Zip-lining in Monteverde

Sweaty palms, elevated heart rate, a pit in your stomach the size of a small watermelon, a lump in your throat the size of an avocado pit. You are decked out in a helmet and a harness.  Two people have checked to make sure the harness is secure.  

You walk across a narrow bridge and approach a small platform with a gate on the end. It is windy and the platform does not seem secure. You are over 150 feet in the air. You move to the edge of the platform and two people are there to hook you up to cables. They talk to you and keep you distracted. Thinking too much is not recommended for what you are about to do. 

Once you are hooked up to the cables, you are instructed to bend your knees and lean back slightly. The gate opens and there is nothing between you and the ground below. You step off the platform into a 3-second free fall. 

Only three seconds, but time somehow slows down. You have no control. There is no turning back. A feeling of weightlessness, of helplessness.  It is exhilarating. 

Finally, the cable hitches and you begin to swing. The pit in your stomach disappears along with the lump in your throat and you soar through the air with a big smile on your face.  When they pull you to the ground and unhook you, your legs are shaking. 

They call this the Mega Tarzan Swing.  A drop of 148ft. 

Michael did it, Judy did it, Lucas did it. Henry got to the edge of the platform and almost did it. That is a lot farther than many people get. Henry conquered the zip line like a champ. That was his victory. 

The ziplining was incredible.

10 runs. One run is 1590 meters long and for that run and one other run, Michael and I were hooked up in a superman position flying across the sky.  It is surreal to be hundreds of feet off the ground, soaring through the air like a bird. We highly recommend it.

The boys did most of the ziplines on their own. They went with a guide on the long runs because they needed the added weight. 

After completing 8 zip lines Henry started crying. He had been scared all morning but was fighting through his fear. When we got to the longest zipline, he cracked. He didn’t want to go. It was hard for Michael and me, but we knew he could do it. He had done over half the zip-lines already, by himself. 

It took about 10 minutes, but we convinced Henry to go with Lucas and the guide. When we got to the other side of the run, Henry was all smiles and said he loved it.

If you come to Monteverde, we recommend 100% Aventura. There are several zip-lining companies to choose from and we do not have experience with the others, but the 100% Aventura staff were courteous and knowledgable.

We are not daredevils by nature, but this was a blast.  Pushing our limits is good for us. It is something we try to do often, every day if possible.