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Help the Porters See Machu Picchu

Here’s a photo I snapped at Machu Picchu when I visited. For most of the porters carrying tourists’ belongings, tents, and food on the Inca Trail, this is as close as they ever see to their great wonder that is so close. It’s expensive to get into Machu Picchu, far beyond the income of what these guys make. Plus there’s the transportation issue, including the shuttle bus ride up to the ruins from Aguas Calientes at the bottom.

I found out about a program to rectify this, at least a little, through an organization called Karikuy. They’re trying to drum up donations to help these hard-working men get into the great citadel. See details here at the Karikuy-Haugen Fund.

If you were touched by your trip to Machu Picchu and the thrill of seeing it with your own eyes, any donation you make could help some key locals experience it as well.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2009 at 7:01 am and is filed under Peru, Travel industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

One Response to “Help the Porters See Machu Picchu”

  1. Rachel Says:
    December 24th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    Machu Picchu is out of the budget of most Peruvians, which is a real shame. Access to the site is a real hot potato as the government is resisting building and upgrading a road to Aguas Calientes because they get loads of money from the trains that take tourists out to Aguas Calientes.

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