AN adventure seeking father and son duo are heading to Peru to hike through some of the world’s most historical sights.

Simon and Benji Albert, of Manor Drive, Whetstone, will trek through the Andean mountains to reach the former Inca capital, the 500-year-old Machu Picchu.

Benji, 12, was left devastated when his grandfather, Haim Kolirin, died when he was four of a rare form of cancer and will take on the voyage in his memory.

They hope to raise £5,000 for Challenge Cancer UK, which helps pay for research, treatment and hospice care.

Simon, 44, said: “Benji adored his grandfather, and everything he’s done since has been in his memory.

“He is super excited but only half as excited as I am. For me, it’s more about travelling with my son and having an amazing experience we can share together.

“For him, the trip has got history, architecture, landscapes, and religion. It’s exciting and a bit of an adventure.

“He is very fit – he plays basketball and football – but we’ve been out hiking and doing some training and weights at home, though not as much as we should have done.”

Their escapade will also take them through the Amazon as they spend a day kayaking and six days camping in minus temperatures.

He added: “The trek is going to be at high altitude, the oxygen is much thinner and sea level and it’s going to be tough battling through freezing temperatures at night.

“It’s rare for someone of his age to do something like this.”

Young explorer Benji will celebrate his Jewish coming of age – known as a Bar Mitzvah – later this year and the trip will partly pay homage to that.

Benji is no stranger to adventure – last year he raised £1,800 for Water Aid by climbing Mount Snowdon with his brothers, Gadi, 10 and Nathan, seven.

Meanwhile, seasoned thrill-seeker Mr Albert took the same route through the Amazon more than 12 years ago with his wife and Benji’s mother, Lianne Kolirin.

Mr Albert is the founder of Charity Challenge which inspires people to raise money for various causes.

He added: “It’s ironic that the first trip I took with Lianne, who was my girlfriend at the time, was the Inca trail and now I’m going back with our son.

“The minute Benji was born, she said – I bet you can’t wait to take him on one of your adventures. Now I’ve got three boys to do it with.

“It has certainly sparked people’s imagination – people have offered to come with us for company.”

The pair will leave on Good Friday. To sponsor them, visit https://www.justgiving.com/Benji-Peru/