hike up Machu Picchu in Peru has long been challenging for able - bodied the great unwashed — and impossible for mass who use wheelchairs . Now , CNN Travelreports that travel companyWheel the Worldhas develop a limited tour of Machu Picchu for disabled masses , make the situation wheelchair - approachable for the first time in its 600 - year story .
wheel around the World is the brainchild of Alvaro Silberstein and Camilo Navarro , two friend and entrepreneurs from Chile . Their idea formed when the duad design to hike up Torres de Paine National Park in Patagonia together in 2016 . Silberstein uses a wheelchair , and his regular chair was n’t accommodate for the journey . But following a successful crowdfunding campaign , he was able to purchase a lightweight , foldable chairwoman for the trip .
Silberstein and Navarro have since made a business out of making website unremarkably reserved for hikers wheelchair accessible . Wheel the World now offers duty tour ofEaster Islandand theZapotecruins in Mexico , but designing a tour for Machu Picchu , a website with an top close to 8000 feet , was their grown challenge yet .
Machu Picchuis a UNESCO World Heritage Site , and its protected condition and vulnerability to erosion means wheelchair ramps ca n’t be installed easy . alternatively , Wheel the World came up with a way to provide disabled tourists with special wheelchair at a price that was n’t gonzo . The wheelchair are made from brand and aluminum , which makes them lightweight , and they have one wheel in the front and two long handles like a barrow , make them easier to voyage over tough terrain . A partner is needed to bear on the death chair during the rise .
Wheelchairs are donated to the company and stored near the tour situation , which cuts down on costs . A four - day trip to Machu Picchu , including adjustment , meals , and transportation , costs Wheel the World traveller about $ 1500 .
Wheel the World is set to give its first full duty tour of Machu Picchu inMarch 2019 .
[ h / tCNN Travel ]
