Travel Wires
Peeking allowed
Beijing is to open a 250-year-old imperial hideaway to visitors for the first time. The Forbidden City’s Qianlong Garden was built from 1771-76 with four courtyards, elaborate rockeries and 27 pavilions. The 800sq m complex was abandoned after the last emperor left in 1924 and has been painstakingly rebuilt since 2001, including furnishings from “a time widely considered to be one of the boldest and most extravagant periods of interior design in China's history”. The project is expected to wrap in 2020, the Forbidden City’s 600th anniversary.
High rollers
Silversea Cruises has unveiled two extravagant World Cruises for 2021, both calling into our ports. The Expedition World Cruise sails from Ushuaia, Argentina to Tromso, Norway, a 167-day voyage to 107 destinations in 30 countries. Highlights include dinner on London’s Tower Bridge walkway and a Viking feast in an Icelandic forest. For just
$1.45 million, you can book the two-bedroom Owner’s Suite for the entire cruise. The World Cruise is a 54-port, 150-day, 34-country voyage from Fort Lauderdale to New York (the long way). Included: gourmet restaurant meals in two cities, a Venetian masked ball and a “glamorous night at the races in Hong Kong”. Why not Tauherenikau?
Form a queue
Bucket-list travellers: be aware that access to Machu Picchu, the spectacular 600-year-old Inca citadel in the Peruvian Andes, has become strictly regulated. Tourists are now limited to booking tickets for specifically scheduled times, tickets are valid for up to four hours and re-entry is not allowed. Before, you booked for either a morning or afternoon slot. The landmark is seriously over-touristed and infrastructure cannot cope. Officials are trying their best to control the crowds and protect the site.
Wheel journeys
Two Chileans have developed the first wheelchairaccessible tour of Machu Picchu and other previously hard-to-get-to sites. Alvaro Silberstein, who uses a wheelchair, and Camilo Navarro, who doesn't, have created Wheel the World, a travel company promoting their foldable wheelchair. They work with partners who donate the wheelchairs and store them, meaning users don't have to supply their own or handle the cost of shipping. Navarro and Silberstein also have tours in Chile and Mexico. “There are one billion people in the world with disabilities,” Navarro says. “But there's not one main travel company dedicated to these users.” The best mates are now planning tours for travellers who are deaf, blind or have other accessibility needs.