mangofanatic

We would like to do a canopy tour either at Drake Bay or in the Arenal area. ( We won't make it to Monteverde).

Can anyone offer advice as to which canopy might be more rewarding, the jungles of Corcovado (Drake Bay) or near Arenal?

Thanks!

kel250

I can't comment on the Drake Bay tour, but we took a tour in Arenal area (Arenal Paraiso tour) and we loved it. The scenery was amazing and it was quite a long tour. The staff was great as well.
Kellie

mangofanatic

Thanks, Kellie. I was wondering if there would be a difference in crowds? I suspect there would be fewer people in Drake. On the other hand, it's a different type of forest...

What qualities make a "good" canopy tour, anyway?

shillmac

mangofanatic,
The type of forest won't make much difference. Most people don't focus too much on the nature aspect. . just the thrill factor. The activity generated by the cables tends to decrease wildlife activity in the area.

As to what makes a good canopy tour, I only responded to your post because of something I heard the other day while we were in Puerto Viejo. ONE of the things that makes the tour good (translate: safe) is English speaking guides. You need to understand the process very well. It isn't as safe if you don't understand some key pieces of information. One of the guides told me that recently a lot of canopy companies have hired guides who don't speak English. So all the participants are gathered beforehand and someone provides a brief orientation of how everything works. Once you are out there and doing the zips, no English. This wouldn't be very comforting to me unless I understood Spanish pretty darned well.

Aside from safety, ziplines tours are usually better if there are at least 10-12 cables of varying lengths--medium to longer hopefully. The heights are less important than the length and number of the cables, but that is just my opinion!

mangofanatic

Thanks, shillmac.

Your comments are helpful. We would do the "original" canopy tour in Drake, maybe the same in Arenal. Is the "original" and the Arenal Paraiso tour the same?

Melissa5

My family really enjoyed the Sky Trek/Sky Tram zip-line in Arenal area. It was thrilling for everyone, including our young adult son who loves snow-boarding. To get to the area where the zip-lines take off from, you take the sky tram up through a scenic rainforest. Also you have a nice volcano view when you get to the place where the tram ride ends and the zip-line begins. The guides spoke English well and explained the safety instuctions in English.

Have fun whatever you choose!

shillmac

I doubt if they are exactly the same, the the Original Canopy Tour was the first in place and has a good rep. No doubt it would be a lot of fun in either place.

Do you have a way to check on number of cables/platforms? That will tell you a lot. For example, Bosque Del Cabo down on the Osa has a canopy on its property and it is relatively costly, but there are only maybe 3 cables, maybe not that many. . .we didn't do it because there are much better ones for comparable money. But if you hadn't ever done one, it would look like a fun experience.