Zip Line in Costa Rica

There are 14 platforms with 13 zip lines that take you down the mountain in stages. While there are zip-lines all over the world, even in Florida (where there's hardly a hill), not all Zip-lines are created equal. This ones for real. You hold onto the harness with one hand and grasp the cable (behind your head) with your leather braking hand. It's up to you to step off the edge of the platform and control your speed with the leather glove. You accelerate quickly and can hear a whizzing sound as you're speeding down the cable. As you approach the next platform the guide makes hand signals. The signals give you useful information such as "at the speed you're approaching, you may become embedded in the tree. Slow down!" 

Some people prefer to take their chances with the high speed approach after experiencing the opposite. If you brake too much and stop short of the platform  the long cable sags from your weight, so that the end of the zip line is actually uphill. You then find yourself dangling from the cable a few hundred feet up in the air. To get to the platform you have to turn yourself around and pull yourself hand over hand until the guide can reach you.

What it's really all about is a lot of fun and an exhilarating adventure. It's amazing to be soaring through the rain forest canopy, and the view from the platforms is unlike any other. If you ever get the chance, this is a worthwhile adventure.