Etiqueta: via ferrata

Leave your acrophobia at the bike rack because the Natura Vive Skylodge in Peru is made up of three clear-walled capsules positioned to hang from a cliff in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Fearless travelers can spend the night dangling precariously 400 feet over the heartland of the Inca Empire, or they can recover from the 400 meter hike to the lodge and enjoy a luxury catered dinner.

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After trekking a portion of the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu recently, I thought my adventure in Peru couldn’t get any better. In fact, not only did my night sleeping on a mountainside parallel an epic trek up to Macchu Picchu, it might even have surpassed it! Bucket list SCORE! But there’s one catch: There are only a couple of ways to get to the Skylodge Adventure Suites, and that is by hiking or climbing in! Those with a fear of heights probably wouldn’t enjoy this, unless maybe they were drugged.

The Natura Vive Skylodge Adventure Suites, located in the small town of Urubamba, Peru, are composed of three capsules measuring 24 feet in length and 8 feet in height and width. Each unit is handcrafted from aerospace aluminum and weather resistant polycarbonate, and is complete with four beds, a dining area and as you’ll soon see, a very well designed bathroom! (I can’t imagine who gets that mountain duty-probably the newest hire).

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One of my greatest pleasures in life is putting together an itinerary for an upcoming trip. As I plan, I always look for out-of-the-box activities or hotels to add some spice to the experience. In Peru, that was the Natura Vive Skylodge in the Sacred Valley.

I was taking my 18-year old nephew, Caeden, on a surfing trip to Panama and wanted to include an additional stop at Machu Picchu. Knowing that our time – and his attention – was limited, I was determined to find something especially spectacular to impress him. As I researched the route from Cusco to Machu Picchu, I stumbled across pictures of a zip line and via ferrata – a steel cable hiking line wrapped up and around the mountainside – in the Sacred Valley. Having experienced the via ferrata at Mt Nimbus in Banff, Canada, I knew it was a unique and unforgettable way to mountain climb – one that Caedan was sure to appreciate.

I clicked around for more information but my search was unexpectedly halted; an image of three alien-looking modules dangling off the side of a cliff caught my eye. Looking a little closer, I realized that they were sleeping modules. We could actually spend the night up there at 1200 feet above the ground? I didn’t think twice about it: booked!

By Eric Barnes

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People who are squeamish should think twice about venturing a visit to this place, because the Skylodge Suites are suspended at giddy heights from a steep rock face in the middle of the Peruvian Andes Mountains. The route from the check-in to the booked room alone is an adventure: the arduous ascent is only possible with the help of iron rungs driven into the rock and pre-tensioned cables. 400 metres above the valley, three transparent capsules, nestling against the rock face like bird’s nests and with their aerospace aluminium surface defying any wind and weather, are
awaiting guests. Those who do not already suffer from vertigo, are rewarded with a magnificent view across the “Sacred Valley” of the Incas.