Ziplining in Caribbean Rainforests

Newest Family Attraction offers Ecotourism and Adventure

May 18, 2009

In the Caribbean, zip line tours are the newest family attractions popping up on many islands, including Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Martin.

For beginners, the biggest challenge in ziplining is taking that first step off the platform and into nothingness, dangling on a harness wrapping around the shoulders, back and upper thighs that connects to two overhead cables. From there, riders soar above the greenery and test their skills in slowing down at just the right time so they don’t crash into the next platform. Many of the courses also offer rope bridges, jump towers or other “Survivor-type” challenge courses along with the ziplines, and some have special scaled-down courses just for kids.

Safety, of course, is a concern when contemplating the feat of soaring 300 feet above the ground. The tours provide the necessary gear, including helmets, gloves and sturdy harnesses, as well as giving participants brief training in how to hook, unhook and work the lines to get the most enjoyment out of the experience.

These zipline adventures are very popular with cruise passengers, who often book them ahead of time. Upon arrival in port, they are then met at the dock by the tour company and transported to the rainforest site for an easy and enjoyable day-long on-shore adventure.

Soaring in Antigua

Antigua’s Rainforest Canopy Tour offers nine lines of double-redundant wires, each about 200-300 feet long, soaring up to 350 feet above the forest floor. The ziplines end at a challenge course and the Leap of Faith, where you plunge off a platform for a 36-foot descent.

Scoping Out the Rivers in Dominica

Located in Dominica’s new Adventure Park is the Wacky Rollers Challenge Course, with seven ziplines and 27 challenge activities. One line carries riders across the Layou River, hovering only 40 feet above the surface. They also offer a special Ti-Ti-Oui Park of ziplines only 3 feet off the ground for the little ones (4 years and up).

Viewing History in St. Kitts

The newest ziplines in the eastern Caribbean belong to Sky Safari St. Kitts, located on the grounds of the historic Wingfield Estate and giving views of Brimstone Hill and the Valley of the Giants. The system offers five cable lines, with the longest ride being over 1,350 feet long, 250 feet above the ground. At the end of the course is a natural river pool for cooling off.

Ziplines and a Tram in St. Lucia

The six zip lines in St. Lucia’s Rainforest Canopy Adventure hover a mere 30-50 feet off the forest floor, but extend up to 500 feet, giving you a chance to gaze out over the landscape. For a more observational adventure, pair the ziplining with an aerial tram ride at St. Lucia’s Rainforest Sky Rides.

Flying Down from Pic Paradis in St. Martin

St. Martin’s Fly Zone, located in the 154-acre Loterie Farm nature reserve, features the new Fly Zone Extreme zip line that descends a heart-stopping 1,000 feet from Pic Paradis, the highest point on the island, as well as other zip lines and a challenge course winding through the rainforest area.

For more information, check each island's tourism website. For more on accommodations, see Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Martin.

The copyright of the article Ziplining in Caribbean Rainforests in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by K.C. Nash. Permission to republish Ziplining in Caribbean Rainforests in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.