Zip Lining Through the Rain Forest

On the first full day of our time in Costa Rica we decided to jump right in and go on a "canopy tour."

Canopy tours are basically giant zip lining excursions through the dense rain forest. You put on a harness and they attach you to a cable that is strung over 90 feet above the floor of the jungle.










You "zip" from platform to platform, which are wobbly wood slats attached high up in the trees that provide you a base to stand on while you are waiting your turn on the zip line.


There were nine zip lines, two repelling cables and one Tarzan swing. The Tarzan swing really made you feel like you were plummeting to an untimely death.

At any one point there are seven or eight people on one of the platforms together. They connect you to a "safety" cable that is wrapped around the tree in case you lose your balance and tumble off the side of the platform. Oddly enough, after a while you forget you are dangling 90 feet high and trusting your life to a friendly Costa Rican named Paco.



We eventually got brave enough to zip upside down. It's a rather helpless feeling, but it's definitely a rush!


Like most of the tours in Costa Rica, the canopy tour concluded with a lunch. It was mighty tasty.

They also had a photographer ahead of you on the zip lines to snag pictures of your terrified face as you zipped above the jungle.

I'll post some video of the zip lining action as soon as our Internet speed increases above snail speed.