Costa Rica is impressively committed to preserving its environment and it is not overly developed, which makes it the most naturally beautiful country I have ever seen. Maybe you already know that the gorgeous and lush canopies of Costa Rica are among the best destinations for zip lining in the world. Maybe you’re planning a zip lining experience of your own on your trip to Costa Rica, but aren’t exactly sure where the best place to do it is, or which company to pick.
I’m here to make it easy for you. I have the answers.
Monteverde is a mountain town in northwestern Costa Rica, its famous Cloud Forest Reserve a renowned ecotourism spot that was voted one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica, and also recognized by Newsweek as one of the world’s places to remember before it disappears. Because like the rest of our poor, beautiful planet, even well-preserved locations like Monteverde’s cloud forest are falling victim to humans and climate change, and within the next 50 years the cloud forest will become a regular forest with regular levels of cloud cover.
So time is of the essence!
Selvatura Park is an adventure park in Monteverde which offers several different adventures depending on what you like, including zip lining, hanging bridges, and tours of the butterfly and hummingbird gardens. My mother and I sprung at the chance to go zip lining during our stay in Monteverde, and chose Selvatura because it boasts not only one of the longest canopy zip lining courses in all of Costa Rica, but also the only one located entirely inside the cloud forest. How could we resist??
Keep in mind, this isn’t a little bitch zip line course. This is the daddy of all zip line courses. The last cable goes on for a kilometer, and gathers so much speed that you literally feel like you’re flying. Talk about exhilarating.
We arranged to have a shuttle pick us up at our hotel early one chilly, mountain morning, and drove about 15 minutes to the site. Our shuttle and the roads we drove on were enshrouded in thick, misty clouds as we entered the forest.
We chose the zip line canopy tour for $50, which includes free transportation to and from your hotel, 15 cables and 18 platforms, as well as the Tarzan swing at the end for those so inclined. This entails getting strapped into the swing, looking down nervously and imagine plummeting 50 feet to your death, and then getting pushed by the giggling boys who work at the company as you actually plummet 50 feet. Not to your death though.
For an additional $20, you can opt to purchase a set of digital photos: a few of you strapped into your gear before heading onto the course and then a large number of shots of you on your first cable. The first cable is short and simple, mostly just to help you get the hang of it. Unfortunately, because I am incredibly uncoordinated, lost my grip immediately after stepping off the platform, and spun around a few times on the cable, all of my photos turned out like this.
Or this.
And also like this. Which, as my friend so kindly pointed out to me, looks like a teenage boy experiencing a woman for the first time.
Didn’t even know that’s what I looked like candidly, to be honest. How very unfortunate.
Zip lining obviously does not come natural to me. There’s a lot to think about: keeping one hand on the ropes attached to your harness, one hand behind the zipping carabiner (NOT in front, because that’ll cause your entire hand to tear off, probably), with your legs up to stop yourself at the end of the platform. Luckily, the nice boys who work there give a short orientation before you go up the first platform to get you prepared.
Flying over the treetops is almost surreal. It is a rush of adrenaline that I haven’t felt since an Australian guy strapped me to himself and hurled us both out of a plane. It is very high, and very fast. Some of the cables are a little tamer, and take you on shorter flights among the trees, while others are much higher and take your breath away, literally, as you soar through the sky. Some of the longer cables also mandate that you ride tandem with another person, which increases the weight and makes it easier for you to get to the other side. And you go fast. My mom was terrified her glasses would fly off her face, which I naturally cackled at from in front of her.
My mom is the cutest zip liner, besides me obviously.
The staff was extremely polite, spoke impressively proficient English, and made the experience fun (as if it wasn’t already fun. Please). My mom and I were there for the 8:30 am session, which wasn’t especially crowded; at most, we had to wait five minutes on a platform to get clipped into the next cable. Overall, the experience took about two and a half hours, including the little orientation on the ground, all the cable rides, and the Tarzan swing at the end, which is included with the tour but optional. I jumped off and screeched and actually discouraged a few people in my group from taking the plunge. I have to do something about the fact that my first instinct in any even slightly surprising situation is to scream as if I’m being brutally murdered.
After our tour, we returned to our locker, retrieved our things, and went to catch the shuttle. The shuttle was full unfortunately, so it left us in front of the Selvatura office. We were in a hurry to visit a coffee plantation that afternoon (and believe me, we were excited to get our hands on some Costa Rican coffee straight from the plantation). We spoke with an employee at the front desk, and he immediately called to get us another shuttle, which arrived within 10 minutes and whipped us back down into town in another 10 minutes. That’s great customer service if you ask me.
I could not have asked for a more thrilling, more well-organized, or more perfect morning. Visit Selvatura Park’s website for more information and to book a tour.
All my photos were taken with my GoPro, except those ugly-ass pictures of me pathetically trying to zip line for the first time.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve used or are planning to use Selvatura in the future! I’d love to hear about your experience!
