How Accessible are the 7 Wonders of the World to the kind and visually impaired traveller, does a lack of facilities at these sites limit disability access for the visually disabled tourist? In this blog we look at accessibility on site, the best times of the year to visit, ticket prices and opening hours to enhance your visit.
As a schoolchild, I always struggled to understand why the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus had made it into the ‘7 Wonders of the World’ list and exactly why it was a wonder. The Great Pyramid, the Colossus of Rhodes and even a lighthouse, those I could understand in their appeal, but a mausoleum? Similarly, how ‘hanging’ were Babylon’s gardens?
Time, historical events, and the desire of builders to demolish ageing buildings for stone to create new structures have robbed us of all but one of the original Wonders of the Ancient World. I was therefore curious to read a new list of the 7 Wonders of the World. The list compiled by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation from 200 existing monuments compiled from online votes had one notable flaw, it listed 8 Wonders. The judges objected to the fact that the general public had failed to recognise the Great Pyramid at Giza. This is because it is the sole remaining Ancient Wonder of the World left to us. That’s the risk in asking the public anything sensible, so they independently decided to include it within their final list of 7, actually 8 Wonders of the World.
Given that these were ‘modern’ wonders and thus susceptible to the clipboards of officialdom and accessibility auditors, I became curious about how easily accessible they were for the visually disabled visitor, and more importantly was there any chance we would get free entry with our sighted companions as guides?
Photo by William Olivieri on Unsplash
The Great Wall of China
The Wall was started in the 7th century BC and repeatedly added to and extended by various Chinese emperors. Now it officially stretches from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, from the present-day Sino–Russian border in the north to the Tao River (Taohe) in the south, following an arc that roughly maps out the geographical edge of the Mongolian steppe, and spans about 21,200 km. The best-known and most visited section of the Wall was built during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) north of Beijing. This section looping up and down a range of hills has around 12 sections commonly visited by tourists and is extensively preserved and heavily renovated.
Accessibility on site:
Mutianyu is probably the most popular section, being easily accessible from Beijing and the fact it comprises a well-restored section with 23 watchtowers and gives great opportunities for photos against the surrounding rugged landscape. For the fully able it takes about 2 hours to walk this 1.4-mile section, beyond tower 23 you are responsible for your safety!
At Mutianyu, those with visual disability and reduced mobility can ride a cable car up the mountainside and then use barrier-free access to stand on a platform below the 14th watch tower, if you just wish to view the wall and wait whilst your sighted companion explores further. However, you will still need to walk about 600 metres and be guided up a long flight of stairs to reach the entrance to the cable car. For the more adventurous blind stumbler, on exiting the cable car there is a series of further steps to the top of the Wall. Reaching and walking the wall is challenging for those with low vision and is a bit of a workout as the Wall’s ramparts are not even pathways, just a series of continuous steps in places.
Badaling Great Wall section is another popular site with visitors and is more accessible due to its less exciting position and gentle ramp leading up to the first watch tower. However, Badaling is often crowded as it is a popular day tour location with tour operators.
Ticket Price: RMB40 (USD 5.50) between Nov and March); RMB 45 (USD 6.25) between April and October). There is no discount for either the visually impaired visitor or their sighted helper.
Cable Car: RMB100 (USD 14) for a round trip.
Opening Hours: 06:30-19:00 (in summer); 07:00-18:00 (in winter).
By the way, just to put the record straight, the Wall is not visible to the naked human eye from the Moon, it’s a sighted people’s myth!
Petra, Jordan
The “Rose City”, because of its sandstone colouration, is justifiably famous for its architecture, history and that sense of ‘I may be on a tour but I’m Indiana Jones’ as you access the city of Petra through the picturesque 1.2-kilometre-long narrow gorge called the Siq. This passageway takes you directly to the Al-Khazneh (The Treasury), the iconic stone frontage so well-known from adventure movies.
Petra was the desert capital of the Nabataeans, a nomadic tribe who created an artificial oasis here, their wealth and prosperity being based on their careful management of their water resources and forceful control of incense trade and its transportation routes. Most of the rock-cut buildings seen today are the remains of the tombs of the Nabataeans less remains of their city’s buildings.
Traditionally caravans approached the city from the south or from the high plateau to the north, today’s would-be Indiana Joneses approach Petra from the east via the visitor’s centre at Wadi Musa, which leads you to the Treasury through the Siq (the shaft), the iconic winding gorge through the sandstone, 3–4 metres) wide in places.
By Hobe / Holger Behr – Own work, Public Domain,
Accessibility on site:
If you and your sighted companion wish to walk the Siq, this is possible, but it is a rough but rewarding hike varying in difficulty from easy paved sections to rocks and soft sand.
Several options exist for those with limited mobility or who are unwilling to walk through the Siq. A horse ride is included in the ticket, and it is also possible to take a horse-drawn carriage from the entrance gate to the Treasury. For responsible travellers who are averse to the exploitation of animals in tourism, a fleet of golf carts is present to transfer you through the Siq. The golf carts must be reserved ahead of time and cost around $110 (USD) for two people for a return trip down to the Treasury. Unfortunately, the golf carts are not wheelchair-accessible and alternative arrangements need to be made if you wish to use this service.
There are several walks and trails around the site. The most popular are:
- the main trail from the Treasury to the royal tombs, the colonnaded street, and The Girl’s Palace (ca 2 km);
- The main trail including the Monastery (ca 6 km, 2-3 hours); and
- The main trail and the High Place of Sacrifice (ca 4 km, ca 2 hours).
The walk up to the Monastery is a popular route but can be an intense experience given the terrain, heat, and unrailed steps in bright sunshine. Outside the Treasury, there are local guides with donkeys offering to transport you for the day. Although there have been improvements in welfare and treatment, continuing concerns remain, and it is still a matter of conscience whether you use this mode of transportation to get around the site as a visually disabled traveller and a responsible traveller.
Unfortunately, there are no guides trained to help people with hearing or visual impairment at the Treasury, and although the museum at Petra’s Visitor Centre is modern and accessible it also has no facilities for visually impaired visitors. You may need to consider arranging your guide at the Visitor Centre (or getting hold of a good guidebook).
Best Time to Visit: March through to May, and then September to November are the best times of the year to visit Petra and Jordan. In summer the high temperatures can be harsh, whilst in the winter the weather is often unpredictable.
Ticket Price: 50 JD (USD 71) for tourists but consider a 2 or 3-day pass to appreciate the site as slow tourists. There is no discount for either the visually impaired visitor or their sighted helper.
Opening Hours: The main gate opens at 6 am, and we would recommend only visiting in the early morning before the site becomes too hot and exposed.
Whenever you go, take your Indiana hat with you plus copious sunscreen and water, the holy grail is an optional extra!
By Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 de,
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It is debatable whether people visit this site out of interest for 30 metre Art Deco statues of Jesus, or the surrounding view from the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado Mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Originally planned to be holding a globe and a crucifix in his outstretched hands, today his hands are empty, which proves that even Wonders of the World are subject to project scope creep.
Accessibility on site:
This is possibly one of the most accessible Wonders for an independent or accompanied visually impaired traveller. Firstly, there are several easy ways to reach the statue’s entrance gate.
The Cog Railway: The most popular way to reach the summit of Corcovado Hill is to catch the cog train (or bondinho) that departs every 20-30 minutes from Cosme Velho station at the base of the Corcovado Peak. The trip takes around 20 minutes to reach the statue, and don’t forget to sit on the right-hand side going up and the left-hand side descending for the best views for your companion.
Travel Tip: If you buy your tickets online or in advance you will have to specify your visit times and arrive at the station 15-20 minutes in advance, this may also limit the time you want to spend on the summit. We recommend buying your tickets on-site once you reach the station, as you don’t have to worry about departure times and this allows for slower travel at your pace.
The Corcovado Vans: Operated by the Tijuca National Park Service, these vans are one of the official ways to access the summit and have the advantage that they can be accessed at several different locations throughout Rio, namely Largo do Machado (very close to a subway station); Lido Square at Copacabana and at Paineiras Visitor Centre (the highest point of Corcovado Hill you can reach by taxi or car). As expected it is an accessible, comfortable and air-conditioned ride.
Travel Tip: You can buy the tickets at the bus points (which includes the way there, the way back, and the entrance for the Christ), but if planning to travel in high season at peak times it’s worth buying online – the queueing times for vans has been known to reach an hour and a half during these periods.
Finally, by foot: The (free) path starts at Parque Lage (which has an elegant café worth visiting) and winds up through the rainforest to the summit. The walk takes between 4 and 5 hours, but you will be rewarded by the sounds and occasional sights of its resident monkeys. A guiding hand is essential as it is graded an intermediate hiking trail, for although the path is reasonable, some parts are steeply inclined. Buy your ticket at the top, but make sure you take enough pocket cash as currently, you can only pay in cash, and they do not accept cards.
Travel Tip: There have been occasional reports of walkers being mugged and robbed for their phones and personal possessions on this route, but it has been difficult to figure out how frequent this has happened or the actual risk to tourists.
The entrance to Christ the Redeemer is easily accessible and there are elevators to help people with limited mobility reach the summit. The final assault to the summit is by the escalator!
The escalator below the Christ the Redeemer statue, By Yeuxpapilon – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Best time to visit: Rio de Janeiro is quietest during April and May or during October and November, these are the shoulder periods when the weather is slightly cooler (mid-20s°C/low 80s°F) and the city has fewer tourists visiting. December through to March is the warmest (around 32°C / 90°F) and sunniest months and has little risk of rain. However, February is Carnival month and prices skyrocket during accommodation needs to be booked at least 6 months to a year in advance.
The best time of day to visit the statue is during the early morning on a weekday, just after it opens after 8 am, you will find that the site is quieter (it gets busy between 10 am and 3 pm!) and the sun lights up the face of Jesus. Visits during the late afternoon towards sunset are also rewarding as the site is again much quieter and as the sun sets behind the statue this time, its light shines over the city below. The main platform can become very busy, and people are not often the most considerate to visibly disabled visitors when they are fired by a desire to get that ‘must have’ selfie photo, but there are other quieter platforms to explore and that gives other panoramic views of the city. Failing that clear a path to the best photo locations by using your white sensory cane – it can work two ways!
Travel Tip: Pay attention to the weather forecast, the better the clarity, the better the view of the city below.
Ticket Price: I could not reference a reduced price for visually disabled travellers or their sighted companions, but seniors over 60 have free entry to the statue.
The adult prices for a single ticket visit by van up to Christ the Redeemer was ca R$ 82 (USD 17) and by cog train was R$ 122.50 (USD 25) during the high season and R$ 97.50 (USD 20) during the low season. Seniors over 60 can obtain discounted tickets which include travel by van or cog train and entrance.
Opening Hours: The Christ the Redeemer statue site opens 7 days a week between 8 am and 7 pm. The first Corcovado cog train leaves at 8 am and the final return is at 5 pm during weekdays but extends to 6 pm at weekends. The last van leaves on its return journey down the hill at 6h30 pm.
The advice on several sites is that tickets to the summit and statue rarely sell out so there is no need to book your visit in advance, so wait until you are in Rio and integrate it into your slow travel itinerary.
By Christian Morales Callo – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Machu Picchu, Peru
The remains of this 15th-century Inca citadel lie at an altitude of 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) on a mountain ridge in southern Peru. The “Lost City of the Incas” is visited by approximately one million people a year. Famed for its historical importance, the site is also renowned for its landscape setting, lush green mountains and the cloud forests that surround it. Since 2019, the number of visitors per day has been capped at 2,500 visitors and a strict one-way system imposed on some circuits on site. Despite these restrictions, the city’s narrow tracks and terraces are still falling victim to tourism and during peak tourist times its tranquil setting can become rather noisy.
The site is roughly divided into an urban sector and an agricultural sector and an upper town and a lower town. The temples are in the upper town, and the warehouses in the lower parts of the citadel. The city sits in a saddle between the two mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu,
The majority of visitors travel to Machu Picchu via Cusco, either by taking the train from Cusco City or by catching it in nearby Ollantaytambo and riding up to the entry point at Aguas Calientes. This is the most accessible route though it is possible to try a multi-day hike along part of the Inca Trail up and into the site, but this choice requires careful consideration as it is a strenuous and difficult hike for the visually impaired and requires guiding.
Travel Tip: Independent travellers beware, as you are not allowed to take your luggage on the train up to Aguas Calientes, limiting you to a carry-on bag (there is no road access to Aguas Calientes). If staying a couple of nights in Cisco to acclimatise to its 3500 m altitude (incidentally the altitude at Manchu Picchu is 2,400m – it’s a steeper but lower altitude site!), try and make arrangements there with your hotel. If accessing the train at Ollantaytambo the station there has a left luggage area you can use.
From Aguas Calientes, you can take a 20-minute bus (USD 12 each way) ride to the site. Tickets cannot be bought on the bus and have to be booked from the ticket office in town. The bus route follows a steep windy road, narrow in places but not as scary as myth and various blogs make it out to be.
Accessibility on site:
On-going efforts continue to improve the infrastructure around Machu Picchu, including enhanced transportation options, the maintenance and upgrading of paths and in the creation of added facilities to meet visitor needs. However, whilst the site is not easily accessible or friendly towards wheelchair users, it is accessible with care for the visually disabled walker with help from a sighted companion. Their help is essential in accessing and crossing the narrow Inca stone steps throughout the site.
Circuits 1 or 2 allow visitors to access the upper levels of the site and will provide your sighted companion with the ‘must have’ photo or selfie of the site with those elevated views of Huayna Picchu looming over the citadel. Circuits 3 and 4 focus on the lower levels (and are entered through the lower entry gate). There is little chance to deviate from a lower circuit to one of the upper circuits because of the strict one-way system, so visually disabled visitors (despite their white stick) heading in the wrong direction is exceedingly obvious to the guards. If you buy a general entry ticket you could be given any one of the four circuits, but are not supposed to deviate from that circuit, so be prepared to choose your circuit.
Travel Tip: Circuit 3 provides the easiest route through the lower sections of Machu Picchu. This circuit does not include a visit to the Guardian House sector, one of the highest accessible places on site, which will require guidance and support. However, the Machu Picchu Mountain ticket comes with special access to a coveted viewpoint, following the route of Circuit 3, it allows access up to the Guardian House viewpoint, one of the most sought views in Machu Picchu and one of the quietest of the upper-level viewpoints.
Not only is there a lack of information available for deaf and visually impaired visitors, but there is little information on site for the rest of the able-bodied community. A good guidebook is essential for you and your sighted companion.
Travel Tip: If you are a slow traveller, consider extending your trip and staying the night before you visit Manchu Picchu (and even the night after) in Aguas Calientes, the little town at the mountains foot. Although busy during the day, the town has a more relaxed atmosphere at night and makes for an attractive accommodation possibility. More importantly, though, a stay allows early access into Machu Picchu at a pace which avoids the crowds which appear later in the morning.
Best time to visit: The peak season for tourist numbers is between June, July, and August, with slightly less popular shoulder seasons in May and September. which coincides with the dry season in the region. Remember those cloud forests, the weather is clearer during these periods and the views are less obscured.
Opening Hours: On-site numbers are controlled through a Timed Entry and circuit system in place at the site entrance to control access to some of the main attractions. Your ticket will give you access to one circuit, and it comes with a time slot – a one-hour window in which you may enter the site.
Travel Tip: Officially with your controlled entry and circuit ticket you are only allowed to roam on-site for up to 4 hours, however, this does not seem to be actively policed if you are following the correct one-way direction, and the focus is on entry rather than exit, so you may be able to extend your visit if you are taking it slowly.
Ticket Price: In recognition of the site’s popularity, tickets are best bought several months in advance. Foreign visitors with visual disabilities can obtain a 50% discount on the entrance ticket into Machu Picchu if they follow one of two strategies:
- Option 1: Have a valid disability card or certificate issued through their own governmental or public health bodies registering them as severely sight impaired (blind) or sight impaired (low vision).
- Option 2: For independent travellers on an extended visit through South America you may wish to consider a Conadis card. The Conadis card is a card issued to accredit people with disabilities and can be obtained throughout Latin America at the offices of Conadis (National Council for the Integration of People with Disabilities). The Conadis card can be used to obtain discounts and special prices at sites such as Machu Picchu.
Despite its one million visitors, many of them in their retirement years, there are no toilets inside Machu Picchu, and the only facilities are at the entrance, so definitely consider your options on arrival, as after all no one wants to see a blind person caught short at 2,500 metres altitude. It could take the gloss off your visit to Machu Picchu and get you permanently banned from Peru!
By Daniel Schwen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Chichen Itza, Yucatán, Mexico
This large pre-Columbian city was one of the largest cities built by the Maya people, the site covering approximately 5 square kilometres of flat land containing many fine stone buildings in various states of preservation or restoration. Many of these stone structures were originally painted in red, green, blue and purple which must have been an interesting and vivid sight. The site fell into decline in the 12th century when Mayapan – another Mayan city 60 miles to the west became more influential in influence. The arrival of the Spanish in the 15th century and the decimation of the native population through introducing diseases for which many had no immunisation finally decimated the city, and it was abandoned to the jungle until its rediscovery in the mid-19th century.
Chichen Itza is to be found east of Yucatan state’s capital city, Merida, and west of Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Valladolid. It’s accessible from all the cities by bus or car in under 2.5 hours and is a popular day trip location, drawing in around 850,000 tourists a year. A figure seventeen times its likely population of 50,000 at its peak in the tenth century.
If you so not wish to take an organised tour of the site, several buses are heading towards the site from the main tourist areas. From Cancun, you can take an ADO bus (the region’s largest bus operator). The buses leave from the central bus station rather than from the resort areas. There are also regular ADO buses from Merida Central Bus Station to Chichen Itza. ADO buses drop tourists outside the main entrance but often arrive in the early afternoon after an 8 am or 9 am departure from Cancun, and return quite late at night, so be sure to book and reserve tickets in advance and take careful note of the times.
Accessibility on site:
Chichén Itzá is very accessible, and with a ban that stops all visitors from climbing up to the pyramid’s top layers, equality has been restored for all!
Once within the site, you will be walking on dirt and stone paths, although rough, and in places uneven or broken up by tree roots they present little difficulty, and the worst patches of track are easily guided through. Once within the main complex, although the path borders the sides of the structures, the main area is an open grass field, so cut corners and stumble freely my blind friends if you want to cut corners. Chichen Itza is currently running with certain restrictions, limiting visitor numbers to 3000 a day to prevent excessive crowding inside the site.
When to Visit: The best time of year to visit Chichen Itza is during the shoulder months of November, February, and March – when the weather is at its best and the tourist crowds have diminished slightly from their peak during the peak winter season. Temperatures during April and May can reach 100 degrees in the Yucatan, and in September and October, the weather is both hot and excessively humid, neither of which is ideal for exploring ancient ruins.
As a one-off event, if you can time your visit to the spring or fall equinox, then experiencing the ‘serpent shadow’ by all events is a memorable event.
Ticket price: In 2024, tickets cost 614 pesos (USD 37) for foreign visitors over thirteen. Buying tickets in advance is possible (see here) and recommended to avoid long lines at the entrance. There is no discount for either the visually impaired visitor or their sighted guide.
Travel Tip: If travelling independently it is advisable to bring sufficient cash (with Mexican pesos) as the card machines can be unreliable at the site.
Opening Hours: The site is open every day of the year, opening at 8 am and closing at 5 pm, with the last entry from 4 pm. As with all popular sites, it is best to access the site as early as possible to avoid the crowds and the heat in summer.
Travel Tip: On Sundays, Mexican residents enter Chichén Itzá for free and the site can become extremely busy with families.
After exploring Chichen Itza’s temples and looking wishfully at the private entry swimming cenote on the site, take a colectivo back along the road to Valladolid and get off at the entrance to Cenote Ik Kil. Unlike the cenotes within the archaeological park, this is a cenote where swimming is allowed. With long hanging vines reaching down to its waters, it is an attractive spot a refreshing opportunity on a hot day. The site has lockers and changing rooms on-site, as well as a café restaurant.
By Kasa Fue – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
The Colosseum remains one of the iconic symbols of Imperial Rome within the eternal Roman capital, this historic amphitheatre remains one of the largest ever built and one of the few still standing. Built almost entirely out of three components (travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete) the Colosseum could hold an estimated audience of between 50-80,000 spectators at various time points in its two-thousand-year history. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era but found alternative uses as housing, workshops, a fortress, a quarry, the quarters for a religious order and a Christian shrine.
The Colosseum is regarded by the Christian churches as a site of martyrdom, as large numbers of believers were executed here during the reigns of various Roman emperors, although it is likely other sites within Rome oversaw similar executions – their main crime being a refusal to reverence the Roman gods.
The original spectators were seated in a tiered arrangement that mirrored the rigid social strata within Roman society. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, offering the best views of the arena. Flanking them was a broad platform for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their chairs! The names of some 5th-century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for themselves and their families. Lower-class individuals sat behind and further up the Colosseum’s tiers of seats. Unusually sections of seating were reserved for specific groups of spectators such as boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries and heralds.
Seating Tiers within the Colosseum, Public Domain,
Accessibility on site:
The Colosseum is south-east of other attractions such as the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, walking from these sites takes around 30 minutes. Coming from the Vatican expect the walk to take around an hour, although you will have the compensation of walking past many sites of; ancient rubble of antiquity’ as one memorable tour guide informed us. If choosing not to walk, jump in a taxi and ask for the Piazza del Colosseo.
The Colosseum is extremely accessible for the visually impaired and their guided companion as the floors are smooth and flat, constructed of concrete rather than the cobblestones commonly met throughout Rome. A sighted guide must still help with advice, and warn of path suitability and low ceilings in some parts.
When to Visit: Rome is a wonderful city to visit during Spring and Autumn when the crowds are gone, and the temperature is either warming up after winter or cooling down after the hot summer months. The summer months are hot, hectic and extremely busy as peak tourist season hits the city and cruise ships and European tours rush through on their frenzied schedules. For those with an eye on a slower pace of travel and looking to spend longer explore Italian culture and history, visiting in January and February brings out the best in this city.
Ticket price: Disabled people and a companion are entitled to free access to the Colosseum on production of a valid disability certificate. You do not need to make a prior reservation and tickets can be obtained on arrival at the ticket office on site. On top of this, access for a disabled visitor and their sighted companion is a priority, so no waiting.
Opening Hours: The Colosseum is open every day of the year with the exceptions of Christmas Day and the 1st of January. The site opens at 9 am (or 8.30 am depending on the time of year) and closes an hour before dusk, which can be between 4.30 pm and 7 pm. The last admission to the Colosseum is an hour before closing time. For more precise opening and closing times during your planned trip please refer to the two official Colosseum websites.
- Parco Archeologico del Colosseo: https://parcocolosseo.it/en/ – official information site for the Colosseum; and
- Coop Culture: https://ecm.coopculture.it/ – official ticket site for the Colosseum
Whilst Blind Globetrotters site seeks to promote responsible travel and ethical activities, it does strike me as ironic that this site in its heyday and it continued for centuries was used for gladiator contests, public executions, animal fights, a re-enactment of battles between slaves and anything else that the Roman emperors’ considered as public entertainment for the masses. How times change!
Yann Forget/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
Perhaps this is truly a more appropriate candidate as a World Wonder Mausoleum than the one originally in Halicarnassus.
The Taj Mahal, an iconic ivory-white marble memorial on the banks of Agra’s Yamuna River, has become one of the most recognised symbols associated with India, its history and culture. Commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, the mausoleum houses the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal (who incidentally died giving birth to their 14th child!) as well as the ultimate resting place of Jahan himself. The centrepiece within a 17-hectare (42-acre) site, the park has a mosque and formal gardens. Halfway between the tomb and gateway in the centre of the garden is a raised marble water tank (the al Hawd al-Kawthar about the “Tank of Abundance” promised to Muhammad) with five fountains and a reflecting pool positioned on a north-south axis to reflect the image of the mausoleum. Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and fountains.
The building complex incorporates the design traditions of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture, employing symmetry within various shapes and symbols. Surprisingly the only asymmetrical object inside the Taj Mahal is the tomb of poor Jahan, who seems to have been stuffed in there with little thought. Whilst the mausoleum is constructed with white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, red sandstone was used in the construction of other buildings on the site. The entire construction programme employed more than 20,000 workers and artisans. In its UNESCO listing, the Taj Mahal is recognised as “the jewel of Islamic art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.
The Taj Mahal is one of the most visited tourist sites in the world, attracting more than five million visitors a year.
Donelson, Own work (assumed), CC BY-SA 3.0,
Accessibility on site:
Visitors are allowed through three gates and no petrol vehicles are allowed near the complex, tourists must either walk around 1 km or take electric buses from the designated car parks to the complex. The grounds surrounding the Taj Mahal are flat with only a few steps present around the site close to the gate and with a steep narrow flight up onto the mausoleum’s platform.
Best time to visit: There are three seasons in Agra, the hot season (April to June), the rainy season (July to September), and the (mild) dry season (October to March). The dry season is the best season to visit the Taj Mahal as temperatures average between 15 to 27°C (59–81°F). March, October, and November are the preferred months for photographing the Taj Mahal as the cool weather brings clearer skies, and fewer crowds, in contrast to between December – and February when the weather is colder and tourist numbers higher.
If you seek a time with the fewest tourist numbers, visit the Taj Mahal from April to September (in the low season), and avoid weekends and public holidays. During the day, sunrise is undoubtedly the best time for the most favourable lighting, low crowding, and avoidance of extreme heat.
Travel Tip: The entrance is often the most crowded place as people stop to take photos, if you walk a little further into the complex you will find fewer people and a better and closer view of the Taj Mahal.
Tickets: A three-tier pricing system is in place, with tickets costing 1100 INR for foreigners, 540 INR for citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC countries and 50 INR for Indian citizens. There is also an added fee of 200 INR if you want to enter the mausoleum. Buy your ticket in advance through this site.
There is no discount for either the visually impaired visitor or their sighted helper.
Opening Hours: The complex is closed on Fridays but open on all other days from one hour before sunrise to 45 minutes before sunset. One of the least crowded times to visit is early on a Monday morning ideally between 5:30 am and 7:30 am. A limited number of night-time viewing on the day of the full moon (excluding the month of Ramadan.) In 2019, to address overtourism, the site instituted fines for visitors who stayed longer than three hours.
The Taj Mahal has some strict and rather unusual rules, and visitors are prohibited from carrying into the site items such as food, headphones, tripods and even mobile charging batteries. You have been warned.
Photo by Lea Kobal on Unsplash
The Pyramids, Egypt
The Giza pyramid complex (also called the Giza necropolis) gets an honorary mention in this list as one of the original and only still standing monuments of the Ancient Wonders of the World which were superseded by the New 7 Wonders of the World list. The site is home to the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx. All were constructed during the Fourth Dynasty, between c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC. The site also includes several temples, cemeteries, and the remains of a workers’ village.
The site is at the edge of the Western Desert, approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) west of the Nile and is situated in the city of Giza, about 13 km (8.1 mi) southwest of Cairo.
If you plan to visit the Pyramids independently, Uber is the easiest way to get to the site.
There are two entrances to the Pyramids complex. The first is the northern one close to the Great Pyramid, and the second is closer to the Sphinx. The choice of entry point should be dictated by what you want to see first (ideally as soon as the site opens) before the crowds start to pack into the internal chambers within the Pyramids.
Accessibility on site:
The walk to visit all three pyramids, the Sphinx and Mers Ankh tomb and back to the entrance is approximately 3 km. Forget your dreams of gliding over the soft desert sands like a Bedouin, as the paths and site, although flat, are a mix of pavement and hard ground.
The paved roadways and partially accessible side paths allow the visually disabled visitor to gain close access to the Pyramids and the Sphinx on site with care and the help of a sighted companion. The complex open chambers inside the pyramids, tombs and excavated sites require greater care and guided support. For an additional fee, nothing prevents a visually disabled visitor from entering the Great Pyramid of Giza, although the experience will be more sensory (hot and stuffy) and tactile (metal rails, limestone) than illuminating, as there is little to see inside except for its internal architecture, and many tourists admit to being underwhelmed by the experience. However, as an experience how often do you get to stand within one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World?
You enter the Great Pyramid through a hole on its north face of the pyramid, walking up a metal/wood ramp with handrails and board steps through the Grans Gallery until you reach the King’s Chamber. In this dark, hot, and stuffy room lies the empty granite sarcophagus.
Travel Tip: Photography is allowed inside the Great Pyramid if you use your mobile phone’s camera, if you try to use a proper camera you will be stopped from doing so!
These internal chambers of the other two pyramids are smaller, cheaper to enter, and are usually less visited than those of the Great Pyramid. There is less room to manoeuvre inside, and guiding is probably necessary. Like the Great Pyramid, there is not a lot for the visually disabled visitor to experience inside, but it is a memorable experience to take away.
Most travellers in tour parties keep to a pre-defined path to move them around the site as fast as the guides can manage them. If you walk a little further in and away from the main pathways, you may find that the crowds thin out. If you both walk right the way around one of the pyramids, you stand a chance that one or two sides of the pyramid have fewer or even no other visitors. Even beside the Great Pyramid (Khufu’s) quieter spots can be found, and some blogs report that the Eastern Cemetery around Mers Ankh tomb is one of the less visited spots by tour groups.
The front and side views of the Sphinx remain incredibly busy at all times, and you cannot just walk around the corner to avoid the crowds here. Our only recommendation is to visit here first as soon as the complex opens its gates.
Travel Tip: If you and your sighted companion wish to visit the outer viewpoints of the complex, then the best answer is probably to go by car as the Nine Pyramids Viewpoint (probably the best photo location)) is a few kilometres further on, and likely to double the walking you do, especially as the complex lacks shade.
Visiting the Pyramids on horseback, by camel or in a cart may sound romantic, but there are concerns about the welfare and treatment of these animals, and responsible travelling looks to remove the exploitation of animals within sustainable tourism.
Best time to visit: Peak tourist season is during December to February when the weather is significantly cooler. But during the shoulder seasons (October–November and March–April) those interested in slow travel will experience significantly fewer tourist numbers and much better weather.
Travel Tip: Visit the Pyramid complex as soon as it opens as tour groups only start to arrive en masse after 10 am, giving you between 2 and 3 hours to enjoy the site in peace.
Tickets: Various tickets exist depending on where you wish to visit the site. The main entrance fee is 240 EGP ($5.25), which provides access to the site but no entry into the different pyramids as well as the cemetery and Meresankh Tomb.
The entrance fee for the Great Pyramid (900 EGP/$20 USD ) is considerably larger than that for the Pyramids of Khafre or Menkaure (220 EGP/$5), but as one commentator said ‘how often do you get the chance to go inside an Ancient Wonder of the World?’.
Opening Hours: The Pyramids are open daily from 8 am to 5 pm between October and March, and 7 am to 7 pm between April and September.
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
Accessibility of the World’s Wonders
All of these monumental structures require consideration regarding your travel bucket list, but it is clear that some sites are more accessible than others and that some present real barriers to the entry of both the visually disabled and the wider disabled community. Mobility is often the key and those of us who despite our blindness have some low vision capability are luckier in this regard.
This exercise struck me that there is more that the authorities at these sites can do to meet the information and accessibility needs of disabled travellers, but many are used to putting up with challenges during their continued desire to live active and exciting lives.
Travel is a personal choice and a luxury for many, the support and aid given by our sighted companions (and at times the help of fellow travellers) needs to be recognised where historic and heritage sites are concerned. Especially in the case of sighted companions, their contribution through reduced entrance fees needs to be recognised, as after all they are the ones ‘working’ to ensure we have a great experience when we travel independently.
Ross Marshall, June 21st 2004
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