One of our favorite tours, which offers a perfect combination of nature and adrenaline, is the waterfall rappelling tour by Quepos Canyoning. The tour begins with a 20-minute ride from the company office in Quepos to the town of Villa Nueva, where the company base camp is located. Here the guides will fit you with the gear you need for your trek–safety harness, helmet, belts and clips.
From base camp, it is another 15-minute ride, in an open air 4wd vehicle, over hilly unpaved roads, to the tour starting point. First a short, uphill hike through thick rainforest, until you arrive at the first platform. To reach the 30-foot high platform, you must climb a suspension ladder. But safety comes first, and you are secure during the climb, thanks to your safety harness. Once atop the platform, you take the first of 2 ziplines, soaring over the forest canopy. Then comes a new challenge– a 25-meter cable walk. This is done at your own pace, as you are walking across a single suspension cable, but with shoulder high support cables on each side to assist you. And of course, you are secured by belts in case you slip along the way.
Then you arrive at the summit of the waterfall. This is the tour highlight, a 75-foot descent, alongside and then through a refreshing waterfall, until you arrive at the pool at the base. After some snacks and water, a brief hike to the final zipline, and then the final thrill, the ‘’monkey drop’’ where you are suspended out about 25-feet in the air, and then do a controlled free-fall to the pool below.
All activities during the tour are done with the assistance of the professional, English-speaking guides, and always with the use of safety belts and harnesses to prevent injury.
The Quepos Canyoning tour is recommended for all ages (the guides informed us that the oldest person to go on the tour was a 91-year old woman); as long as you are reasonably fit, have no issues with mobility, nor fear of heights. A Costa Rica style lunch is included once the tour ends. This tour is recommended for outdoor enthusiasts and is suitable for 10 years of age and up.