Intrepid travellers trek to change world

Two Hedland women have returned from Peru where they met inspiring locals fighting for their human rights and hiked the Inca Trail to stunning Machu Picchu.

Organised by Inspired Adventures, Nur Halik and Laura Delaney's thrilling week-long trip was part-personal holiday and part-fundraiser for rights group Amnesty International.

The women raised more than $10,000 for Amnesty, and in return met the group's staff in Peru and heard firsthand from Peruvian women about their fights for justice.

Ms Halik said one woman spoke about how she had been unable to trace family members who went missing during the country's civil war, while another told how she had been unknowingly sterilised to prevent her having babies.

"Listening to these Peruvian women and the challenges they faced makes you more grateful for the rights we have as women in Australia," Ms Halik said.

"It also makes you more passionate to continue supporting Amnesty to ensure women around the world enjoy those rights."

As long-time Amnesty supporters and donors, Ms Halik and Ms Delaney said they leapt at the chance to take part in the trip.

They wanted to hear about Amnesty's work in Peru "from the horse's mouth" rather than just read about it in newsletters or emails.

And those stories were sobering to hear.

One woman told the pair's tour group how she was working with Amnesty to discover what happened to thousands of people who were kidnapped during the country's civil war and never heard from again.

The families suspect the Government was responsible.

Another woman told how she believed a doctor was injecting her with medication to treat a condition she had, but later found out the injection was designed to sterilise her and stop her from having babies.

The pair said rights groups again suspected the Government of being involved in a bid to control the country's birth rate.

Yet the trip was not all sobering as the women also made a three-day hike along the Inca Trail to the stunning remains of Machu Picchu high in the mountains.

One tour member, an intrepid 80-year-old Aussie man, took part in the trek on the fifth anniversary of his wife's death because when she was alive she had always wanted to visit the Inca city.

Ms Halik said the veteran was full of good stories and good cheer, and without complaint, despite taking one or two small tumbles.

"He was so inspiring - as much as I would prefer to be on a cruise ship when I'm 80 - if I could hike the Inca Trail at his age, then I would die a happy woman," Ms Halik said.