Where are my adventure seekers and adrenaline junkies? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep on the side of a mountain? Look no further than the all-inclusive overnight excursion with Natura Vive to the Skylodge Adventure Suites. This Peru adventure is not for the faint of heart.
This 24-hour adventure started with a pick-up from our hotel in Cusco and a scenic drive into the Sacred Valley. After a 30-minute safety briefing, the ascent to our skylodge adventure suites began. All we had to carry with us was the bare minimum of what we needed that evening (i.e. toiletries, PJ’s, rain gear – the rest we left at the bottom office).
Heights really not your thing? Check out my 4-day Salkantay Trek guide or my comprehensive 8-day Peru itinerary here.
Skylodge Adventure Suites: The Climb
With the assistance of our bilingual tour guides, the climb began as we made our way up 400 meters via ferrata. Along the way we faced areas on the mountainside that were much more challenging than others; including walking across the tightrope pictured below.
During the ascent, we had to change our two carabiner clips nearly 200 times. Just as the sun began to set behind the valley; we arrived at the mountainside dining capsule complete with a gourmet dinner and red wine. This is the point where we were finally able to ‘unwind’ and take it easy. That is, until we realized that we still had to make our way via ferrata to our overnight capsule.
Using our headlamps and once again following the footsteps of our guide, we made our way slowly to our unique (to say the least) hotel room. Each capsule is complete with comfortable beds, an eco-friendly bathroom, filtered water, and even card games to keep us entertained on our one-night stay.
The overnight experience was like a dream. Our capsule gave us a 300 degree view of the Sacred Valley and we were surrounded by hundreds of stars and the milky way above as we fell asleep.
Fair warning; it can get extremely windy at night in the valley. I had a hard time falling asleep for several hours as the wind gusts were so loud and I didn’t realize that it was perfectly normal and 100% safe.
Skylodge Adventure Suites: Meals
When we first signed up for this experience, I had high expectations for the climbing and sleeping set-up but no real expectations for the food.
All I can say is WOW were we impressed with the meals during our stay.
Dinner was complete with salad, creamy sweet potato soup, grilled chicken over sun dried tomato quinoa, and a chocolate fudge brownie for dessert. We were also given a bottle of Peruvian coast Malbec wine to enjoy both at dinner and in our room capsule.
Breakfast was no different. The following morning we made our way alongside the mountain to the community glass pod where a delicious breakfast was served before our descent. Our meal was complete with scrambled eggs, cereal, fresh fruit, toast, coffee and fresh-squeezed juice.
The Descent:
After a crazy ascent up the mountain, an amazing dinner, cozy overnight stay, and a delicious breakfast; the experience still was not over.
There are a few options to get back to the base of the mountain but we chose the zip-line route. There are six zip-lines that take you souring over the valley until finally you reach ground level.
