Pura Vida in Costa Rica. Busses don’t arrive punctually, prices are not exact, Ticos and visitors spend their Siesta in a hammock – all in all clocks are ticking more slowly here. However, this ends as soon as you enter the territory of Extremo Canopy in Monteverde.
Monteverde – Canopy with Extremo
The long and bumpy road to Monteverde is worth it all, as Monteverde is – besides a natural reserve with two different eco systems – a mekka for action enthusiasts. There, adrenaline junkies can do buggy tours, quad tours, canyoning, horseback safaris or similar to discover the area. Literally on top of that you can witness the ultimate height experience with Extremo. The company offers a very special kind of trip through the Cloud Forest of Monteverde: you will speed through the forest on cables and will be guests on the top of the trees.
Monteverde’s Cloud Forest from above
As soon as you are there, the security check begins. Jackets off, glasses off and tie your camera tightly onto your harness. Visitors get special gloves looking a bit like modified baseball gloves including a rail, which enables the visitors to brake on their own. A couple of jokes about the last visitors who stopped to fast and dangled on a rope over the deep of the jungle hardly scare anybody at this stage.
On Ropes above the Jungle – Canopy in Monteverde
Costa Rica can be considered to be the canopy heartland, as there are various stations across the country, where people can fly over a number of eco systems. However, in Monteverde, everything is of bigger size, there is not only Canopy, but «Extremo» Canopy, as the company’s name tells us. This includes 14 cables as well as extreme cables up to 700 metres with a height of 140 metres above the ground, a platform for rappelling over 30 metres and so called «Double-Zips» you have to conquer with a second person tied to you, as your own weight would not be enough to reach the other side of the station. Finally, there are two extra features: the Tarzan Swing and Superman.
Rapid tour through the Jungle
And before you know, you are gliding through the jungle, from platform to platform, where you are secured by the experts of Extremo. Some «Zips» are slower and the visitors have time to enjoy the nature surrounding them: green trees, bushes and exotic plants, cool breezes in the cloud forest and one or the other animal hiding in the dark. Nature has a lot of fascinating secrets to offer there and this perspective is one you won’t forget.
Tarzan in Costa Rica
After a couple of zips to get acquainted with the environment, you are rappelled down 30 metres without even lifting one finger – your safety comes first all the time. And suddenly you have to get rid of your safet winch and walk along a little path towards your personal Tarzan Swing. The feeling gets more excited, the chatting gets more quiet, people concentrate on the adventure that awaits them in a couple of minutes. Nobody wants to jump into the big mouth of the jungle without thinking about it for a couple of seconds. The Tarzan Swing is the challenge of the day, you are not secured with a cable as with all the other stations and transports you from A to B. You are secured on a rope, which only is activated as soon as you dare to free fall down 30 metres.
With their typical Pura-Vida-peace, the experts of Extremo belay their guests and chat with their visitors about thei home countries, do small talk and as soon as you are ready to answer, you have to bend your knees slightly, grasp some air – in order to politely answer their questions – and with a gentle push you are falling down the platform. 30 metres of free fall, adrenaline is rushing through your body and just when you start recognizing your amazing adventure in this very moment, you already swing back and forward among the jungle’s trees until one of the experts gets you back down on solid ground. A shout of excitement and for a few seconds you reall
y are Tarzan in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Superman on the super-cable
At the beginning of your canopy adventures you are asked one question: «Would you like to be Superman?» What an unnecessary question, of course almost every visitor wants to feel like Superman just once. Immediately, you get an additional safety harness secured on your chest. As soon as you reach the super cable you know why: Pretend to lay down and you are secured on your back. Put your legs into another harness and spread your arms to your sides – enjoy the fly!
Enjoy the scenery of the cloud forest and fly with high-speed over a one kilometre long canyon – the special adrenaline rush! The ones who dare to take a look to their left and right, are rewarded with the unique panorama of Costa Rica: wide green forest, trees, bushes, animals, mountains and volcanos – if you are lucky your sight reaches the gulf of Nicoya. After one kilometre of real Superman feeling, the Extremo Canopy Tour has reached its end.
Extremo Canopy Tour in Costa Rica
The tour takes about three hours, with short hiking paths between the platforms of 2.8 kilometres in total. The Superman attraction costs a little extra. People with fear of heights are warned due to the combination of height and speed, there are no limitations apart from tthat. Safety comes first and the experts are always close to the people. Those searching for an adrenaline rush in the middle of Pura Vida peace, are warmly welcomed at Extremo Canopy.
