Two days ago, Irma Smaili and I, Ilona Rietveld, went on a trip to Nuevo Colon. We went there to try out a canopy (zip-line) tour. For both of us it was the first time and we did not really know what to expect; how high it would be and how fast it would go etc.

The first thing we had to do was get our gear and our gloves. Two tour guides went with us and we started the tour. One guide would always go first and the other would help us get hooked up to the cables. At first you really need to get used to the height and the narrow suspension bridges between the two platforms, but after the first two lines you are already used to it. I did not really like the part where I had to jump to get hooked to the cable since you are standing on a really small platform and you could see how high off the ground you are, but I loved the zip-lining! Irma, however, was not having any problems at all and was already doing the Batman position and an upside down position!

We did eleven zip lines in total. Some of the lines were not that long, however about four of them were longer. Where we did the canopy tour it was not that high, only about 40 metres off the ground. But Costa Rica offers a lot of canopy tours throughout the country and they also have tours where the height is about 100 meters. I think 40 meters is high enough for me, however people that love to do adventurous activities would probably prefer a canopy tour that is higher.

I think everyone that travels to Costa Rica should try a canopy tour. A tour like this is a great way to experience the Costa Rican nature because you are really zip-lining through the jungle. You will definitely see some beautiful animals. Even though we did not see any wild monkeys while on the tour, it is a good possibility that you will see them. Also you will definitely see a lot of butterflies, squirrels and pretty birds.

After we finished the canopy tour lunch was already waiting for us and of course we had a real Costa Rican meal, including of course rice and beans. Where we went we also had the possibility to see some monkeys since they had a little zoo. They had two spider monkeys, four white face monkeys and one baby howler monkey. Of course we would prefer to see monkeys in the wild however in Costa Rica all the animals in the small zoos that do not belong to the government are all rescued animals. In Costa Rica most of the zoo’s belong to the government. All the other zoos are only allowed to have rescued animals.

We did not see any wild monkeys when we were doing the tour (probably because we were concentrating on the line) however we did see some wild white face monkeys afterwards. I think monkeys are one of the most beautiful animals, and if you have never seen wild monkeys before, I would definitely recommend you to visit Costa Rica because you can see them almost everywhere you go.

Written by Ilona Rietveld, Hojancha Community Program Intern