Nikki Solano

Hi Shannon!

That’s great news. Did you go zip-lining at the Vista Los Suenos Adventure Park? Hope you had a blast!

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Mel!

Absolutely! Two braking systems are used in Costa Rica. The most common braking system, which is used by the majority of canopy tour operators in Costa Rica, is a hand-braking system that requires zipliners to wear a thick (usually leather) glove during the tour and reduce their speed by applying pressure to the zip-line cable. Sky Adventures, a tour operator that runs canopy tours in the La Fortuna/Arenal and Monteverde areas, uses a system that requires zipliners to reduce their speed by jostling a set of handlebars from side to side.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Facts about Costa Rica – International Living!

Thanks so much for the helpful feedback! Selvatura‘s “Canopy Tour” is a great option, especially coupled with exploration of their on-site “Treetop Walkways Hanging Bridges,” as you note. As a sad update, the insect museum is no longer available at the Selvatura Park. 🙁 Sky Adventures‘s “Sky Trek Canopy Tour” is another great option; their zip-lining experience doesn’t use the leather glove braking system, it uses a more innovative handlebar braking system. Also, the tour can be coupled with exploration of their on-site “Sky Walk Hanging Bridges.”

Pura vida! 🙂

Hello kimsimard!

Very true! 🙂 If you do decide to try zip-lining in Costa Rica, though, let us know. There are some canopy tours that aren’t as thrilling or as high up as the canopy tours described in our article above, so perhaps they would be a better option for you, at least to start.

Pura vida!

Hello Kelly!

Sounds good! Costa Rica’s two side-by-side RIU resorts are located on Playa Matapalo in the Guanacaste region, along Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast. Since you mentioned you’d like to go zip-lining someplace close to the resort, we’d suggest going with either the canopy tour run at the Diamante Eco Adventure Park or the canopy tour operated by Congo Trail Canopy. Both tours take place near the RIU resorts. As for whether the gentleman in your party will be allowed to participate in either tour, it would be best to reach out to the canopy tour providers directly to have them confirm this. Though most canopy tour operators set a maximum weight limit for their zip-line tours, in most cases, the decision over whether an individual can or cannot participate is determined by the individual’s waist dimensions, not their weight. This is because weight can be carried a few different ways on a person’s body, and it’s most important that the tour operator has a harness that can appropriately fit the waist and legs of each tour participant.

Pura vida! 🙂