'Apparently I am afraid of heights': The Peruvian hotel with a terrifying check-in
Suspended 365m above Peru's Sacred Valley, Skylodge's transparent sleeping pods offer extraordinary views – but getting there requires nerves of steel.
My legs quivered as I carefully repositioned my hiking boot on the half-inch braided wire beneath me. Gripping the via ferrata cable near my eyeline, I slipped my carabiner onto the next stretch of metal and took a step out over 200m (656ft) of free air.
"Apparently I am afraid of heights," I shouted behind me to my husband as he too navigated the precarious bridge. With only the cable beneath my feet, the sheer granite cliffs of Peru's Sacred Valley dropped away towards the murky-green Urubamba River far below. I shuffled awkwardly across the 20m (66ft) gap, repeating one instruction to myself: don't look down.
Finally at the other side, I eased myself onto a metal ladder. Our guide, Efren Lopez, assured me we had only a few hundred more metres to climb.
All this was simply the check-in process.
Our destination was Skylodge Adventure Suites , a collection of transparent capsules clinging to a sheer cliff face 365m (1,200ft) above the Sacred Valley floor – navigated via an expertly engineered series of ladders, wire traverses, iron rungs and steps. My husband and I, along with four others, had come to spend a night suspended above the Peruvian Andes.
Reaching Skylodge Adventure Suites involves a vertiginous climb along the cliffs high above Peru's Sacred Valley (Credit: Alex Chovanak)
Once the agricultural heartland of the Inca Empire, Peru's Sacred Valley draws visitors to its Inca ruins, traditional villages and spectacular mountain scenery. The small village of Pachar, where Skylodge is located, is just 10km (6.2 miles) away from the bustling Inca town of Ollantaytambo, but its fertile green floodplains and snow-capped Andean peaks feel worlds away.
Plan your trip:
Getting there: Skylodge Adventure Suites is approximately 90 minutes from Cusco. Guests reach the capsules via a guided two-hour via ferrata climb and descend via zipline.
How long:Choose between a half-day experience with lunch or a single-night stay.
How much:A one-night stay, including transfers from Cusco, guiding, the via ferrata ascent and zipline descent costs 1,640 Peruvian soles (£350/$480) per person
When to go:The dry season, typically April to October, for prime stargazing.
An easier alternative:The same operator also runs Starlodge Adventure Suites, lower on the cliffside and accessible via a short walk. Its capsules have showers, flushing toilets and an outdoor hot tub for star-gazing soaks.
Lopez led us steadily upwards, negotiating a series of narrow ledges carved into the granite cliff. Pausing on a small platform, barely wide enough for three people, I tightened my safety harness and looked out onto the valley. Far below, the Urubamba River twisted between cultivated fields, framed by sharp peaks.
Still dizzy, I dared to look towards the pods high above. As another climber struggled to squeeze onto the platform, I was nudged onward up the granite cliffside.
Despite my initial trepidation, I gradually found my rhythm, clipping and unclipping the carabiners as we climbed. But the thin mountain air left me wheezing as we crested 3,200m (10,500ft) above sea level, and by the time I finally hauled myself onto the metal platform outside the dining pod, two hours after beginning our ascent, I was exhausted.
Perched 365m above the valley floor, Skylodge's transparent capsules offer spectacular views (Credit: Alex Chovanak)
Overnight among the stars
Even here, there was little respite for anyone afraid of heights. The capsules seemed to hang over empty space. Only once I was safely inside, free of my harness, could I finally collapse into a chair and breathe.
My husband and I sat with our four climbing companions over a pot of tea, watching the sun set over the Sacred Valley through the dining pod's transparent walls, while our guide, Lopez, prepared a four-course Peruvian dinner. We tucked into pumpkin soup, chicken remoulade and Andean potatoes, followed by a rich cacao brownie topped with fresh maracuyá (passionfruit). Outside, the pink sky gradually darkened, revealing the first stars and the turbid spray of the Milky Way.
I downed the remainder of my wine in a single gulp as I remembered that reaching our bedroom would require another climb.
Guests must tackle another exposed climb along the cliff face to reach their sleeping pods (Credit: Evan Harris)
Lopez helped us back into our harnesses and clipped us in for the short ascent to our private pods. Using iron hand- and foot-grips drilled into the granite, my husband and I climbed towards our bedroom, where we'd remain until morning.
"Be sure to stay up late for the best views of the Milky Way," he reminded us.
Clinging to the cliff face, our sleeping pod was reached through a hatch in the roof. Inside were three beds – a double and two singles – and six windows offering views across the Sacred Valley. The bathroom was decidedly less luxurious: an ecologically friendly "dry" toilet, separated from the rest of the pod by a thick curtain, with no shower in sight.
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The temperature dropped quickly inside the pod and I curled up on the double bed beneath a pile of thick blankets, peering through the curved wall. There was little to do but read, sip wine and wait for the darkest hour and brightest stars. I listened to the faint sounds of civilisation drifting up the mountain from the road below: the occasional car horn, a distant siren and the rattle of wind whipping against the pod's exterior.
At night, guests are treated to sweeping views of the Andean night sky (Credit: Alex Chovanak)
Earlier that evening, Lopez had explained the importance of the night sky in Inca culture. "The Urubamba River below us was viewed by the Incas as the earthly mirror of the Milky Way, and every living being had a celestial counterpart in the picturesque galaxy," he told us.
Now, lying high above the valley, I gazed up at the Milky Way while its earthly counterpart wound through the valley below. As the sky erupted with even more stars, I felt as though I was drifting to sleep among them, not beneath them.
A thrilling descent
Just before 06:00, golden morning light flooded my pod. Outside, birdsong echoed across the valley as the other guests began to stir.
After scuttling our way back to the dining pod for breakfast, we prepared for our final adventure: a descent along six ziplines, ranging from 150m (490ft) to 700m (2,300ft) in length. Clipping into the first line with confidence, I stole one last glance at the rugged hillside. I had finally found my sea legs up here.
After a night at Skylodge, guests descend to the valley floor via six ziplines (Credit: Evan Harris)
Pushing off the platform, I hurtled between orange granite spires towards Lopez, who was waiting in the distance. Just before reaching the end of the line, I leaned right, avoiding a sharp whack as the automatic brake caught, helping me to drift lightly onto the next landing.
I careened from platform to platform, zig zagging down the cliff, lowering myself closer to the valley floor with each slide. Less than an hour later, I was back on solid ground.
The experience had been more challenging than any of us had imagined. But after a night suspended above the Sacred Valley, the quiet of nature, the deep satisfaction of enduring a physical challenge and the spectacular views had me fantasising about a future filled with climbs and cliffside camps.
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