Costa Rica has some of the best ziplining tours in the world. From the longest single zipline in Latin America to the most extensive ziplining tour in the region. And if you’re visiting this wonderful country in search of adventure and a good dose of adrenaline, you will love ziplining here. 

With so many ziplining tours around the country, it can be overwhelming to search on the web for the most convenient option for you but don’t worry. You will have to look no further. This post will go over all the necessary details you need to know before scheduling your ziplining adventure in Costa Rica. 

Over the last decade, I have helped hundreds of people plan their perfect Costa Rica getaway, and ziplining has consistently been at the top of most travelers’ bucket lists. So, I will answer the most frequent questions people often have when thinking about ziplining in Costa Rica, which include: 

• Safety Matters
• Price Comparisons
• Best Regions For Ziplining
• Best Parks & Ziplining Tours

All of the above information will help you determine which ziplining tour is best for you, and I will also include links to get your tickets throughout the post for your convenience. 

I’m an affiliate to all the ziplining tour companies mentioned in this post, which means I get a small commission (at no cost to you) for sending you to their web pages. 

This commission is the value I get for sharing this information with you today, enabling me to share more helpful content with future fellow travelers. 

With that out of the way, let’s jump right in: 

Where Are the Best Places to Go Ziplining in Costa Rica?

One of the most frequent questions we get at our travel agency is, “Where are the best places to go ziplining in Costa Rica?” 

I’m getting that question all the time, and if you’re planning on visiting our country, chances are you might have this question too. 

The best places for ziplining in Costa Rica are Monteverde and Arenal. Monteverde features the most extensive ziplining courses in Costa Rica through lush green Cloud Forest. While Arenal, near La Fortuna, features the fastest ziplines in the country and the most fantastic views of Arenal’s Volcano.

There are other popular destinations for ziplining in Costa Rica, such as Guanacaste and Manuel Antonio. Let’s review each of these locations separately, starting with the top sites situated at Monteverde; 

Ziplining in Monteverde Costa Rica

Monteverde is the mecca for those looking for the best ziplining tours in Costa Rica. Monteverde was the first place on earth to establish a ziplining tour back in the early 1990s. It started with a small group of local entrepreneurs who created the Finca Valverde Canopy Tour.

As the tourism demand increased a couple of years later, this original group parted ways and created separate ziplining tours throughout Monteverde. That’s how Finca Valverde became the Original Canopy Tour, and two other ziplining parks emerged; Sky Adventures Monteverde and Selvatura Park. 

The Original Canopy Tour became more obsolete and less adventurous as time went by. At the same time, the Selvatura Park’s Ziplining Tour and Sky Adventures Monteverde’s Ziplining Tour (also known as Sky Trek Monteverde) experienced tremendous growth in popularity. Selvatura Park features the most scenic ziplining tour in Monteverde, while Sky Adventures Monteverde features the safest ziplining tour in Costa Rica. 

In the 2000s, two more parks opened their doors with new ziplining offerings in Monteverde; 100% Aventura and Monteverde Extremo. These parks are far from the cloud forest but still within the Monteverde region. The first one is a pretty adventurous and fun ziplining, while the latter provides a much more extreme ziplining course. 

Let’s talk about these four ziplining parks in Monteverde, starting with the most popular; Selvatura Park. 

Selvatura Park’s Ziplining Tour in Monteverde Costa Rica

Selvatura Park, situated at the heart of Monteverde’s cloud forest, between Santa Elena’s Cloud Forest Reserve and Monteverde’s Cloud Forest Reserve, features the most profound connection with nature of all ziplining tours in Costa Rica. 

Selvatura’s Ziplining Tour is $55 for adults plus taxes and includes 13 ziplines and a Tarzan Swing. You can also upgrade to do the longest line in Superman-style for an additional fee of $15 plus taxes. Some zip lines go above the canopy of the trees, which gives you a fantastic opportunity to contemplate the tremendous views of the cloud forest. Other ziplines go in between the trees, which will provide you with a deep feeling of connection with nature. 

If you are looking for a ziplining experience that features the most fantastic feeling of connection with Costa Rica’s cloud forest, Selvatura Park’s Ziplining Tour is it. For more detailed information on this experience, you can read my article Detailed Review of Selvatura’s Ziplining Tour here. 

Sky Adventure’s Ziplining Tour in Monteverde Costa Rica

Sky Adventures is the second closest ziplining park to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, 2 kilometers (1.5 mi) away from Selvatura Park, and is not 100% primary forest. The views are almost as impressive and beautiful as they are in Selvatura, but the experience of getting close to nature is not the same. 

However, when it comes to safety, the Sky Adventures Monteverde’s Ziplining Tour (also known as Sky Trek Monteverde) is arguably the best. Sky Adventures Monteverde prides itself on having the best technology in the country, a braking system that allows you to stop before the end of each zipline automatically. This automated braking system is the primary differentiator that makes Sky Adventures Monteverde the best choice for kids and older adults. 

Sky Adventure Monteverde’s Ziplining Tour is $84 for adults plus taxes. It includes seven zip lines between 100 meters (300 feet) and 750 meters (2,460 feet) long and a vertical jump from a platform called “Vertigo Drop” for an unforgettable adventure that will last approximately 2.5 hours. 

If you or someone in your family (especially kids) have never gone on a ziplining tour before, Sky Adventures Monteverde’s Ziplining Tour is for you. 

100% Aventura’s Ziplining Tour in Monteverde Costa Rica

As its name indicates, 100% Aventura’s Ziplining Tour is a super fun ziplining course. The 100% Aventura Park is partly on cloud forest and partly on secondary forest (i.e., in a reforested area), which means that you will not get views as impressive as you otherwise would at Selvatura Park or Sky Adventures Monteverde. However, their ziplining course is pretty enjoyable, and it features the longest single zip line in Latin America, a crazy long (1.6-Kilometer / 1 mile) zip line that you can opt to do in Superman Style. 

Since Aventura, as locals call it, is partly on a reforested area, they had more flexibility to build the park. This flexibility enabled them to create a ziplining course that is more fun than Selvatura Park and Sky Adventures Monteverde. These two parks are in a primary forest, so they had limited room to build their ziplining theme parks. They had to use the small gaps between giant trees to run their lines without causing damage to the forest. 

Aventura used their reforested area to build their dream ziplining course, which includes 11 Ziplines, 2 of which are Superman Style, including the Longest in Latin America 1,600 m (5,300 ft), a Rappel 10 m (32 ft), and a Tarzan Swing 45 m (147 ft) for $50 plus taxes for adults. 

If you are looking for the most fun ziplining course in Monteverde, you should book the 100% Aventura’s Ziplining Tour. 

Extreme Zipline Tour in Monteverde Costa Rica

Monteverde Extremo is the most recent ziplining park built in Monteverde. Like 100% Aventura, Extremo, as locals call it, is a partly primary cloud forest and somewhat a reforested area used for cattle in the past. This reforested area also provided a lot of flexibility for the engineers to design their ziplining course. 

Back then, there was already a ziplining park focused on the scenery (Selvatura Park), another one focused on safety (Sky Adventures Monteverde), and another one focused on a fun ride (100% Aventura). For that reason, Monteverde Extremo’s designers decided to create a brand new ziplining experience tailored to the most adventurous travelers. That’s what gave birth to the most extreme adventure park in Costa Rica; Monteverde Extremo Park. 

Monteverde Extremo’s Ziplining Tour is also the longest ziplining course in Costa Rica, which includes an Aerial Superman 1,030 m (3,380 ft), a Subterranean Superman 190 m (623 ft), a Rappel 30 m (98.5 ft), and a Tarzan Swing 50 m (164 ft) for $50 plus taxes for adults. 

If you’re looking for the most extreme and adventurous ziplining course in Costa Rica, the Monteverde Extremo’s Ziplining Tour is for you.

That covers the main four ziplining experiences in Monteverde. Let’s now talk about those in Arenal, but before I start, let me clarify that Arenal is a small town next to La Fortuna. Locals tend to use Arenal and La Fortuna interchangeably. In simple terms, La Fortuna is the town where you find most hotels and shops, whereas Arenal is the more rural side, home to the Arenal Volcano National Park and Arenal’s Lake. Let’s begin; 

Ziplining in Arenal and La Fortuna Costa Rica

The second-best destination for ziplining in Costa Rica is Arenal and La Fortuna. Arenal’s first ziplining tour started a couple of years after Monteverde’s ziplining boom in the 1990s. The first company to create a ziplining tour in Arenal was Sky Adventures who came to the game with previous experience from their Monteverde park. 

Two more ziplining adventure parks opened their doors following Sky Adventures Arenal; Arenal Ecoglide Park and Go Adventure Arenal Park. 

Let’s review the ziplining tours they offer, starting with the most popular and top recommendation for ziplining in this area; Sky Adventures Arenal. 

Sky Adventures Arenal’s Ziplining Tour in Arenal Costa Rica

Sky Adventures Arenal has the best ziplining tour in the Arenal and La Fortuna area. Sky Adventures Arenal’s Ziplining Tour features the fastest ziplines in Costa Rica, as well as some pretty amazing views of Arenal’s Volcano and Arenal’s Lake. 

Sky Adventures Ziplining Tour, also known as Sky Trek Arenal, includes a Tram ride and seven zip lines (including the fastest ones in Costa Rica). The Tram ride, called Sky Tram, is a short 15-min ride on a Gondola that takes you 400 meters up to Sky Adventures Arenal’s top. At this top, you will have access to a couple of different viewpoints to Arenal’s Lake and Arenal’s Volcano. The most famous view is called “Arenal’s Hand,” a massive hand made of concrete. You can easily reach the hand’s palm, and the staff can take pictures of you overlooking Arenal’s Lake as you stand on this impressive statue. 

After taking some fantastic pictures, you will begin your adventure as you zipline down from platform to platform going through a series of seven zip lines where you can reach speeds of up to 80 Km/h (50 mi/h). Imagine that! This ziplining experience is pretty adventurous, yet very relaxed, in that this is the only ziplining tour in Costa Rica where you go straight from platform to platform, no walking. The price for adults is $84 plus taxes. 

If you’re looking for the fastest zip lines in Costa Rica, Sky Adventure Arenal’s Ziplining Tour is for you.

Arenal Ecoglide’s Ziplining Tour in La Fortuna Costa Rica

Arenal Ecoglide is the next best option for a ziplining tour in Arenal, Costa Rica, even though this park is in La Fortuna. If you haven’t already found out, Costa Ricans use La Fortuna and Arenal interchangeably because these two small towns are next to each other. Ecoglide decided to use Arenal instead of La Fortuna as part of their name because Arenal is easier to pronounce and remember for non-Spanish speakers. Still, the park is in La Fortuna, 3.5 kilometers (about 2 miles) west of La Fortuna’s central park. 

Arenal Ecoglide’s Ziplining Tour is $50 for adults plus takes and includes 11 zip lines, out of which 9 of them are inside the rainforest, a hanging bridge, and a 40-meter (131 feet) jump into the void called the Tarzan Swing, resembling how the Tarzan cartoon swang from tree to tree. 

The first section of Arenal Ecoglide’s Ziplining Tour has six zip lines with a medium height of 25 meters (81 feet) above floor level and up to 210 meters (690 feet) long. The second section of the tour has five more zip lines ranging between 100 and 430 meters in length (330 and 1,410 feet), followed by the Tarzan Swing. 

If you’re looking for a more relaxed, less adventurous ziplining tour in La Fortuna, Arenal Ecoglide’s Ziplining Tour is for you. 

Go Adventure Arenal Park’s Ziplining Tour in La Fortuna Costa Rica

Go Adventure Arenal Park protects 30 hectares (75 acres) of primary and secondary (reforested) forest. This conservation area has a reputation for hosting a variety of wildlife, some of which you can see as you go on the Go Adventure Arenal Park Ziplining Tour. 

Go Adventure Arenal Park’s Ziplining Tour includes ten zip lines and a 50-meter rappel (164 feet) rappel. The ziplines here are not too long nor high, so the ziplining experience is not as extreme. However, the scenery is very natural and beautiful, including a view of the impressive Canyon of the Arenal River and the extraordinary flora and fauna of the rain forest, making Go Adventure Arenal Park’s Ziplining Tour the best option for nature lovers in the area. 

Go Adventure Arenal Park’s Ziplining Tour is also the most affordable tour of this nature in the La Fortuna region at $50 plus taxes for adults. 

If you’re looking for a more natural, less expensive ziplining experience in Arenal, Go Adventure Arenal Park’s Ziplining Tour is your best bet. 

Ziplining in Guanacaste Costa Rica

The third-best destination for ziplining in Costa Rica is the Guanacaste region. Even though Guanacaste is primarily a beach destination with water sports at the top of the list, ziplining in this area can also be exciting and fun. When thinking about ziplining in this region, the only thing you should consider is the heat; it can get significantly hot in Guanacaste. 

According to weather-atlas.com, the warmest month is March, with an average high temperature of 31.7°C (89.1°F), according to weather-atlas.com. Depending on where you’re visiting us from, this temperature can be more or less uncomfortable for you. Still, compared to Arenal, La Fortuna, and especially Monteverde, ziplining in Guanacaste will feel much warmer. 

There are two ziplining adventure parks in the Guanacaste region; The Congo Trail, 9 Km (6 mi or a 15-min drive) north of Potrero Beach, Diamante Eco Adventure Park, 2.2 Km (1.5 mi or a 6-min drive) east of Matapalo Beach. Another ziplining tour company called Pura Aventura was on the way to Junquillal, but it permanently closed its doors due to the COVID19 tourism crash in 2020. 

Let’s review the ziplining tours offered in this area, starting with the most popular one and our recommendation; The Congo Trail Ziplinin Tour. 

The Congo Trail Ziplining Tour in Guanacaste Costa Rica

The Congo Trail is on a combination of primary and secondary Tropical Dry Forest. It’s relatively easy to spot some local wildlife at this location, including a couple of mammals such as howler monkeys and white-face capuchin monkeys. You will likely also spot various local birds such as parrots. 

The Congo Trail’s Ziplining Tour involves a bit of uphill hiking to reach some of their zip lines, and the weather can get pretty hot. However, they have benches and water stations to compensate for this. 

Tour guides at The Congo Trail are amiable, especially to families with kids, making it the right choice for those scared of heights who want to challenge themselves with a ziplining tour. 

Congo Trai’s Ziplining Tour consists of eleven zip lines, relatively small and not high above the floor level, especially compared to other ziplining locations such as Monteverde and Arenal. The ziplining course is fun and immersed in the jungle, though. 

If you are looking for a relatively easygoing ziplining tour in the middle of the jungle, The Congo Trail’s Ziplining Tour is for you. 

Diamante Eco Adventure Ziplining Tour in Guanacaste Costa Rica

The Diamante Eco Adventure Park setting is notoriously different from that of The Congo Trails. Diamante Eco Adventure Park is near Matapalo Beach’s coast, granting you fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean as you fly through the air on a zip line. 

Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour features fast, long, and high zip lines with amazing views, making it a more appropriate choice for those looking for adventure. Most ziplining tours in Costa Rica require a relatively high waiting time, waiting around for other zip liners. 

On the contrary, Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour is usually speedy and efficient, leaving you plenty of time to see the animals, botanical gardens, chocolate demonstrations, and other amenities that the park includes. These amenities make Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour one of the best-value tour packages in Costa Rica. 

Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour includes a nearly mile-long ocean view line Superman-style, a 30-foot free fall Quick Jump, and a hanging bridge over crocodiles. All in all, this is a great option to spend a full day of adventure. 

If you’re looking for a comprehensive ziplining experience that combines adventure with nature and culture, Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour is the best option in Costa Rica. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Ziplining in Costa Rica

Up to this point, we covered the major highlights of the best ziplining tours in Costa Rica. Follow the links above to get more details about each site, check real-time availability, and get your tickets. 

Let’s now tackle some of the most frequent questions I get around ziplining in Costa Rica; 

Is Ziplining in Costa Rica Worth it? 

Many people wonder whether ziplining in Costa Rica is worth it. At first glance, prices seem too high, which begs the question. 

Ziplining in Costa Rica is worth it. Ziplining tours in Costa Rica range between $50 and $100 per person, significantly more than in other countries. However, ziplining tours in Costa Rica are fun and lengthy. They typically take 2 hours, including many zip lines, making them worth every penny. 

While other countries may charge a lower fee for ziplining, those ziplining experiences will often only include between one and three zip lines, making for a relatively short experience. 

On the other hand, a typical ziplining tour in Costa Rica will have somewhere between 7 and 16 zip lines, covering a significant portion of land on private properties overlooking beautiful scenery. 

Also, Ziplining tours in Costa Rica usually include other experiences besides zip lines, such as crossing hanging bridges, rappelling down a tree platform, or jumping off from a Tarzan Swing. 

Which is the Best Zipline in Costa Rica? 

Many people wonder which is the best zipline in Costa Rica. I get that question all the time, and when people ask me this, they usually don’t refer to one zip line, but instead, they mean it as referencing a ziplining tour or a series of zip lines. 

In this context, deciding which ziplining tour is considered the best zipline in Costa Rica can be tricky. With so many options, it can be challenging to make this call. 

Ironically, many tourists claim on their online reviews that so and so is the best zipline in Costa Rica when they have not tried them all. How can they be so sure that the zipline they did is the best when they’ve only been to that one? So, whenever you see that comment, you should probably take it with a grain of salt. However, having many tourists validate different ziplining tours in Costa Rica as “the best zipline” reinforces that ziplining in our country is extremely fun and world-class. 

Going back to the question of the best zipline in Costa Rica, I will give my opinion based on my own experience after going through dozens of ziplining tours over the last decade. However, I have to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all the ziplining adventures I’ve embarked on in Costa Rica. That said, here’s what I think is the best: 

The best zipline in Costa Rica is the Selvatura Park’s Ziplining Tour in Monteverde. Selvatura has the most extensive ziplining tour in the country and is the only ziplining tour situated in 100% astonishingly beautiful primary cloud forest, going through the woods and above the canopy of the trees.

Ziplining through the woods connects you with nature profoundly, while going above the canopy of the trees gives you fantastic panoramic views. When planning to book the Selvatura’s Ziplining Tour, the only thing to consider is that you have to brake with your hand using a leather glove. Braking is simple, but it can add unnecessary stress to your adventure.  

If you’re an experienced zipliner and don’t mind having to brake with your hand, then I am sure you will have a blast at Selvatura Park’s Ziplining Tour. On the other hand, if you’ve never ziplined before or you’re going with kids, and you prefer to go on a ziplining tour where you don’t have to worry about braking, then my next best option is Sky Adventure Arenal’s Ziplining Tour. 

If you’re in the Guanacaste region and your Costa Rica trip itinerary does not include Monteverde nor Arenal, then your best bet is the Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour.

What’s the Longest Zipline in Costa Rica? 

Many people wonder what’s the longest zipline in Costa Rica. Before I give you the answer, I have to explain that we can look at this question from two angles. You might be wondering what’s the single longest zip line in Costa Rica. On the other hand, you may also wonder what’s the longest zipline tour in Costa Rica as in the sum of all the zip lines involved in the course. 

The longest zipline tour in Costa Rica is at Monteverde Extremo Park, which features 16 zip lines with a total distance of 4.3 Kilometers (2.7 miles). However, the longest individual zip line is in another ziplining park in Monteverde called 100% Aventura which features a 1.6 Kilometers (1 mile) zip line. 

So, if you’re looking for the most extensive ziplining course, you should book the Monteverde Extremo’s Ziplining Tour. And if you’re interested in the longest single zip line, then you should book Monteverde’s 100% Aventura’s Ziplining Tour. 

How High are Ziplines in Costa Rica? 

If you’re afraid of heights and you’re worried about how high zip lines are in Costa Rica, I have the answer for you. 

Ziplines in Costa Rica are between 3 meters (10 feet) and 200 meters (656 feet) high. There are dozens of ziplining parks spread across the country, and how high each zipline is will vary from park to park. 

If you’re looking for a zipline that is not too high, your best bet is Arenal Ecoglide’s Ziplining Tour, which has eleven zip lines with an average height of 25 meters (82 feet). 

But what if, on the other hand, you want to experience a bird’s eye view from up high? That begs the following frequent question I get; 

What’s The Highest Zip Line in Costa Rica? 

The highest zip line in Costa Rica is at Sky Adventures Arenal Park, which features a 200 meter (656 feet) high zip line above the canopy of the Arenal Rainforest. This incredibly high zip line overlooks the Arenal Volcano and Arenal’s Lake, providing a 360 panoramic view of the surroundings. 

You can find out more and book your Sky Adventure Arenal’s Ziplining Tour here. 

Has Anyone Died Ziplining in Costa Rica? 

Safety is a big deal when thinking about ziplining. With so many people in search of ziplining adventures in Costa Rica, it’s normal to wonder if anyone has died ziplining here. 

There are records of people who’ve died ziplining in Costa Rica. The last report dated from early 2020 when a tour guide passed in a ziplining tour called the Original Canopy Tour in Monteverde. However, the probability of someone dying on a ziplining tour in Costa Rica is extremely low. 

Thousands of people go ziplining in Costa Rica each day during the high tourism season from December through April. Yet, the number of accidents reported by the local medical offices derived from ziplining tours in Costa Rica are considered insignificant, with an estimation of less than 0.0005% ratio of accidents per capita. 

The probability of people dying from ziplining in Costa Rica is much lower, with only a couple of death reports over three decades, with hundreds of thousands of tourists who’ve gone ziplining. Still, there are essential factors you need to consider before booking your ziplining adventure. For example, people with back problems, a history of heart issues, or pregnancy should avoid ziplining. 

Another important aspect regarding safety is that except for Sky Adventures Monteverde and Diamante Eco Adventures, all ziplining parks in Costa Rica require you to use a leather glove to apply brakes before reaching the end of each zip line. Braking is not tricky, but if you have no previous experience doing ziplines or traveling with kids, I recommend you start by going to one of these two parks. 

So, suppose you’re concerned about the safety, and you don’t want to brake with your hand on a ziplining tour in Costa Rica. In that case, you should book Sky Adventures Monteverde’s Ziplining Tour if you are in the Monteverde region or Diamante Eco Adventure’s Ziplining Tour if you are in the Guanacaste Region. 

What Should I Bring to a Ziplining Tour in Costa Rica? 

Many people ask me what they should bring to a Ziplining Tour, and that will depend on the location where you will do the tour. 

As a general rule, when going on a ziplining tour in Costa Rica, you should bring comfortable clothes, long pants, closed shoes, bug spray, and a light jacket or a poncho. On the other hand, you should not bring your cell phone, sandals, or other personal belongings that might fall off as you zipline.

It would help if you also considered the local climate; 

• If you are in ziplining in Guanacaste, you may go in short pants and forgo the rain jacket most of the time. However, you need to wear much more sunscreen to avoid getting burned during the super bright days. 
• Suppose you are ziplining in Arenal or La Fortuna. In that case, you will most likely need more bug spray and a solid rainjacket to comply with the Tropical Rainforest weather, where it can rain at any moment without notice.
• On the other hand, if you are ziplining in Monteverde, you will want to make sure your clothing is warm as it can get pretty cold in the cloud forest. 

About the Author

Daniel Lalinde

I am the founder of MonteTours Costa Rica. 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!