Canopy Safari, Manuel Antonio
The Real Deal Team Personal Experience
At The Real Deal Tours we take pride in being the Activities Specialists in Latin America. So, when we send a rep out in the field we ask them to share their experiences with the team, and sometimes we decide to share them with you. Below is one of our team’s experience of the Safari Canopy Tour in Manuel Antonio. Everyone has their own experience, but here is ours to help you plan your trip to Costa Rica.
So to start, the pick-up time was at 7:20am. Let me tell you…activities start early on this part of the globe (near the equator) since the sun is out by around 5.30am. Unfortunately, most restaurants don’t open that early, but the good thing is that a full breakfast awaits upon reaching the canopy site itself. Warm, fluffy eggs and fresh fruit juice at the deck of a river-side restaurant…a great way to start your day indeed!
Let’s back-track a little though…
Since back in the bat cave I take care of Level II Customer Care (AKA “situations”), I had my antennae connected to the Potential Problem Channel from the time I was waiting to be picked up from Manuel Antonio…
The van was prompt, prim, and partially packed with adventure-loving families, plus me. After I was picked up, we drove along the curvy paths of Manuel Antonio down to the operator’s office, where we signed waivers and picked up our crew for the day.
Open since 1997, this provider was the first to offer zip lining not only in Quepos, but the entire southern zone of Costa Rica! Dreamed, built, operated, managed and maintained by a Quepos native and his team…I was thoroughly impressed by this operation headed by Diego.
Grade: 2 thumbs up 
It took us about 35 minutes to get to the Canopy Safari site from the office in downtown Quepos. For a while we drove through what seemed to be an unending palm oil plantation, and just when I thought we were never getting out of there (and I started to think about the orangutans affected by the Asian plantations, and how it might be the same with the local Tico fauna), we broke through to a more natural background of rolling greens and indigenous trees…relief!
During the drive our main guide gave us a bit of information about the area, but lucky for me I sat beside another guide, Junior, and we talked about so much more history, and local trees and traditions. (Travel tip: learn more by getting friendly with the tour guides and drivers…they are from the area after all, and they definitely know their stuff!)
Nearing the Safari canopy site we were briefed about where we could put on some bug spray (outside the premises, away from the butterfly garden) and what we were having for breakfast (eggs, beans, toast, jam, fresh fruit, natural juice, coffee…in other words: the works!). While eating, Kara our photographer from Washington, explained the photo and video mechanics in both English and Spanish, and when everybody was done, we were harnessed up for the ride.
A note for Go Pro users: please don’t forget your helmet clip! There is no charge for you to take your own camera and footage, and they do have helmets where you can mount the camera, but they do not have clips that you can borrow! So…
On to the activity itself:
Safari Canopy = 10 zip lines + 2 rappel lines + 1 suspension bridge + 1 Tarzan Swing, between 18 platforms = a whole lot of fun.
Now…I’ve been on several zip lining tours before, but this one still took my breath away and had me smiling the whole time. (Of course! I was zip-lining in Costa Rica, the birth place of zip-lining!) I must admit though, I was a bit scared when the platforms swayed along with the movement on the lines…but apparently this is a natural movement that could have been caused by the wind as well, so there was no danger of the tree breaking in half (or something macabre like that). Safety is the operator’s number one priority too, next after is you having fun, so you could do tricks like flipping over before you zip through, or going at it hands-free or even upside-down! The last line was a bit of a bummer though…but only because the adventure ended too soon!
Grade: Rock-on 
Back at the restaurant, we took off our equipment and were treated to ice-cold towels, which was such a pleasant treat after a run through that humid circuit! Later refreshed, we were given the chance to visit the crocodile pond and butterfly garden, which also houses a relatively big collection of snakes. I absolutely loved seeing the Morpho butterflies gracefully flutter around so close to me! I wasn’t as enthused to see a bunch of venomous and non-venomous snakes (each in their own tank), but I was impressed all the same. The quick tour through the rest of the site’s facilities bought Kara some time to set up our group’s pictures for viewing, and with no pressure at all, we could decide on whether we wanted to purchase the photo/video package or not….a classy move which I am sure a lot will appreciate.
Grade: A-ok 
We were afforded a few more minutes of down time before finally leaving the Canopy Safari site. Looks like while we went through the zip-line course the van went back to pick up the next group, and once they got off the vehicle we were ushered in and transported safely back to town. It was a bitter-sweet parting, to be honest.
Again, I was the last, this time to be dropped off, and upon my arrival to our hostel my travel buddies were already ready for the long drive Jacó…but that’s another story. 