Safety of Zip Lines in Costa Rica
 

I have been told that the zip lines in Costa Rica are unsafe resulting in 3 deaths.
I wanted to go on one while in Monteverde. Any news of their safety? Patsy

Our guidebook mentioned that there had been 3 deaths in the past, but that none of those places was recommended in the guidebook, so I just went with one in the guidebook and the one our hotel recommended. We did the Original Canopy Tour and felt very safe. They had pictures in their office of Jimmy Carter doing it. I kept thinking it looked like him but couldn't believe it really was. I would feel comfortable recommending them.

As a rule, I would only do ziplines that you can read about in guidebooks. If you've never heard about an operator, beware.

Having done both the Montezuma canopy tour as well as the Titi Canopy Tour in Manuel Antonio, I can recommend either and endorse their safety practices. Safer than driving, to be honest.

We went at a place outside of Tamarindo. We were told by another tourist that way to check for safety is to ensure that you have 2 straps from your harness to the line. One clips to the pulley and the other directly to the line. I've read that some foreign countries have places with cables that are too thin but I don't really know what to ask for.

It was very fun and I would definitely do it again if I had the chance.

www.skytrek.com has the best rep for safety in CR.

qwovadis, please tell me how you discovered that Skytrek has the best safety rep in Costa Rica. I'm not sure just what that means, and I'd like to see the research on it. The statement implies that there have been accidents (or fewer accidents) associated with all the other operators, and I know that is not the case.

When we did our first ziplines in 2001, there had been 2 deaths at that time, obviously early in the development of the zipline as a popular tourist attraction. If there have been 3 deaths to date (and I am not sure, wasn't aware of a 3rd one), it should be noted that at least one of those deaths was an employee of the company. And I am almost certain that one of the deaths resulted from a woman who braked herself too eary, stopped in the middle, panicked, ignored instructions, and literally unfastened her own carabiner (sp?) clip.

RAC has hit the nail on the head by advising only to use companies who are mentioned in guide books. There are several companies all over the country that have excellent safety records. Certainly Skytrek would be among them, but not the only one.

I think you have to go into this realizing there is a certain risk in zipping through the air attached to a cable. The big outfits take proper precautions and you can have a good, safe time with them.

Sky Trek in Monteverde had the third death, and that was about three years ago. One of its guides was struck and killed by lightning when out with a group. I remember at the time I was working on that edition of the Fodor's guide and I talked with the editor about whether or not we should remove Sky Trek from the book. The inquest determined that it was a freak storm that came up that nobody could have predicted. Plus I talked to a lot of people up in Monteverde about the incident. Monteverde is kind of small-town gossipy, for lack of a better term, and if something were amiss about the incident, people would know up there. Without fail, eveybody told me that, no, it was something that just happened and couldn't have been prevented.

Back to the statement "Sky Trek has the best safety record," no, you can't say that. Even a fine, reputable company like Sky Trek had in incident, even if it was out of their control. Still, I would never hesitate to go on a Sky Trek outing.

Thanks so much to all of you. I will have the opportunity to zip while at Monteverde. We are staying at the Hotel Belmar. Any recommendations on a specific zip tour near there? I understand that there are 3 companies operating in Monteverde. It makes me nervous but would really like to do it if I will end up alive!!

They all offer transportation from area hotels.

That's interesting. We had booked with Sky Trek, and they canceled on us because they were worried about lightning. It was disappointing at the time, but they did the right thing.

Considering what happened to them, I'm sure they're attuned to the problem more than anybody.

To further answer your question, patsynor, my personal favorite up there is Selvatura. In addition to the zipline tour, they have hanging bridges, a butterfly garden, a hummingbird exhibit, and a serpentarium. I wouldn't even attempt to drive there. I'd take their transport coming and going.

Good advice as always Jeff :)

patsy, we did the Original Canopy Tour, and it was a lot of fun. As a bonus, we came eye to eye with a quetzal when we were on the platform - a rare occurance I'm sure. Our guides were great and even wore our cameras and took pics and video of us as we went zipping along. Ours had 2 rappels that I wasn't expecting - those were a lot of fun too. I've heard great thing about Selvatura as well.

San Lorenzo - Lands In Love Zip-Line-
Can you tell me what it's called, and anyone know of injuries there?

Also....the best horse-guided tour in this area, and La Fortuna?

Anyone been to Lucky Bugs?-

I have two days to fill between Arenal and Grecia-High Season...any suggestions of place to stay with senior citizens?

San Lorenzo had a death in 2000.

Do you know the name of that zip-line operation?

Thank you all- I will probably wait until I get there and decide. Is that a bad idea or do I need to make reservations now to assure a spot? My trip begins mid Aug. Really appreciate all your help.

We booked ours when we were there, so I think you'd be fine. You can check with your hotel for recommendations too.

I'm thinking the San Ramon death also involved an employee.

We just sustained serious injuries on the Selvatura zip line. I'm not sure how these injuries are recorded or monitored. My husband needed immediate medical attention and had to be transported 20 minutes down an unpaved road to a small clinic with limited supplies. The nearest hospital is hours away.