Monteverde Extremo Canopy Tour

When I got to Monteverde, one of the first things I noticed was the omnipresence of a particular canopy tour company. As you may not expect, however, that company was not Extremo Canopy Tour. The Sky Trek canopy tour was doing a serious marketing campaign in the town of Santa Elena, having their droves of employees pass out flyers in the streets. At first thought, it seemed that Sky Trek was a thriving business, blowing the less-savvy operators out of the water. However, several Monteverde business owners I talked to later on painted a much different picture. It turns out that the marketing campaign employed by Sky Trek was not an effort to starve the competition, but to save itself from starvation amid a serious threat in Monteverde Extremo Canopy Tour. After my search for the best canopy tour in the Monteverde area, I decided to agree with the local assertions: the Monteverde Extremo Canopy Tour is a serious threat to the older canopy tour operators because it's simply the best.

What's the big deal with this canopy tour?

Well, this new canopy tour, which opened in 2006, has the longest canopy tour cables in the Monteverde area. (It may have the longest cables in Costa Rica, but I have not confirmed this) They have cables stretching for over 400 meters, overlooking lush cloud forests and beautiful Monteverde countryside. While whizzing about in these longer cables, you can peek to the side to see Costa Rica's Pacific coast, as well as four different volcanoes (all of this on a clear day, of course).

Another distinct advantage this canopy tour has over the competition is its variety of services included in the tour. During the three-hour canopy tour, you not only get a great number and wide variety of zip line rides, but you'll also enjoy a scary tarzan swing and a nice repel down a huge cloud forest tree. The tarzan swing can be pretty freaky. It's not like that rope swing you were used to while growing up. For the tarzan swing they fasten the rope to your harness and make you conjure up the courage to jump off the platform that is over 15 meters in the air (by my estimation). If you feel like opting out of this step of the tour, no problem. But if I can do it, so can you.

How much does the canopy tour cost?

• Adults: $37
• Students: $27

How do I make reservations for the canopy tour?

You can arrange the canopy tour with your hotel in Monteverde or Santa Elena, or you can visit their web site monteverdeextremo.com to make your reservations ahead of time.

Check out other sights in Monteverde in our Monteverde Photo Gallery