When my husband and I came to Costa Rica in 2012, we were blown away by our zip lining experience with Sky Adventures. We took a tram to the top of the mountain and then the zip lines literally burst through the jungle treetops, with breathtaking views from every platform and line. The lines were so high and so long that my husband declared that if he had known what he was getting into, he never would have done it.
So when it came time to sign up for zip lining on this trip, he said thanks but no thanks. One time soaring through the trees at monkey and sloth level was enough for him. The kids and I, on the other hand, were probably most excited for this excursion. This time we were booked with Arenal Canopy Adventure, and it turned out to be a very different experience.
We were picked up at our hotel and driven to their facility about 30 minutes away. We were fitted for our equipment and given a brief safety speech and instructions before heading to the first line.
I could tell immediately that this was not going to be as impressive as our previous experience (or even our experience in the mountains of NC). Instead of taking a tram or an ATV up to a higher point, we started by climbing a 13 meter high tower. The first few lines basically went over open fields and were short enough that the entire line was visible from the platform and low enough that you could see the ground the whole time. There were a few longer ones later in the course that were a little more exciting and scenic, but overall we found the experience to be pretty underwhelming. You can tell from the pictures that the scenery wasn’t exciting, and neither was the look on their faces!
The zip lines ranged in length from 80 meters to 500 meters and had an average height of 38 meters. They used a hand braking system where you kept your gloved hand behind the pulley and pressed down on the cable when it was time to slow down. I liked that they had you keep your braking hand on the cable at all times so you knew it would be in proper position when you needed to brake. When we zip lined in NC, they had us keep both hands on the rope below the pulley and I really needed to consciously think about where to grab the line when it was time to brake so that I didn’t accidentally put it in front of the pulley and pinch my hand. I felt like this was a much safer method of preparing to brake.
In addition to the 10 zip lines, the course had a Tarzan Swing. This was new to me and reading about it beforehand, I wasn’t sure if I would do it. I was envisioning stepping off the edge of a cliff or something but this was just climbing another tower and swinging from there. From the top, a gate opened up and you dropped down, swinging across the field and through an opening in the trees. You swung back and forth a few times, until gravity slowed you enough so that a staff member could grab your rope and stop you. It wasn’t super adventurous but it was a lot of fun and a pretty good adrenaline rush.
We finished up the course and loaded in a van to go back to the start. I think the part of the day that my boys actually enjoyed the most was playing with the dozen or so cats and kittens scurrying around the lobby.
Overall this was a fun outing but probably ranked 3rd out of the 4 zip lining experiences I’ve had. The staff was friendly and fun and the company ran a very safe operation, but the course itself just wasn’t all that exciting.
