £1,395 is also available all year round.

* Price includes KLM return flights ex-Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester. Add £35 return ex-Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle and Aberdeen.

* Cox & Kings reservations: 020 7873 5000 or visit www.coxandkings.co.uk