This post is also available in:
Spanish
Everyone should visit Monteverde, the cloud forest in Costa Rica where you can deeply connect with nature. In fact, CNN recently named Monteverde as one of the 25 most beautiful places in the world, along with Ciudad Perdida in Colombia, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, and other wonders.
I love nature and I partake in ecotourism, so I’ve visited several adventure parks. I know that most people visit Monteverde in search of activities like zip line or canopy tours, which is why I wanted to put together a little guide about that in this blog. Based on my experience I can recommend 3 options, including the best zip line tour in Costa Rica.
The Best Canopy or Zip Line Tour Options in Monteverde, Costa Rica
Canopy or zip line tours are very exciting, especially when you go to suitable places with great service. Essentially, zip lining involves gliding across one or more cables connected between trees, while observing natural riches from above, and feeling butterflies in your stomach from the speed and height.
Here below, I’ll tell you about 3 adventure parks in Monteverde that offer this activity.
3. 100% Adventure: Affordable Prices and a Mega-Tarzan Swing
Just being in Monteverde is a beautiful experience, so whichever park you go to, you’ll have a good time. The zip line or canopy circuit at 100% Adventure offers good service.
Nine canopy zip lines are crossed, in which 1 kilometer of those can be made in Superman position. One great attraction at 100% Adventure is the Mega-Tarzan Swing, which has become popular in adventure parks, but the one found here is slightly larger. There’s also a very good price-quality ratio here, as they have the most affordable deals. For all these reasons, 100% Adventure ranks third in my recommendations.
2. Sky Trek Monteverde: Low Impact Gondola Rides
This is one of the most famous adventure parks in Monteverde. Sky Trek Monteverde offers a good experience, especially for those who would like to go on a short gondola ride before doing the zip line or canopy circuit, which isn’t offered at other parks.
If you decide to visit this park, you will cross 8 cables and you won’t need to walk much throughout the tour. Their safety measures are impeccable, and the staff is very helpful. This park isn’t my first recommendation, because their prices are a bit higher. While they do have a gondola, they don’t offer a Tarzan Swing, which is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
1. Selvatura Park: The Highest and Longest Zip Line in Monteverde
At Selvatura Park, you can have a complete experience. As their slogan says, “all of the adventure in Monteverde can be found here”. The zip line or canopy tour circuit includes 13 cables, some of which are 180 metres high. The canopy tour can also be possible to do it in Tarzan Swing, and go across one of the zip lines in superman position.
The last cable, which you cross with another person, is more than a kilometre long and it’s really wonderful because you’re so high above the valley,” wrote a visitor on his blog, Lagarto Rojo.
Although I had enjoyed other zip line tours, none of them were as exciting as this one, especially because of how long the tour lasted, and the incredible views at that height. They also offered the best service.
In terms of quality-price ratio, Selvatura Park comes out ahead. For a lower price than the one offered by the previously mentioned park, you can enjoy the entire zip line or canopy circuit, plus a non-guided hike across the hanging bridges. I decided to pay a little bit more for the guide service, which was a great way to keep learning about Monteverde. I took some stunning selfies on those bridges, which were possibly the highest in the entire nature reserve.
The best part of this establishment is that they offer a variety of options to complement the zip line experience. There’s a herpetarium, hummingbird and butterfly gardens, and guided tours across the hanging bridges.
If you’d like to learn more about Selvatura Park, please read the following article: