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Machu Picchu is now wheelchair accessible

19th February 2019

 

Nestled in the slopes of the Andes, the ancient UNESCO World Heritage site of Machu Picchu continues to entice millions of people every year. Travellers come to marvel at the mysteries of the hidden Inca citadel and enjoy the unspoiled views from the top of the site.

However, according to Insider, the first person in a wheelchair only visited the tourist hotspot last month.

Now, thanks to travel company Wheel the World, many more people will be able to follow suit. The company has launched the first wheelchair-accessible tours of Machu Picchu. Insider wrote: “The company, founded by friends Alvaro Silberstein and Camilo Navarro, offers tours to far-flung destinations with the help of specially designed foldable wheelchairs.”

The company came about after the friends Alvaro and Camilo, one of whom uses a wheelchair, embarked on a hike of the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia in 2016.

Alvaro has used a wheelchair since he was 18-years-old following a road traffic accident. Through fundraising, he was able to buy a lightweight, foldable wheelchair.

Camilo told news channel CNN: “There are one billion people in the world with disabilities, but there’s not one main travel company dedicated to those users.”

The friends were born in Chile and moved to America for their education, it was there they started to create Wheel of the World and made it into a business. Since then, their company has expanded and offers tours to other famous tourist spots like Easter Island in Polynesia.

Insider reported: “Some travellers with disabilities have avoided remote journeys because of the cost and hassle of buying and shipping an appropriate wheelchair. That's why Wheel the World acquired specially designed steel and aluminium chairs and stores them on site in Peru for ease of use.”

Wheel the World wrote on their blog: “We have managed to open routes so that hundreds of other people repeat them, and we have committed ourselves with the purpose of empowering people with disabilities to explore the world without limits and find their next inclusive adventure.”

Thanks to their great work Wheel the World has opened up exciting holiday possibilities for people with mobility issues who may rely on aids at home, including stair lifts.

This news article is from Handicare UK. Articles that appear on this website are for information purposes only.