One of the Seven Wonders of the World and over 600 years old, but Machu Picchu has only been fully wheelchair accessible for a few months.
Wheelchair users can now join the masses and take in the sights at the ancient Incan ruins, all thanks to a new tour set up by travel company Wheel the World.
The first of its kind, the tour is the brainchild of best friends Alvaro Silberstein, who uses a wheelchair, and Camilo Navarro, who doesn’t.
Aiming to make travel accessible to everyone, the group offers specialty wheelchairs to travellers so that they no longer have to miss out on bucket list experiences.
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With more than a million visitors annually, Machu Picchu is Peru’s most visited tourist attraction. However, the rocky terrain and its location almost 8,000 feet above sea level mean that it is quite tricky to reach.
Accessibility issues have been a problem at numerous UNESCO world heritage sites as modifying them can cause preservation concerns.
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The friends have come up with a solution that manages to balance between preservation and accessibility by providing single-wheeled wheelbarrow-like wheelchairs to visitors with mobility issues.
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A four-day trip to Machu Picchu, without flights, will set you back around €1,300…well worth it though if you ask me.
