Peru lures wealthy tourists with luxury train, yoga

By Maria Luisa Palomino

CUZCO, Peru (Reuters Life!) - Complete with five-star hotels, world-class restaurants, luxury trains and an indoor oxygen system, Tim Jones' trip to the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu in Peru was anything but rough.

And Peru's government could not be happier with tourists who spend more than thrifty backpackers who have long had a strong presence in the Andean country's tourism market.

"It's not that we don't like backpackers ... but a lot of our campaigns are focused on luxury," Mercedes Araoz, Peru's trade and tourism minister, told Reuters.

In recent months, Cusco, some 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) above sea level, has been visited by software billionaire Bill Gates and the actress Cameron Diaz, both of whom participated in traditional indigenous ceremonies.

Gone are the days of high altitude headaches, plastic tents and pots of plain rice. Today's high-end travelers to Machu Picchu, Peru's top tourist attraction, stay in hotels, dine at restaurants and relax with massages, yoga and aromatherapy.

Jones, 48, said he shelled out thousands for the trip.

"All told, it's good quality for the price," said Jones, waiting for dinner service on a luxury train between Machu Picchu and Cuzco, a city high in the mountains, some 680 miles

southwest of Peru's capital, Lima.