Unusual rifugios, Airbnbs, birdboxes, and more lodging to add to your travel tick list.
Natura Vive Skylodge Pod, Urubamba, Peru
No portaledge? No problem. If you want the experience of sleeping on the wall, but lack the gear or skills to bivy in the vertical, this is the next best thing. Actually, it might be even better since these cliffside pods come with cozy beds, a bombproof exterior, and solar-powered lighting.
Local Peruvian company Natura Vive operates two styles of accommodations here above the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 30 minutes from Cusco. Skylodge Pods sit 400 meters above the ground and are reachable with a Via Ferrata, or a hike with ziplines. If you’re a climber, maybe you can convince them to let you free the route to the Skylodge Pods, but we wouldn’t bet on it. The Starlodge Pods are more easily accessible, closer to the ground, and reachable via a narrow stairway cut into the cliff (you still need to clip into a fixed line on your hike up the stairs for safety). As the name suggests, these pods are optimized for stargazing.
Nearest climbing areas: Sport climbing surrounds Cusco, which is known as the high-altitude gateway town to Machu Picchu. While we couldn’t find any official local guidebooks, some beta exists on Mountain Project. Just a 10-minute drive from Urubamba where Natura Vive is located, Pumahuanca offers sport routes from 5.8 to 5.12c. Medinayoc, also just 10 minutes away, has a handful of sport climbs in the 5.10c to 5.12c range. You can also reach out to local guides operating out of the area, and find some topos on @escalada_cusco, a local climbing group Instagram.
Climber-friendly features:
- No poop tubes required! These 24-by-8-foot Peruvian pods come with adjacent “dry” toilets.
- Instead of spending your time hauling up bags of water and food, enjoy the perch—and 20 liters of potable water—during your stay.
- Consider your morning descent a warm-up for a day of climbing.
Fuente: Climbing.
