Costa Rica Trip Report, Part II: SkyTrek, Tabacon and the Hanging Bridges
May 14th, 2008, 05:15 AM
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Costa Rica Trip Report, Part II: SkyTrek, Tabacon and the Hanging Bridges
Continuation of my Trip Report, May 1 - May 10th. This section covers our Arenal area activities. SdC is an abbreviation for our hotel, El Silencio Del Campo.
SkyTrek:
I was nervous as h*ll about ziplining, but was determined to do it. For some reason, I honed in on SkyTrek. I’ve heard the lines at Arenal Paraiso and Aventura Mundo (maybe?) are good, but the idea of being stuck on wooden platforms waaaay up in the trees while waiting just didn’t appeal. So, SkyTrek it was. We decided to book this for our first full day in Arenal. No use in dallying. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it as quickly as possible, before I had time to change my mind.
We used our travel alarm to get up around 8:00 for our 10:30 zip line reservation. SdC seemed awful quiet that morning, and the desk clerk looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for directions and inquired if we had time to make it for our 10:30 reservation. When we got in our car, I understood why. It wasn’t 9:30, like I thought, but 7:30. Wrong time zone, bozo. See, the sun comes up at around 5:30 in Costa Rica, and so by 7:00, it looks like 9:00 EST. It confuses your circadian rhythms, I swear.
We drove out to SkyTrek anyway, and they were able to put us on the 8:30 zip. This was fortuitous for two reasons: 1. there were only five people in our party, us and three really nice people from France, and; 2. it was hotter than Hades by the time 10:30 rolled around.
We rode up on the SkyTram and heard howlers in the forest. In retrospect, that was pretty cool, but I was too da*n nervous to even process the moment. The further up we climbed, the more my nerves started to mess with me. Could I really do this? I mean, we are HIGH up here. I made idle chit-chat with our guide and tried not to vomit. About ten minutes into the ride, our little chalet suddenly lurched, and all was quiet. I panicked for a moment, the chalet swinging, my eyes wider than a kinkajou, while our guide said, “power outage.” I was shaking, my nerves were shot. Is this a vacation or a waterboarding session?
Eventually, we made it to the top. It was cool up there and the two practice lines were laughable. The practice lines were nothing – I mean NOTHING – compared to the first line. It’s like comparing the Dumbo ride to the Tower of Terror, if that comparison means anything to you. You are literally pushed off a metal platform into a giant precipice.
So, the three French people in our group went. If they were nervous, they didn’t show it. I got hooked up and changed my mind. My husband had that look, the one that said “oh, here we go again.” He said at that point, he knew I wasn’t going to do it. The fear had won. My husband went across, looking a bit nervous before his turn.
At that point, the guide asked me if I wanted to go tandem. “That means we go faster,” I said. He confirmed this was true. I asked if this was the “worst” line. He said he couldn’t promise me that. I said I wasn’t sure. He was patient, but I could hear the walkie-talkie going.
So, in an instant of madness, I decided. I did it. After all, these zip lines were part of the whole reason I wanted to go to Costa Rica in the first place. I was hooked on, tandem with the guide, closed my eyes, and said “ready.”
The first five seconds were sheer terror. The drop was significant, the speed was rapid, and a scream came from somewhere very deep within. Seeing as we had about thirty seconds to chat because the line is so long, the guide told me I needed to relax, and to open my eyes. I did, and the screaming stopped. The view was, well, it was… indescribably beautiful. Enough to shut me up, and in case you haven’t figured it out by now, that’s pretty hard to do. Arenal loomed straight ahead, the lake to my left. The trees below were the greenest green, and before I knew it, here comes the landing platform.
We came to a stop, and everyone looked at me expectantly. “Okay, that was really fun,” I admitted. Everyone laughed, and the zipping commenced. I got nervous again on the fourth line for no good reason, but overall I enjoyed the experience tremendously. The last major zip line was the best. You cross the valley and actually zip through the trees before landing on a very tall metal bridge. For me, the worst part was the sixty or so stairs at the end. By then, my legs were Jell-O.
When I finished, my husband informed me that doing this was no small feat. My only problem? Now I can’t punk out on the big coasters anymore. He says that zip lining was way more freaky than amusement park rides. Note to self: do not plan trip to amusement park anytime soon.
In all seriousness, once I got over my initial terror, zip lining was one of the most incredible things I have ever done. I loved it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend SkyTrek, and I can advise you to go early in the morning if you go during green season. Because we did, our guide had our camera the entire time. We have a ton of pictures and three video clips.
Tabacon Hot Springs and Spa: Despite everyone’s assertions that Eco Thermales is the best, I wanted to see Tabacon. I’ve been told by people who know me that it is cool, so I decided we’d try it out. I also made reservations for an hour long massage at the spa. Our massage appointments were at 5:00 pm, and we arrived around 4:15. We had the chance to walk around and view the gorgeous grounds before we checked in at the spa. Despite its “Disney” image, Tabacon is really beautiful. It’s honestly like a dream in there, and it’s pretty amazing that someone conceived and executed this place.
The spa was nice. My only gripe is with the spa locker rooms, which are tiny for some reason. Other than that, the service was impeccable, the check-in process efficient, and the waiting room beautiful. As we headed to our couple’s massage area, a light rain started. It last fifteen minutes, and was the only rain we saw while in Arenal.
Lying under the cabana, a light rain falling at dusk while the hot springs rushed past us, was heavenly. The masseuse was very good, and I felt quite wobbly by the time my deep tissue massage was over.
I’m not quite sure what products they use at Tabacon, but the smell was wonderful. After your massage, they take you to a couch where you are given tropical juice and a plate of nuts and candied fruits. The fig was really incredible; my husband called it a quasi-healthy donut.
We spent a couple of hours enjoying the hot springs. My husband was glad we saw it during the day, as he wasn’t as impressed with the springs by night. We were done after about an hour and half, and headed back to SdC.
I was glad I saw Tabacon, but I probably wouldn’t pay to go back to the springs. The spa, yes, the springs, no.
Hanging Bridges:
On Sunday afternoon, we decided to do the Hanging Bridges. We didn’t book through an agency, but went straight to the bridges themselves. We were on a 1:00 hike, and we were the only people with the guide. Other tour buses rolled up with 6-10 people on each one, and it was nice to have a private tour without paying the surcharge one normally pays for such a luxury. Our hike lasted about three hours, and we saw all three types of MotMot, several very odd insects, an agouti, all manner of lizards, tent bats (the guide took us off the trail and we climbed up to get a look at them), more ants than Paul Bunyan’s boots could crush, and a wasp carrying a spider torso back to her nesting area. Apparently, the wasp puts the spider in a coma, removes its legs, lays her eggs on the spider torso and when her babies hatch – voila – instant meal. Gnarly. No monkeys, but one can’t control the monkeys, can one?
I found the hike to be extremely interesting and informative, and thought it was a worthwhile use of our time and money.
SkyTrek:
I was nervous as h*ll about ziplining, but was determined to do it. For some reason, I honed in on SkyTrek. I’ve heard the lines at Arenal Paraiso and Aventura Mundo (maybe?) are good, but the idea of being stuck on wooden platforms waaaay up in the trees while waiting just didn’t appeal. So, SkyTrek it was. We decided to book this for our first full day in Arenal. No use in dallying. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it as quickly as possible, before I had time to change my mind.
We used our travel alarm to get up around 8:00 for our 10:30 zip line reservation. SdC seemed awful quiet that morning, and the desk clerk looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for directions and inquired if we had time to make it for our 10:30 reservation. When we got in our car, I understood why. It wasn’t 9:30, like I thought, but 7:30. Wrong time zone, bozo. See, the sun comes up at around 5:30 in Costa Rica, and so by 7:00, it looks like 9:00 EST. It confuses your circadian rhythms, I swear.
We drove out to SkyTrek anyway, and they were able to put us on the 8:30 zip. This was fortuitous for two reasons: 1. there were only five people in our party, us and three really nice people from France, and; 2. it was hotter than Hades by the time 10:30 rolled around.
We rode up on the SkyTram and heard howlers in the forest. In retrospect, that was pretty cool, but I was too da*n nervous to even process the moment. The further up we climbed, the more my nerves started to mess with me. Could I really do this? I mean, we are HIGH up here. I made idle chit-chat with our guide and tried not to vomit. About ten minutes into the ride, our little chalet suddenly lurched, and all was quiet. I panicked for a moment, the chalet swinging, my eyes wider than a kinkajou, while our guide said, “power outage.” I was shaking, my nerves were shot. Is this a vacation or a waterboarding session?
Eventually, we made it to the top. It was cool up there and the two practice lines were laughable. The practice lines were nothing – I mean NOTHING – compared to the first line. It’s like comparing the Dumbo ride to the Tower of Terror, if that comparison means anything to you. You are literally pushed off a metal platform into a giant precipice.
So, the three French people in our group went. If they were nervous, they didn’t show it. I got hooked up and changed my mind. My husband had that look, the one that said “oh, here we go again.” He said at that point, he knew I wasn’t going to do it. The fear had won. My husband went across, looking a bit nervous before his turn.
At that point, the guide asked me if I wanted to go tandem. “That means we go faster,” I said. He confirmed this was true. I asked if this was the “worst” line. He said he couldn’t promise me that. I said I wasn’t sure. He was patient, but I could hear the walkie-talkie going.
So, in an instant of madness, I decided. I did it. After all, these zip lines were part of the whole reason I wanted to go to Costa Rica in the first place. I was hooked on, tandem with the guide, closed my eyes, and said “ready.”
The first five seconds were sheer terror. The drop was significant, the speed was rapid, and a scream came from somewhere very deep within. Seeing as we had about thirty seconds to chat because the line is so long, the guide told me I needed to relax, and to open my eyes. I did, and the screaming stopped. The view was, well, it was… indescribably beautiful. Enough to shut me up, and in case you haven’t figured it out by now, that’s pretty hard to do. Arenal loomed straight ahead, the lake to my left. The trees below were the greenest green, and before I knew it, here comes the landing platform.
We came to a stop, and everyone looked at me expectantly. “Okay, that was really fun,” I admitted. Everyone laughed, and the zipping commenced. I got nervous again on the fourth line for no good reason, but overall I enjoyed the experience tremendously. The last major zip line was the best. You cross the valley and actually zip through the trees before landing on a very tall metal bridge. For me, the worst part was the sixty or so stairs at the end. By then, my legs were Jell-O.
When I finished, my husband informed me that doing this was no small feat. My only problem? Now I can’t punk out on the big coasters anymore. He says that zip lining was way more freaky than amusement park rides. Note to self: do not plan trip to amusement park anytime soon.
In all seriousness, once I got over my initial terror, zip lining was one of the most incredible things I have ever done. I loved it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I highly recommend SkyTrek, and I can advise you to go early in the morning if you go during green season. Because we did, our guide had our camera the entire time. We have a ton of pictures and three video clips.
Tabacon Hot Springs and Spa: Despite everyone’s assertions that Eco Thermales is the best, I wanted to see Tabacon. I’ve been told by people who know me that it is cool, so I decided we’d try it out. I also made reservations for an hour long massage at the spa. Our massage appointments were at 5:00 pm, and we arrived around 4:15. We had the chance to walk around and view the gorgeous grounds before we checked in at the spa. Despite its “Disney” image, Tabacon is really beautiful. It’s honestly like a dream in there, and it’s pretty amazing that someone conceived and executed this place.
The spa was nice. My only gripe is with the spa locker rooms, which are tiny for some reason. Other than that, the service was impeccable, the check-in process efficient, and the waiting room beautiful. As we headed to our couple’s massage area, a light rain started. It last fifteen minutes, and was the only rain we saw while in Arenal.
Lying under the cabana, a light rain falling at dusk while the hot springs rushed past us, was heavenly. The masseuse was very good, and I felt quite wobbly by the time my deep tissue massage was over.
I’m not quite sure what products they use at Tabacon, but the smell was wonderful. After your massage, they take you to a couch where you are given tropical juice and a plate of nuts and candied fruits. The fig was really incredible; my husband called it a quasi-healthy donut.
We spent a couple of hours enjoying the hot springs. My husband was glad we saw it during the day, as he wasn’t as impressed with the springs by night. We were done after about an hour and half, and headed back to SdC.
I was glad I saw Tabacon, but I probably wouldn’t pay to go back to the springs. The spa, yes, the springs, no.
Hanging Bridges:
On Sunday afternoon, we decided to do the Hanging Bridges. We didn’t book through an agency, but went straight to the bridges themselves. We were on a 1:00 hike, and we were the only people with the guide. Other tour buses rolled up with 6-10 people on each one, and it was nice to have a private tour without paying the surcharge one normally pays for such a luxury. Our hike lasted about three hours, and we saw all three types of MotMot, several very odd insects, an agouti, all manner of lizards, tent bats (the guide took us off the trail and we climbed up to get a look at them), more ants than Paul Bunyan’s boots could crush, and a wasp carrying a spider torso back to her nesting area. Apparently, the wasp puts the spider in a coma, removes its legs, lays her eggs on the spider torso and when her babies hatch – voila – instant meal. Gnarly. No monkeys, but one can’t control the monkeys, can one?
I found the hike to be extremely interesting and informative, and thought it was a worthwhile use of our time and money.
May 14th, 2008, 06:23 AM
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I feel your terror about the zip line, did it last year and was terrified at first, but turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences. I was very glad I did it.
We went back to Arenal this year, my husband asked me if I wanted to do it again, I looked at him and said, I've already done it once, no need to do it again (as my stomach turned over).
We went back to Arenal this year, my husband asked me if I wanted to do it again, I looked at him and said, I've already done it once, no need to do it again (as my stomach turned over).
May 14th, 2008, 06:39 AM
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I love your description of the zip lines, alw1977. Great advice about keeping your eyes open and enjoying the scenery to keep your fears in check. I appreciate your candid remarks about Tabacon, as we’ll be deciding between Tabacon and Eco Termales this summer. Where did you go on the hanging bridges? We are staying at Lost Iguana and can do a hanging bridges walk right from the property. Are these the same hanging bridges you went on?
May 14th, 2008, 06:43 AM
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Dana, the hanging bridges are right near the Lost Iguana, but I'm not sure if they are the same ones. Some hotels have a hanging bridge or two on the property, but this is an actual 2 mile trail with many bridges.
May 14th, 2008, 07:45 AM
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There's only one "Hanging Bridges" park that I know of and it's the one by the Lost Iguana. The LI will arrange a guide to take you there and also sells discounted entrance tickets. We did it that was the 1st year.
This past year we just bought the tickets at the LI, then drove up the hill and walked the path by ourselves.
This was one activity I didn't mind doing again
BTW, I didn't think the price of Tabacon was worth it, just my opinion.
This past year we just bought the tickets at the LI, then drove up the hill and walked the path by ourselves.
This was one activity I didn't mind doing again
BTW, I didn't think the price of Tabacon was worth it, just my opinion.
May 14th, 2008, 08:24 AM
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We did a self-guided walk on Hanging Bridges, and saw some decent wildlife -- a wild cat of some sort, a family of agoutis. I suspect you'd see more with a guide, because they know where to look.
Either way, definitely don't miss this attraction if you're in Arenal.
(I was told by a local guide that there is more wildlife at a private reserve near the volcano, the El Silencio Reserve. We didn't go there, but might have if we had more time. It's signposted just off the main road.)
Either way, definitely don't miss this attraction if you're in Arenal.
(I was told by a local guide that there is more wildlife at a private reserve near the volcano, the El Silencio Reserve. We didn't go there, but might have if we had more time. It's signposted just off the main road.)
May 14th, 2008, 02:23 PM
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Thanks alw1977, owlwoman, and Marco. Yep, that's the same Hanging Bridge trail listed on the Lost Iguana website. A two mile trail. I was asking specifically because we are staying at Lost Iguana and the website shows we can buy discounted tickets at the office. Thanks for the information about the guide.
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