Hanging bridges, ziplines
and bungee

How to use this guide

This selection is for anyone who wants one high-up activity in Monteverde and needs to choose well between parks that look alike. There are three levels. To see the canopy without effort, go for the hanging bridges at Selvatura Park and Treetopia Park, or the TreeTram aerial tram. For ziplines, compare braking and style: Treetopia uses automatic braking, 100% Aventura has the longest cable, at 1,590 m, with hand braking, and The Original Canopy Tour goes tree to tree without towers. For pure adrenaline there is Monteverde Extremo, with its mega Tarzan swing and 143 m bungee.

Each activity takes half a morning or half an afternoon. At Selvatura the bridges take 1 to 1.5 h and the canopy 2 to 2.5 h, the same as The Original Canopy Tour. With a single day, do bridges and canopy in the same park and save a transfer: Selvatura and Treetopia, about 20 minutes from Santa Elena, have both. With children, Selvatura adds a butterfly garden and reptiles, and its canopy takes kids from age 4. The bungee and the mega swing take about 1 h each, so they fit into the afternoon after a morning zipline.

If money is tight, the guided bridges at 100% Aventura, from $45, are the cheapest way to see the forest from above, and ficus climbing at Finca Modelo Ecológica, at $39, is another short guided adventure. If it is your first zipline, Treetopia's automatic braking is the calmest choice; if you want intensity, pick 100% Aventura or Monteverde Extremo and skip the tram.

Tips

• Look at each activity's limits: the bungee requires age 14 and 45 to 113 kg; the Selvatura canopy, up to 125 kg; The Original Canopy Tour, from age 5 and up to 115 kg.
• If you do Treetopia's SkyTrek, the tram ride up is already included in the $99: do not pay for the TreeTram separately.
• Transport varies by park: 100% Aventura does not include it, Monteverde Extremo charges $10 and The Original Canopy Tour offers free hotel pickup.
• Bungee no-shows are charged 100%, and the mega swing is not for pregnant people or those with heart conditions.
• Wear trainers for the ficus climb; departures are at 8:00, 11:00 and 14:00, and the minimum age is 8.