Canopy Tours in Costa Rica

A day off the water

Even the keenest angler needs a rest day, and a canopy tour is one of the easiest ways to fill one. You're picked up at your hotel, spend 2 or 3 hours in the trees, and are back by lunch. It's also a good option on days when the sea is too rough to fish, and something the whole family can do together.

Costa Rica helped make canopy tours popular, and today you'll find them near almost every tourist town. They vary a lot, from short lines through the trees to cables that stretch across whole valleys.

How a canopy tour works

You're fitted with a harness, helmet and gloves, given a safety talk, and then clipped onto steel cables strung between platforms built on big trees or towers. Guides clip you on and off at every platform. You ride each line seated in the harness, and either the guide or a braking system slows you at the end. Many tours add hanging bridges, a rappel down from the last platform, or a "Tarzan swing".

A typical tour has around 8 to 15 cables and usually lasts 2 to 3 hours, including the drive and the safety briefing. Some newer parks have very long, high cables where you ride lying flat, like a bird.

Where to go

Monteverde. The cloud forest town in the mountains is the classic place for a canopy tour, with several big parks whose lines run through and above misty forest. It's cool and often windy, so bring a jacket. Monteverde is about 3 to 4 hours from San José or from the Guanacaste beaches.

Arenal and La Fortuna. Around Arenal Volcano, canopy tours look out over the volcano, the lake and the rainforest. La Fortuna is packed with adventure tours, so it's easy to pair a zip line with hot springs or a waterfall hike.

Manuel Antonio and Quepos. If you're fishing out of Quepos, canopy tours in the hills behind town make an easy afternoon. See our guide to Manuel Antonio for the area.

Jacó. The closest beach town to San José has several canopy tours in the hills just inland. Our Jacó tours guide covers the local options.

Guanacaste. Near the beaches of Papagayo, Playas del Coco and Tamarindo, tours run in the dry forest and around the Rincón de la Vieja volcano. Tours here are often combined with river tubing or horseback riding. See our Playas del Coco guide for that area.

How to pick a safe operator

Adventure tourism in Costa Rica is regulated by the ICT, the national tourism board, and a 2022 update to the rules requires adventure companies to declare that their staff are trained for each activity they run. Rules only go so far, though. Before you book, ask:

• How long have they been running? An established operator with recent reviews is a good sign.
• What gear do they use? Look for modern harnesses, helmets for everyone and a backup safety line on every cable.
• How do you brake? Many tours now use automatic or guide-operated brakes, which are easier on beginners than braking with a gloved hand.
• What are the limits? Most tours have minimum ages and weight limits, and some aren't suitable during pregnancy or with back or heart problems.
• What happens in bad weather? Good operators stop tours in lightning and high wind.

Book through your hotel or a reputable local tour desk, and don't pick the cheapest tour by default.

What to bring

• Closed-toe shoes that stay on your feet
• Shorts that reach your thighs or long pants, so the harness doesn't chafe
• A light rain jacket in Monteverde and Arenal
• Sunscreen and insect repellent
• A phone strap or zip pocket if you want to film; many tours don't allow loose cameras

More things to do

If you'd rather stay near the ocean, see our guides to surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving in Costa Rica.