Detailed Review of Sky Trek Monteverde

People always ask me for a detailed review of Sky Trek Monteverde, mainly because this zip lining tour is the most expensive in the country, let alone in Monteverde. Sky Trek is a whopping 38% more expensive than the average price of the remaining four ziplining tour companies in Monteverde. 

Over the last decade, I have been to the Sky Adventures Monteverde Park dozens of times. One of my best friends works there, and the park owners have had a great relationship with my partner ever since she was a kid. We get free tickets to Sky Trek now and then, so we have done it a couple of times over the last few years. 

Despite the fact we have gone on free tours at Sky Trek, my company‘s mission is to provide travelers with unbiased information about all tours and activities in Monteverde. So, I will be completely transparent about this tour in this post, and I will provide you with a full review of the last time we went there, back in September 2021. 

This blog will not be the typical post from a guy trying to sell you the idea of choosing Sky Trek over the other ziplining tours in Monteverde. Instead, I will share a complete perspective of the pros and cons of the Sky Trek ziplining tour, so you can evaluate if this is the right company for you to go on your ziplining adventure in Monteverde. 

I will explain who should is the right candidate to go on the Sky Trek Monteverde ziplining tour based on what it offers, its difficulty level, and its safety measures. And I will tell you what the trip includes with the price and the upgrades you can have for an additional fee, such as buying the pictures or renting a Go-Pro to record your experience. 

Throughout the post, I will also share online customer reviews to give you more perspective. 

Key Takeaways – Sky Trek Monteverde 

• Sky Trek is the best zip line tour in Monteverde for families with young children. 
• Sky Trek features the safest zip lines in Costa Rica with an automated braking system.
• Sky Trek features the fastest zip line in the country, which goes up to 75 km/h – 40 mi/h. 
• Sky Trek is an easygoing “platform to platform” zipline that involves minimal walking. 
• Sky Trek is the most expensive zipline course in Monteverde ($84 for adults, $58 for kids). 
• Sky Trek is relatively short, featuring a short tram ride, seven ziplines, and a vertigo drop. 

Keep scrolling for more details.

Who Should Visit Sky Trek Monteverde? 

Anyone can do Sky Trek Monteverde as long as they are at least 120 cm tall (3.9 feet), have no history of severe back or heart problems, or are in pregnancy. However, this tour is especially recommended for families with young kids because it features the only zipline course with an automated braking system at the end of each line, making it easy and safe for kids to stop without getting hurt. 

As mentioned in the intro, the last time we went to Sky Trek Monteverde was in September 2021. Even though I have been there multiple times, this was a special time for me. It was the first time I took my daughter on a zipline tour. What a fantastic experience! 

I had taken her a few times to the Hanging Bridges, both at Selvatura Park, as well as Sky Walk Monteverde, but back then, she was not old nor tall enough to go on the zip lines. 

This past July, when she turned eight years old, she asked me to take her ziplining. So, we made plans and arranged for my partner, Fatima, my daughter, Camila, and her cousin, Said (who had never ziplined either). He was seven years old but tall enough to go ziplining, so we planned a zipline trip to Sky Trek for their first time. 

Since I had already done all other zipline tours in the area, I knew Sky Trek would be the best choice because the automatic braking system would take all the anxiety and worry off my shoulders. Fast forward a couple of weeks later, and finally, on September 20th, a day before my birthday, the four of us headed to Sky Trek, and we had a blast!  

Sky Trek Monteverde is the Safest Zipline Tour in Costa Rica

Sky Trek Monteverde takes safety extremely seriously. They have a “Safety First” policy in the DNA of their entire company, from the receptionist to the zip line tour guides. You see the “Safety First” stapled in their billboards, and you hear the staff talk about it throughout the tour. 

Compared to our experience at Selvatura Park, I felt safer and more confident having these two little ones going alone on a zip line at Sky Trek Monteverde. Feel free to read my article Detailed Review of Selvatura’s Ziplining Tour in Monteverde for more details on that experience. 

I am not saying that Selvatura Park is not a good option for ziplines. Selvatura’s zip lines were a lot of fun, and the scenery is better compared to Sky Trek Monteverde. I’ve said it in other posts, and I will repeat it on this one; Selvatura Park is hands-down the most beautiful park I have been to in the country, and I have been to so many, I lost count. However, when it comes to ziplining with kids, Sky Trek Monteverde made me feel a lot safer. 

At Selvatura Park, kids zip line in a different position compared to Sky Trek. At Selvatura, kids need to grab a rope that attaches them to the zipline, but the string can make you spin around as you are zip lining which can be a lot of fun, but it can also be terrifying if you have never experienced it before. That’s what happened to me 11 years ago when I zip-lined for the first time in my life. The problem with this is that if you panic, you may end up placing your hand on the line, and because you are spinning around, there is a possibility you might end up putting it in front of the pulley, which would pound your hand. 

Here is a picture of Said at Selvatura Park’s ziplining tour. He started spinning around on this particular zip line, but luckily, he enjoyed the feeling instead of panicking and ended up going backward.

On the other hand, at Sky Trek, kids place their hands on a handle, and the handle is unidirectional, meaning there is no way you can spin around. You also have a more relaxed position when ziplining at Sky Trek, because your weight is distributed more evenly thanks to the handlebar. 

Here is a picture of Said at Sky Trek. Notice how the handlebar prevents him from spinning around. Instead, it keeps him looking forward at all times. 

Another safety advantage that Sky Trek has over Selvatura is that their braking system. Sky Strek uses an automated braking system that is constantly functioning without supervision. At Selvatura, their braking system is more rustic, it’s manual, and it depends on a person to operate it. 

Now the tour guides at Selvatura Park do an excellent job of ensuring the braking system works perfectly, but as with any process that relies solely on humans, it can lead to human error. So, what if, for some odd reason, the tour guide in charge of stopping you has a heart attack that prevents him from stopping you? 

Granted, the likelihood of this happening might not be high (otherwise, it would have probably already happened, and they would have implemented another method), the possibility is there. It’s potentially something that could occur at Selvatura, and it’s not going to happen at Sky Trek. Now, you might argue that Sky Trek’s automated brake system might also fail; after all, it’s a machine, and that is true, but they also have a person looking over it on every zip line to add a layer of safety and redundancy. Something I welcomed and appreciated. 

All in all, things went great at both Selvatura Park and Sky Trek Monteverde, and we made it in one piece, so in the end, it was fine, but the overall feeling of safety and security was more prominent at Sky Trek. I had a more relaxing and enjoyable time there, and I have read online reviews that validate this point. Safety is priceless. 

Enjoyed the self-braking set-up and that drove our decision to choose this company. Liked not having to worry about braking and putting our hand on the line.” LT, TripAdvisor Review

Sky Trek Monteverde Features the Fastest Zipline in Costa Rica

At the longest zip line at Sky Trek Monteverde, zip line number 7, you can reach an impressive speed of 75 km/h (46 mi/h). Going down that zip line feels amazing. Especially when you know that an automated brake will take care of stopping you safely as you reach the end of it.

The following table shows how fast you can go at each zip line in Sky Trek Monteverde.

How Fast are the Zip Lines at Sky Trek Monteverde? 

* The first zip line at Sky Trek Monteverde goes slowly for demonstration purposes.

Ziplining From Platform to Platform at Sky Trek Monteverde

Another aspect differentiating Sky Trek Monteverde from its competitors is the nearly “no-walking” experience that makes this tour pretty easy. 

Back at Selvatura, we had to walk for a total of 20 minutes in between some of the platforms, whereas, at Sky Trek, we only had to take a few steps from the point where we finished one line to the venue where the next one began. 

Warning: At Sky Trek Monteverde, you will have to climb stairs on the towers leading to the platforms where each zip line starts. However, it will not be as much as the other ziplining tours. 

For example, compared to Selvatura, you will climb less than half of the stairs. Nonetheless, if you have knee, hip, or ankle issues that prevent you from going upstairs, you will want to skip ziplining in Monteverde altogether. 

Other than climbing those steps, which in total should take you less than 15 minutes out of the entire tour, Sky Trek Monteverde is by far the less physically demanding zipline tour in the area. 

Sky Trek Monteverde Cons

Now that we have discussed the benefits of Sky Trek Monteverde, let’s take some time to review the cons; 

Sky Trek Monteverde is Pricey

Without a doubt, price is the number one disadvantage at Sky Trek Monteverde compared to all other ziplining tours in the area. As mentioned above, the price for Sky Trek is 38% above the average price of all other ziplining tour companies for adults. 

Sky Trek is $84 for adults and $58 for kids. Selvatura’s zipline tour comes up next at $55 for adults, $39 for kids. Aventura and Extremo are both $50 for adults, but the prices for kids change significantly with $41 for kids at Aventura and $30 at Extremo. At this price range, Extremo might seem like a tempting option for families. However, I would not recommend it for kids, as this is the most extreme zipline tour in the country. 

Sky Trek Monteverde’s Zipline Course is a Bit Short 

Sky Trek Monteverde features the shortest zipline track compared to all other zipline tour companies in the area. There are only seven zip lines in the course, which seem relatively minor to other zipline tours in Monteverde. 

Aventura has 11 zip lines, while Selvatura and Extremo have 13 and 16, respectively. However, all of them take around the same time, which is approximately two hours. How come, you might wonder? As mentioned above, Sky Trek mainly focuses on safety, so they take the time to check your harness carefully before climbing each platform. Something we did not notice in Selvatura. It’s a small thing, but it can have huge repercussions (i.e., someone could potentially fall from a platform). 

The other thing is that you might get carried away by your perception based on the number of zip lines rather than the actual zipline experience. I mean, while it’s true that Sky Trek only has eight zip lines, the combined distance adding up the seven zip lines is just a little below 3 kilometers (1.83 miles), which is not too far from Selvatura’s Canopy Tour, which has 13 zip lines that add up to 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles).

Keep in mind that Selvatura’s zipline course is the most extensive in the area, so again, don’t be discouraged because Sky Trek only has seven zip lines because each line is pretty long (we will go over a table with the distances down below).

What Does Sky Trek Monteverde Include? 

Sky Trek Monteverde includes:

• Safety equipment (helmet and leather gloves)
• An introduction to safety measures at the start
• A ten-minute Sky Tram ride to reach the first platform
• Six zip lines with varying heights and lengths
• An optional Vertigo Jump (like a Bungee jump)

Additionally, you can opt in to buy pictures to keep memories of your trip, which I highly recommend for an additional fee. At the end of the tour, the cameraman will show you all the pictures on a wide HD screen, and you can decide then if you want to buy them or not.

If you choose to purchase the images, they will email a link to download them, and you will have 30 days to do so. 

You can also rent a GoPro, which I only recommend if it’s not raining. Raindrops can fall over the GoPro’s protector, which can significantly decrease the quality of your videos. 

If you choose to rent the GoPro, they will give you an SD card, so you can plug it into a computer to download the videos. 

Warning: When recording your family members you need to keep your head up, slightly looking upward. Otherwise, the video will be recorded as though you are looking down, and the shot will not be the best. I wish they would have told me this when I rented the GoPro. I did not know and did not realize this issue until we were back at reception looking at the videos.

Watch the following poor-quality video that resulted from keeping my head at a “normal” level, not cool.

Sky Tram Ride at Sky Trek Monteverde

Sky Trek Monteverde includes a small ten-minute ride on a gondola called Sky Tram. The ride is utterly beautiful, and it provides the best views in Monteverde as you go above the canopy of the trees. If you are lucky and it’s clear, you can even see the ocean from there. And if you are extra fortunate, you might see a Quetzal (I spotted one flying next to our Gondola). 

However, the Sky Tram ride is only from the main building to the park’s highest point, where the zipline tour begins, so it feels a bit short. 

Sky Trek Monteverde Ziplining Course Map

2021 Update: Sky Trek Monteverde replaced the 8th zipline (shown on the map above) with the Vertigo Drop (which you can read about below).

How Long are the Zip Lines at Sky Trek Monteverde? 

As mentioned above, the combined distance adding up to the eight zip lines is 3 kilometers (1.83 miles).

The following table shows how long is each zip line:

The first zip line at Sky Trek Monteverde is for practice. At this point, you can still go back if you are unsure about keep going on the tour. After this point, the Sky Tram will take you to the highest point of Sky Adventures Park. From then on, if you decide to stop ziplining at any point, you will have to walk back to reception using the emergency evacuation trail, which depending on where you stop, can take between a couple of minutes and a little over an hour.

So, the recommendation is to only sign up for a zipline tour if you are sure about it. And then use this first zip line to leave all fears (if any) behind.

Ziplines number 3 and 7 are pretty long and depending on how windy the weather is and how thin you are, you may need to travel in pairs to add enough weight to generate inertia and speed.

It’s vitally important to remain with your companion throughout the ride, even after you gain some speed, so you can keep the momentum to reach the end of the zip line. But don’t worry about it. Your tour guide will adjust your harness so that you can stay together. Additionally, whoever goes in the back should wrap up the person in the front with their legs to remain as close as possible to each other so that you can be more aerodynamic.

Here is a picture of Camila and Said ziplining in pairs:

After looking at the above picture, you might wonder why Camila is spreading her legs like that.

The reason for this is that they are approaching the braking system gadget. The zipline’s harness clashes with the brake gadget, which stops you from crashing into a tree. When the harness and the brake gadget clash, the inertia pushes your legs forward, and you have to open them to prevent you from kicking the zipline, which would hurt your feet and legs.

So, you start off ziplining with your legs cross, but as you approach the end of the zipline, you have to open them. Here is a couple of pictures featuring Fatima doing this:

How High are the Zip Lines at Sky Trek Monteverde? 

The following table shows how high is each zip line from the ground level: 

Zipline number 4 at Sky Trek Monteverde is not the largest, it’s 320 meters long (1,050 feet), roughly half the distance of their largest zipline, but it’s crazy high at 100 meters (328 feet) above the ground level. Don’t look down on that one!

Videos of Each Zip Line at Sky Trek Monteverde

I recorded the following videos with the GoPro I rented at Sky Trek Monteverde. The videos will help you appreciate the distances, speeds, and heights of each zip line.

Vertigo Drop at Sky Trek Monteverde

Sky Trek also includes an optional Vertigo drop, a 25-meter (82 feet) freefall from the last platform with a rope attached to your harness.

It’s like doing bungee but going backward and with a machine that controls how tight the cord gets to ensure it’s safe and easy on your body, as opposed to the experience some people report at the Extremo Bungee Jump, which is so extreme that it can hurt your back a little.

On the other hand, while the Vertigo Drop was not that extreme.

It was amazing, and it felt great (it also felt like I was going to die LOL).

Check it out:

Watch me and Fatima jump off the Vertigo Drop here:

Kids Rappel Down Instead of Doing the Vertigo Drop

The Vertigo Drop can be pretty scary for kids, so instead, they rappel down the last platform at an easygoing pace.

Sky Trek Monteverde Summary Table

Is Sky Trek Monteverde For You? 

This ends my review on Sky Trek Monteverde.

After reading the above information, if you consider that Sky Trek Monteverde is your best choice, you can use this link to check real-time availability, book, and get instant confirmation. On the other hand, if you are unsure if Sky Trek Monteverde is the best option for your ideal zipline experience, you can check out this article to compare the top 5 zipline tour companies in Monteverde.

About the Author

Daniel Lalinde

I am the founder of Monteverde Tours Online. I live in Monteverde, and I love nature, adventure, and Mountain Biking. My partner and I love spending time in the outdoors and dining out in Monteverde. We have more than 30 years of combined experience in the area, and there is no park, no coffee shop, and no restaurant we haven’t tried at least once!

We love helping visitors, connecting them with the different tours and activities to have a memorable experience in Monteverde.

If you need help planning things to do in the area, send us a message, and we will happily assist you!