Travellers with disabilities will soon be able to trek up the rough terrain & narrow walkways of Peru’s Machu Picchu using a specially designed trekkable wheelchair.
The foldable wheelchair is being used by Wheel The World, a tour operator specialising in accessible travel, on its first wheelchair-friendly tours of the ancient citadel.
Designed specifically for trekking the Peruvian site, the wheelchair is made from a mix of steel and aluminium, and fashioned into the shape of a wheelbarrow, The Daily Mail reported.
Due to its individual design, users will be unable to propel themselves up the mountain but rather rely on travel companions or guides using two long sticks at the front and a handle at the back.
The chair is also equipped with brakes, a harness and suspension so that it can move over uneven and steep ground, the website reported.
Wheel The World’s Co-Founder, Alvaro Silberstein, said he hopes the tour will “empower people with disabilities” by making it easier for them to see places such as Machu Picchu.
“As Machu Picchu is a protected place, it isn’t as simple as just doing work to make it accessible like putting down ramps.”
Alvaro Silberstein, Wheel The World Co-Founder
Wheel The World works with a Peruvian partner to store the wheelchairs for guests who book a four-day tour, which includes visits to Cusco and Machu Picchu.
The first tour sets off in March, and according to The Daily Mail, it has already received strong interest.
Click here for more information.
- READ: Did you know there are multiple trails to Machu Picchu?
- READ: Peru bans single-use plastic bottles from its ancient citadel
- READ: There’s more for your PERU-sual than you realise