We started our girls’ trip with a zip-lining excursion with the Canopy Adventure Tour Group. For about 5 hours, we fly over 2 miles of rainforest via some of the longest zip lines in the world!
I was beyond scared but there was a group of 7 of us and everyone had already agreed. This is an amazing experience for a large group. We were paired with a family (a couple + 2 sons) who were an absolute pleasure. It’s inspiring (and shameful) to see a little kid going upside down while you scream for dear life.
The total cost was $75; we put down a $25 deposit with our house guide, and paid the $50 balance when we arrived & signed the customary “in case you die” release forms. The guides were super sweet and accommodating; they gave us all the instruction necessary and took a ton of pictures for us. I believe you pay about $20-$30 for all of your pictures, split between the group, we each paid less than $10 for a professional, zip-lining photographer.
We were all appropriately dressed, thank goodness. I recommend leggings. Since you’re in the real rainforest, there are spiders and ants that the guides will stop to point out to you. Grab your bug spray!! It was the first week in February and it was hot, that’s why we’re all in tanks & sports bras. We doused ourselves right before we took off on the trail. The braids were a bit of a hassle, but we fit into the largest helmets lol. You can’t bring a bag with you, so don’t bring anything extra; there is a locked box where they let you put all your things during the tour. If you’re a pro, or have a way to have your phone attached to you, it’s on you!! Go for sneaker or hiking boots… you will get dirty and have to walk up rocky hills!
For me, the scariest part was not the actual zip-lining, but climbing through the forest – the heights! You are super high in the air while climbing on rope and wire ladders and between platforms of all kinds. The zip-lines are fast, but thats to be expected, I was only scared my earrings were going to fall off. (They didn’t!! Buy them from JlaniJewels here!!) You don’t have to worry about breaking; the lines do it for you automatically. And the gear it put on tightly, for you — making you feel super safe as soon as you put it on. The guides are great at gauging your comfort level (and shaking the ropes and joking if you’re scared) in order to encourage you to overcome. That is one thing i will say, be ready for uncomfortable jokes about your impending death… These guys are pros. The photographer took photos of me n the ropes to remind me of where I was most afraid. It’s great to have evidence of what I’ve overcome.
We ended the session with a typical costa rican meal or rice, beans, chicken and fruit (included in the price!) and a little photoshoot and then were escorted back home (transportation also included).
If you have the chance to go zip-lining, go for it, it’s a beautiful perspective; I’ll never forget what that looked like. You even get a bit of nature lessons on the way through the palm and teak trees. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.
EllaThought 