Costa Rica - Rainforest Zipline Tour

I think a basic rule for kids is that if you've seen a zipline, you want a zipline. There is something about it that just shouts fun. Growing up, my best friend and neighbor would look at the ziplines in Hammacher Schlemmer catalogs and dream of using them to get from one house to the next. One day we built a crude one from a swing set to a tree using a rope and some plastic pipe. Even though it was only fifteen feet long, we took turns gliding along that rope until the plastic was on the verge of wearing through. Our elementary school minds would have been blown by the ziplines we encountered in the rainforests of Costa Rica.

Our last minute trip to Costa Rica didn't allow for a lot of planning but it didn't take a lot of effort to discover adventure is this central american locale. There were a lot of zipline companies nearby so it was just a short shuttle ride to get us started. We got our harnesses, helmets and a pair of thick leather glove to use as a brake. During the safety tutorial, our zipline guides talked about the quality of their gear and rattled off a pretty impressive weight capacity. I'm sure at one point it was true but the years of use definitely showed on the harnesses. There wasn't much time to ponder the kind of safety regulations they had in place before we clipped in to the first zipline and started our adventure. Like many adventure paths, this one required an element of trust.

The majority of our trip would be spent in the canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest. While we would have an opportunity to explore the rainforest from the ground, it was an entirely different word from the tree tops. Our route took us from one treetop platform to the next and with the thick foliage, it was easy to forget just how high off the ground we were. It was actually surprisingly peaceful gliding among the treetops surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest and the quiet hum of the zipline.

Our harness connected to the zipline shuttle by a strap at our waist and we would glide feet first while leaning back. The distance between the platforms varied and your speed depended on your form but we could get moving pretty quickly. Dragging a gloved hand was the only way to slow yourself before arriving at the next platform but coming in a little fast seemed a lot better than coming up short. If you did lose your momentum, you had to spin around and "monkey" your way head first by pulling along the zipline. Experiencing the trill of the ride while surrounded by such lush scenery was truly spectacular.

Part way through the trip we came to the Tarzan Swing. Here we had the opportunity to clip into a rope suspended high up over a valley. Swinging on that rope was a totally different experience. Even when moving fast along the ziplines, there was a feeling of control. Your direction was fixed and you had the ability to regulate your speed. There was no controlling the Tarzan swing as you sailed through the air. All you could do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Compared to the zipline, I was also much more aware of how distant the ground was when one the Tarzan swing.

At the very end of the Costa Rican Zipline tour, we left behind the rain forest in exchange for a different setting for our final adventure. In a clearing stood a tall and unstable looking metal tower. A staircase wound around the skeletal steel structure and we made our way to the top. There we a couple of these man-made zipline platforms that afforded a scenic view for miles and a truly thrilling ride. The culmination was a half mile long zipline finale that required us to stay as parallel to the zipline as possible to avoid being stranded in the middle. The longest and fastest ride of the day was certainly memorable.