www.CostaRicaTicas.com

A few days ago I read a great post about a canopy tour with 50 mph zip lines and 700 feet off the ground. Can't find it again. Any experience with with canopy tours. Is this something to do while I'm basing out of SJ? I'm also spending 5 days in PV (can the whitewater rafting be done out of PV?). Also spending 5 days in Playa Samara. I still have 5-6 days to fill with more adventures, hobbying or otherwise. Pura Vida es la manera.

Last I knew there were more than 30 canopy tours operating in CR. There are also a couple of bungee jumps around Naranjo. CR is loaded with adventure tourism. Think the best thing to do is check with the tour desk at your hotel and maybe a couple of other hotels in the area and see whats available and at what price.

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

The post you are referring to was in chicagoguy's recent trip report. He spent a day at the canopy tour at San Lorenzo. DingDong is absolutely correct about the multitude of canopy tours throughout CR. Existing sites are being expanded with more platforms and zip lines and whole new locations are popping up all over. I'd be a little dubious about claims to be the longest, fastest, most platforms, etc. as the standards seem to be constantly expanding. Personally I've been on 4 different canopy tours in CR. Here's my take:

First, keep in mind that this is primarily an adrenaline rush and not really a way to explore the canopy ecosystem. If anyone wants that I would suggest either the Aerial Tram in Braulio Carillo Park (1 hour north of SJ) or the SkyWalk in Monteverde (a series of walkable suspension bridges).

Second, don't expect a lot of airtime. Unless you are travelling to some place where you are going to be right near a canopy tour (such as SkyTrek near Monteverde or Chiclets near Jaco) most of the time will be spent driving to and from there and San Jose. I beleive the one at San Lorenzo is the closest one to San Jose for those interested in doing it as a daytrip from the Gulch, but I could be wrong. Even after you get there, its something like going on a carnival ride waiting in line on each platform for that 60 second rush to the next platform. Most tours last from 1-2 hours in the canopy depending on the number of platforms and as importantly the number of other participants. I suspect the San Lorenzo tour being as close as it is to San Jose gets the most crowded.

Third, there is some variation in pricing. If you are at or travelling nearby a canopy tour you can save travel time and $30 or so bucks in transfer costs from San Jose. Here are some prices I got off a website to give you an idea (I'm not sure how current they are):
Canopy Rates per Person
Valid until October 31, 2001 Rates in U.S. $
Iguana Park Canopy Orotina 70.00
Canopy Tour Monteverde (Without Transport) 45.00
Los Angeles Cloud Forest Canopy 73.00
Canopy Tour Tabacon, La Fortuna (Without Transport) 45.00
Sky Trek Monteverde (Without Transport) 32.00
Canopy Hacienda Guachipelin, Rincon de la Vieja 45.00
Chiclets Canopy Tour Jaco (Without Transport) 46.00
Canopy Tour Ecolodge, Tilaran (Without Transport) 55.00
Canopy Tour San Lorenzo 78.00
Buena Vista Canopy 95.50
Canopy Adventure, San Jose de la Montaña 59.00

Fourth, there are other factors to consider. Currently these tours are not well regulated (hence the competing unsubstantiated claims). For safety reasons I would only go with a well-established operator. Some locations have unique perspectives. SkyTrek at Monteverde offered what they said were the highest longest lines in CR and some really nice views of the guld of Nicoya. Chiclets just south of Jaco also had some really nice views of the Pacific. There's another canopy tour in Monteverde where you ascend through the inside of a strangler fig tree. And the one at Tabacon supoosedly ends up in the hot springs. Some end with you rappeling down from the platform and others you just climb down stairs or end at ground level.

Thnaks for the info. I just booked the The ORIGINAL ® at Mahogany Park. I spoke to Gabriela on the phone and she said it is about 1.5 hours out of San Jose. They pick up at your hotel @ 8:00 am return to San Jose @ 3pm. It cost $75.pp. I will report on it when I get back.

http://www.canopypago.com/SanJose.html

Prolijo - Thanks for the info! I've been surfing the web looking for Canopy destinations. The VIP section of this board had some great vidoe clips of the canopy tour in Monteverde, stating 2.3 miles of cables, 14 platforms. Yeah, the adrenaline rush is part of it but I also want to see wildlife, jungle etc. As I plan my 16 day trip, first 2 days in SJ doing the Tica sights, then 5 days at Kaya's Place in PV. I then have 3 unscheduled days to fit in rafting, Canopy tour, wetlands tour ( any or all) 4 days on the Pacific coast at Playa Samara (could make side trips from there) and final 2 days back in SJ to fit in what I still want more of or haven't seen yet.

Your post, Prolijo, gets hard copied and put into my self-compiled travel guide.

Miami,
If I'm not mistaken that was the first canopy tour I took some 5 years ago. It was an ORIGINAL Canopy Tour but I think they called the park something else back then. Frankly, I've enjoyed the more recent ones more, but they may have added and improved to it since I went on it. The ORIGINAL Canopy Tour is certainly one of the first, if not THE first operator in the canopy biz in CR and has a very good reputation.

Norteno,
I didn't mean to make it sound like these tours are ONLY adrenalin rushes. There is certainly lots of beautiful natural scenery to admire as you fly through the trees (or wait on the platforms). Just don't expect the guides to do much in the way of pointing out or explaining what you're looking at. Their prime focus is on showing you how to harness up and ride the lines safely (and they are very good at that). And you yourself may find you're concentrating more on the task at hand, the ground below you or simply just not messing up.

If you're really interested in the eco-part and you have a few extra days, you might consider visiting the Monteverde/Santa Elena area. They have 2 canopy tours very close to town to choose from and if you sign up for SkyTrek you can also opt for a package deal that includes a visit to the SkyWalk where you can stroll more leisurely through the forest canopy and if you have a naturalist guide with you learn more about what you will be seeing.