I love adventure. I love challenges. I love looking down, way down, knowing that if I fall at best it will really hurt, at worst…. Given my adventurous spirit I thought a day at Activo Park in Valnerina, Umbria would be child’s play. Luckily I was wrong.
Activo Park is an outdoor nature park that offers something for people of all ages. It’s popular with families, but our group was all adults and we had a blast.
The Acrobatic Park tested all of our limits. It consists of a square of different ropes, each with their own challenges. Once you’ve done the first round, you climb higher to the second round and then to the very high third round. Each obstacle tests strength, balance, fear of heights and sheer will – sometimes all simultaneously! Let me tell you there are some real doozies:
The Acrobatic Park at Activo Park. Photo courtesy of Alfonso Tortora.
One of the easier parts of the Acrobatic Park at Activo Park. Photo taken by Alfonso Tortora.
One of the more difficult challenges at the Acrobatic Park in Activo Park.
I pushed through some of the harder challenges and refused to look down. “Breathe, step, breath, step” became my mantra as I worked through challenge after challenge, some of them more gracefully than others, but still loving every minute of it, even as my muscles quivered in exhaustion. When I completed the Acrobatic course, I was exhilarated! I felt alive and a sense of accomplishment! If I could complete the Acrobatic course, what else could I achieve in my life, by staying focused, taking small steps to reach another goal? The contemplation would have to wait until later – it was time for the canopy tour, also know as a zip line. Exhilaration trumps contemplation!
All the above photos are courtesy of Alfonso Tortora, who was the wonderful photographer for this trip. (I was too busy concentrating to take photos at Activo Park). Nathalie Salas from Perfect Boutique, who was another blogger on the trip is featured in all the above photos.
How To Get the Most Out Of Your Visit to Activo Park (as told to me by Marco, the owner):
- Avoid the crowds, by visiting Activo Park at lunch, or later in the day, or best of all in the evening
- To get the most out of your visit to Activo Park, Marco recommends doing the activities in this order: 1) Spider-man (an intricate series of ropes resembling a spider web, found just inside the park entrance), 2) Acrobatic Park (see photos and description above), 3) Tubing (there is a small slide), 4) Lunch, and finally 5) Canopy Tour (zip lining)
Know Before You Go to Activo Park:
- Activo Park is open everyday from June -August
- The rest of the year it is open on weekends
- It is also open during the week for groups of 10+, but you must reserve in advance
- An adult ticket costs a reasonable 25 Euros and includes all the activities listed above
Near Activo Park:
- Palazzo Sececa, a family run inn where we had an AMAZING dinner (highly recommend it after a day in Activo Park, but dress nice, 34km drive)
- Monti Sibillini National Park (the only national park in Umbria)
- Marmore’s Falls (the highest man-made waterfalls in the world)
- Medieval village of Perugia
- Rome (90 minutes drive)
Note: I was a guest of Activo Park, but as always all opinions expressed remain my own.
