Via Ferrata in Cusco May 2022
August 03, 2022 at 3:13 PM
One of the highlights of my trip to Cusco, this time around, was climbing to the Skylodge , a series of capsules (accommodation), hanging off a vertical cliff face 3500 metres + above the Sacred Valley floor at Urubamba! I had waited 3 years to do this, due to a new hip replacement and bad timing, which prevented me from doing this sooner. I chose to climb, with a group of 4, the Via Ferrata, a series of metal hand and foot holds with a harness and a guide. The start began with a perpendicular climb straight up!
I found climbing to the left or right (at the same level), something extra to ‘come to grips with’, as we climbed higher a little later. We all had to shimmy across a cable bridge. There was a cable for the feet, which we shuffled sideways along and the other cable was for us to hold on to for balance! I gingerly side stepped and decided that the worst thing that could happen would be dangling over a several hundred metre drop! The harness was the lifeline! There was another moment of angst as I realised due to our slow ascent (not mine) we would complete the climb in the dark with headlamps attached!!! WOOOH! It was another ‘out of my comfort zone moments’!
We arrived at the dining capsule, ready for a meal! It was amazing how the adrenalin had drained our energy. We slumped in our chairs. The meal was simple but delicious fare and then we were escorted to our sleeping capsules!! Well, we had all forgotten, the final ascent or descent! I was lucky because mine was the closest, albeit still out on a steep face above the valley. The others climbed higher and lower depending. I am pleased it wasn’t ME! Fue sufficente para mi! The Andes are noted for their fabulous night skies and I swept aside all my capsule curtains to watch the stars. No-one was disappointed at the display. The next morning we had breakfast, some photo sessions then climbed down to the start of 1 of 6 ziplines. La adrenalina wasn’t over yet!
At the bottom, we all agreed, what a day, a night and what a finish!
After accessing the SkyLodge by climbing the Via Ferrata to the capsules, you can then visit one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, Machu Picchu, re-discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham III, an American explorer and lecturer out of Yale University. Hiram Bingham spent 1911-1915 excavating the site with the help of local indigenous living in the area. Machu Picchu remains one of the most visited archeological sites in Peru.
You can hike, bike, or train to the small town of Aguas Calientes, located at the base of Machu Picchu. A series of buses then transport you to the citadel to experience the Splendour of the Inca stronghold, nestled on the top of a mountain in the High Andes! This is just a little taster, of what you can do in this part of the world! Come talk South America with us.
We do it best ‘cos it’s all we do !!!
