What is the most Common Tour Associated with Costa Rica? Canopy Zipline....of Course!

Imagine yourself streaking along a canopy zip line high above the rainforest - the thrill, the adrenalin, the extraordinary views! This, along with an exciting tour through a butterfly garden and serpentarium, is what you'll experience on a trip to the Canopy Safari. Located approximately 45 minutes from Manuel Antonio, in the Peso Real area, Canopy Safari is a true experience in adventure and excitement.


can•o•py-noun \ˈka-nə-pē\ plural-can•o•pies
Definition of Canopy-a: a cloth covering suspended over a bed b: a cover (as of cloth) fixed or carried above a person of high rank or a sacred object : baldachin c: a protective covering: as (1): the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a forest

sa•fa•ri-noun \sə-ˈfär-ē, -ˈfa-rē\
Definition of Safari-the caravan and equipment of a hunting expedition especially in eastern Africa; also: such a hunting expedition. 2: journey, expedition




Zip Lines-What the heck?
Sail high above the rainforest canopy and experience Manuel Antonio's most popular adventure sport: the canopy zip line. This exhilarating tour was actually invented in Costa Rica, and has since been featured on the Discovery Channel. This is an adventure for people of all ages and interests, and is certainly one of the highlights of Costa Rica.

What are we about?
Canopy Safari provides tourists a unique activity and ecological experience, and almost anyone of any age can participate! Young children can be carried by the guides. You do not need to be in great physical condition and it is not strenuous. This tour offers an adventurous tourist the opportunity to ascend into the forest canopy and see jungle life from a perspective available previously to only a select few researchers and photographers.

And the Point is?
Canopy Safari’s objective is to provide tourists a unique activity and ecological experience while at the same time helping to aid in the preservation of the world's endangered rainforest through direct financial support to conservation, education, and reforestation efforts. The canopy course is constructed so that there is very little impact on the sensitive ecological balance that exists in the rainforest.

Is this safe?
The platforms, pulleys and cables are made of non-corrosive steel and safety is our staffs top priority. We perform safety checks daily on all equipment including anchors, cables, and connections. Our harnesses, carabineers, and other equipment pass all standards set by the international association the ACCT, and approved by ICT (Costa Rican Tourist Board)

About us at Canopy Safari:
Canopy Safari is the pioneering canopy tour operator in the Southern area of Costa Rica. The company built its first canopy course in 1997 with the help of a team of experts who build high ropes courses in the United States and in Europe. Our tour begins with an amazing drive through the rainforest out to our canopy site located in the outskirts of Quepos. During the ride there are many stops for everyone to learn about the unique flora and fauna of the area. Our local bilingual guides have a vast knowledge of the area and love to share the many secrets that the rainforest holds with our clients. The canopy site is located approximately forty-five minutes from Manuel Antonio Park, in an area called Paso Real. Here we have a brand new ranch house with full facilities, located next to a pristine river, this is where we serve a full breakfast or lunch (depending on tour time) made from typical Costa Rican ingredients. A spectacular river is the backdrop for these meals as well as the platforms that have been carefully built unobtrusively into the canopy of the rainforest in Costa Rica. Clients are able to traverse from tree to tree and platform to platform using pulleys on horizontal traverse cables, as they sail through the treetops of the tropical rainforest canopy, and over the trails far below at exhilarating speeds. This tour has become a worldwide phoenomena, found in many other countries now!

CANOPY COURSE CONSISTS OF:
18 platforms
10 “zip lines”
2 rappel lines
1 suspension bridge
1 " Tarzan Swing"
A butterfly farm
A serpentarium
Our expert guides assist the clients in this exciting journey through the different layers of virgin and secondary rainforest. They point out and explain the many different types of flora and fauna; from poison dart frogs, to the “walking palm tree”. As a result; at the end of the tour our clients are able to walk away with a newfound knowledge of Costa Rican wildlife and the wonders that Costa Rica has to offer travelers.

What to Bring:
Sturdy shoes, shorts, camera, insect repellent, change of clothes in rainy season.

Tour Includes:
A five hour door to door adventure, an exciting ride through the tropical rainforest, typical style breakfast or lunch, ACCT & ICT professionally trained bilingual guides, all equipment, professional photographer (rates do not include pictures), pick up and drop off at your hotel in our air conditioned vans, tour of the butterfly farm and reptile exhibit.

Safety:
At Canopy Safari, safety is the top priority. We perform safety checks daily on all our equipment including anchors, cables, and connections. Our harnesses, carabiners, and other equipment pass all standards set by the international association ACCT. We are proud to announce that Canopy Safari is one of only few canopy tours in the country approved by ICT (the Costa Rican Tourist Board). To receive this certification our company has undergone extensive and constant training regarding the safety and construction of our entire tour. All Canopy Safari guides are individually certified by ICT as canopy tour guides, and have taken numerous courses on safety, rescue and first aid. We also hold extensive insurance policies for our vehicles and for our clients, in case of emergency.

Sustainable Community Mission:
Canopy Safari is very proud to start a new Sustainability Project for Eco-Tourism. This new initiative from our Group SAFARI TOURS is our way to help and improve in the conservation of our world for our next generations.
Recently this company worked closely with Los Delfines Educational Center to start this new stage on their goal to Eco Tourism. A group of second graders from this elementary school took a ride to our Canopy site where they learned about the very important part humans play on the conservation of nature. The kids also helped us to plant new trees in a large part of our farm. The kids also had the opportunity to visit our butterfly garden and serpentarium, where our experts shared with them a little about their knowledge about the life cycles of these animals. They visited our lab to take a closer look at the different stages of their development. It was an amazing experience for both the kids and the staff. During the next following weeks the experience will be repeated with other schools of the beautiful Canton of Aguirre, to further share the wonders of Costa Rica with the next generation.

Butterfly Garden:
This is one of the newest additions to the Canopy Safari zip line tour in Costa Rica and is quickly becoming a favorite attraction for all family members. When you finish the exciting canopy course our guides will take you into our butterfly farm where you can enjoy a wide variety of native species that can be found all around our country.
Some of the butterfly species that you will find in our garden, and are featured above, are:
Alinote ozomene nox, Appias drusilla, Ascia monuste,Caligo brasiliensis sulanus, Chlosyne janais janais, Danaus plexippus plexippus, Greta morgane oto, heleconius erato petiverana, heliconius cydno galanthus, heraclides anchisiades idaeus, heraclides androgeus epidarus, heraclides thoas nealces, mechanitis polymnia isthmia, morpho helenor marinita, papilio polyxenes stabilis, phoebis philea, plexippus-plexippus, siproeta stelenes biplagiata, all excellent choices for picture taking….that is if you can get them to stop long enough to snap the photo!

Serpentarium:
One of the new attractions to this already interesting and exciting tour, is the walk through our serpentarium to see the many different species of snakes, both poisonous and non poisonous. For some people it is a little scary, for others just impressive. (The snakes are all behind glass, don’t panic.) Come and experience some of these incredible creatures and get a rare chance to see them close up!


Experience a little of the Canopy Safari Zipline Tour Video:


Author:
Kimberly Barron, originally from Malibu, California has lived in Parismina and Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica for 20 years. Starting as a certified tour guide, she spent 15 years managing fishing lodges on the Caribbean Coast and later 4* & 5* Hotels on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Currently semi-retired, Kimberly still works as the Marketing Director for Byblos Resort & Casino and Hotel Makanda by the Sea.