Denise Van Outen and Fearne Cotton to take part in trek Machu Picchu for charity

25/05/2010

First they conquered Kilimanjaro, now a group of celebrities are back for more with another charity trek - this time on the Inca trail.

TV star Denise Van Outen and Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton were overjoyed by their feat 18 months ago and since then have been looking for a new challenge.

Now the intrepid duo have persuaded a few famous friends including Alexandra Burke, Holly Willoughby and the Daily Mirror to join them on the gruelling seven-day trip to raise cash for Breast Cancer Care.

"Fearne and I had the idea a while ago and we're excited that the other girls have signed up.

"Ever since we climbed Kili we have been looking for a new challenge. It's going to be an amazing experience and we're so happy to be raising money for Breast Cancer Care, a charity which is really close to our hearts."

The tough route will take the girls through the Andes mountain range and parts of the Amazon rainforest in South America. They will then follow the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, passing many ancient ruins in Peru.

At nearly 80 kilometres long, the group will average around 13k a day over hilly, rocky terrain. They are also likely to face extreme altitude and mountain sickness, with symptoms including nausea, nose bleeds and headaches.

The ancient South American civilisation, which ruled from AD1200 to AD 1533, built the famous Inca road trail, then the most extensive and highly advanced transportation system in South America, to help extend and strengthen their empire.

The best known portion of the road network is the Trail to Machu Picchu connecting mining and agricultural communities,

Source: Daily Mirror. Written by Clemmie Moodie. Challenge organised by Charity Challenge.