PURE FUN: ZIPLINING IN COSTA RICA
Flying like a bird 200 metres above the ground
It was my 30th birthday and it could not have been better!
There has always been this thing on my wish list: to go ZIPLINING one day! And then it was going to happen on my birthday. What a great day!
I was very excited to do it but there was one little problem. I am afraid of heights. Maybe not the best condition for something high up in the air ?
So I started to prepare myself and my mind and watched YouTube videos. And the quality and safety of the zip lines and the company convinced me. I got even more and more excited about it! It looked so great. There was no other option… I had to do it!
BoB, Lars, my brother, and I left our hotel after a delicious breakfast and were very happy to see a sunny blue sky. The day before was cloudy and rainy and we all were afraid that we would spend some wet hours at a zip line. But we were lucky! Yippee!
BoB’s first zip line action
The view from up there was fantastic!
From our hotel in La Fortuna it was just a 20 minutes ride into the direction of the Arenal Volcano. And we were so German… we were the first ones there, 10 minutes before the park opened ? At the entrance we were welcomed by a very friendly young lady and above us we could already see one of the zip lines. “That’s high!”
Some minutes later we were equipped with harness, helmet, and gloves and got to know our two funny guides. As soon as our group of nine people was ready, we all jumped into the sky tram. This was the first exciting part of the day. It was not a usual gondola that’s closed, with windows. It was more like a metal cage which was even better. We had a fantastic view of the surrounding mountain range and rain forest and we could here the beautiful sounds of the nature… the singing of the birds and the rustling of the trees.
The ride took about 15 to 20 minutes. When we reached the platform, our guides gave us a safety introduction and showed us what to do on the zip line. The first two zip lines were only for training. We were all surprised how easy and comfortable it was to hang on a line. The harness is around your bum and hip and with your hands you hold on to the handles of the pulley.
BoB also had a harness…. a special one. He had his own place on the pulley from where he could see perfectly.
Of course BoB was zip lining as well! EVERY zip line
And then the adventure ziplining in Costa Rica started
At the end of the second zip line we knew that the next one will be a proper one but nobody expected something like that: the HIGHEST zip line, 200 metres above the ground! We all thought “That’s a joke, this can’t be the right one, we just trained with 30 metres long lines that were close to the ground. Oh noooo!” But of course, we were at the right place and we could almost hear the adrenaline bubbling in our veins.
One of the women in our group was brave enough to go first. (It was not me ? The guide loosened the connection and like an arrow she flew along the line, into the valley. Then it was my turn and you can’t image the feeling I had. It really felt like flying… flying above the treetops of the rain forest with an incredible landscape on the horizon… the Arenal Volcano. I screamed, I took a deep breath and I felt like a bird in the sky. My whole body was full of adrenaline and I couldn’t believe that I’m 200 metres above the ground! ME, the one who is afraid of heights!
After some seconds I reached the next platform and the guide welcomed me with a big smile. I was so proud of myself.
Then it was BoB’s and Lars turn. From the other end I could here them both screaming and it was a pleasure to see a very happy BoB. He was the first golf ball ever on a zip line. Lars and my brother were also deeply impressed by the height and the fantastic view. But that was not all… the total tour consists of 8 zip lines, all in a different height, with a different lengths, and speed. Maybe 8 zip lines sound long and boring but believe me, it’s definitively NOT! You don’t want to stop! And LISTEN to the SOUND of the cable! It’s so loud! It makes it even more exciting.
The Arenal parcours
www.skyadventures.travel
Our favorites were cable 3, the highest, cable 6, the fastest, and cable 7, the longest.
Cable 6 was the steepest zip line and you reach an incredible speed of 80km/h!!! Can you image how strong the wind is in your face? The longest one is 760 metres long! It seems endless and during a small part it guides you through trees and above the parking space. Although it’s not the highest ride, the cars look like toys. ADRENALIN PURE!
After this long flight you are happy like a child who doesn’t want to stop playing. ?
For BoB the last ride was a bit too much. When Lars and he arrived on the platform, he felt dizzy and was looking forward to be on the ground again. You have to imagine, for a small golf ball the height is even higher, the distance is longer and the speed is faster. To cheer him up again, our two funny guides took a picture with him. Now BoB has a great souvenir :).
BoB has at least two new friends ? Our very funny guides!
After this first highlight, the zip lining adventure, the next one awaited me. It was my birthday and, of course, I was excited about my presents ? We left the Arenal Volcano and drove to Alajuela, a city close to San Jose. Our hotel was okay. Definitively good enough for getting presents ;). My brother opened his backpack and hold a package in his hands, wrapped in red paper and full of funny stickers. I opened it and there it was: a Kindle ? A perfect travel companion! @ My family: Thank you very much for this great present! and @ Bob, Lars, and Guido: Thanks so much for the perfect birthday!
BoB’s travel tip for ziplining in Costa Rica:
There are too many companies that offer tours for ziplining in Costa Rica. We decided to take the most famous one, Sky adventures . It is not the cheapest but the tour is long and the view is incredible. The sky Tram + sky Trek package costs 77 dollars per person. You have to decide by yourself, what you want to see during your ride. Rates start at 45 dollars per person for zip lines through the rain forest. Click here for an overview of the different companies.