Review of the BEST Ziplining Tours in Tamarindo + Our Top Choice!

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One of the most thrilling excursions I have done in Tamarindo is ziplining! We’ve traveled all over Costa Rica, and there is so much natural beauty surrounding Tamarindo. We think the best way to explore is by getting right into the thick of it. Zipline tours take you above the canopy and give you a totally new perspective of this lush jungle paradise. 

However, you don’t want to waste your time or money on an experience that doesn’t live up to your expectations.

We’ve narrowed it down to the top-rated zipline tours in Tamarindo that we’ve found are really worth the time and money. Plus, we’ll go through all the details you should know before booking one for yourself!

What are the best ziplining tours in Tamarindo? 

1. Canopy Tour in Tamarindo – Our Top Pick!

This Canopy Tour in Tamarindo is a great half-day activity, leaving the rest of the day to relax on the beach or take off on another exciting tour. This tour is unique because you can decide between an “easy” or “adventure” canopy tour to fit your group’s skill level, so it’s really a good fit for any traveler!

Throughout your three hours, you’ll explore 11 different ziplines. I love having a variety of ziplines like this because it makes it even more fun. You get stunning views from all angles and will hit ziplines that extend for a long while to enjoy the ride as well as a few that make your stomach drop they go so fast!

This zipline tour even gets a little wild and shows you how to safely hang upside down while sailing down a zipline! I definitely took advantage of this and it was a little scary at first, but so fun! How many times do you get to fly through the jungle upside down in your life?! It’s a fun story to tell when you get home.

Of course, you can also expect to see wildlife, dense jungle, and stunning mountain views in this area (probably when you’re not hanging upside down!). Luckily there are 13 platforms spread out between the cables, so this is when you can really enjoy the view. We spotted a few monkeys and iguanas!

You can choose between an 8 am and 11 am departure time, and roundtrip transportation from your Tamarindo hotel is included. This tour also includes all safety equipment, your guides, and fruit and water to keep you fueled up. You can reserve this tour for $80 USD for adults and $77 USD for children with FREE cancellation up to 24-hours before the tour.

Book this Canopy Tour in Tamarindo zipline experience here!

2. Monkey Jungle Zipline 

It’s no secret that Costa Rica is home to some of the most unique wildlife in the world. What better way to see monkeys, sloths, and birds than by visiting their natural habitat? This Monkey Jungle Zipline tour takes you into the heart of the jungle, where you’ll be hanging like a monkey in the treetops while also doing a bit of wildlife spotting as you zoom by!

Located on the outskirts of Tamarindo, the Monkey Jungle Reserve is home to so many creatures! We saw multiple monkeys, making the experience all the more exciting. I have to give a shoutout to the local guides too. They have a keen eye for all the sneaky animals hiding in the trees that I always seem to miss. There are even some howler monkeys who like to hang out beside one of the ziplines – I didn’t miss those guys!

You’ll spend about an hour zipping along seven different ziplines, ranging in length and speed. This is a small group tour (15 people max) which we think is essential for zipline tours. If there are too many members of your group, you’ll end up waiting in line for the majority of your tour, which definitely hinders the experience.

This tour is also a great option for kiddos, as it is safe, fun, and they love seeing all of the creatures throughout the experience. While it’s still an adrenaline rush, this isn’t the most extreme ziplining course I’ve done, so it’s suitable for younger ones or anyone who hasn’t been ziplining before.

This tour includes your safety equipment, guides, and a fresh fruit snack at the end. The reserve is about 20 minutes from the downtown area of Tamarindo, so you can either catch a taxi or drive yourself if you have a rental car. You can reserve your spot for $65 USD for adults and $55 USD for children ages 4-11. 

I definitely recommend booking this tour in advance, as it’s a popular one and often sells out. It also comes with FREE cancellation, so it’s essentially risk-free!

You can reserve the Monkey Jungle Zipline Tour here!

3. Zipline and Hanging Bridges Combo Tour in Monteverde 

When visiting Costa Rica, taking a trip to the Monteverde Cloud Forest is a must. And while there is so much to do in Tamarindo, getting a bit outside the area is well worth it on this Zipline and Hanging Bridges Combo Tour!

Visiting Monteverde is certainly a different vibe than the laid-back surf town of Tamarindo. Its unique ecosystem is one of the top nature reserves in Costa Rica with a beautiful, lush jungle and a plethora of wildlife to see! It is also home to the best hanging bridges in the country, which cut through the canopy and let you get up close and personal with the forest. It is truly a mystical and magical place – especially when it’s all foggy and misty like a true forest in the clouds! 

This tour lets you experience Monteverde in all of its glory, and have an epic day of ziplining. Monteverde is about 3.5 hours from Tamarindo, so this is a full-day, 12-hour tour. You can either meet at a central point or request pick up from your hotel in Tamarindo early in the morning (around 5:30 am!) for the trip to the adventure park in Monteverde. 

Upon your arrival, the fun begins! The guides will give a safety briefing and then take you to the rolling hills of the jungles where you’ll find 15 different ziplines. They also have a Superman cable (which extends for 1 kilometer/0.6 miles) and a Tarzan swing for an extra dose of adventure! You’ll break for a traditional Costa Rican lunch that’s included and then explore the cloud forest through the suspension bridges that put you right among the clouds. Take it from me, this is so cool!  

There are eight bridges that range between 50 to 170 meters (150 to 510 feet) high. The guides do a fantastic job of pointing out wildlife and explaining the biodiversity that makes this cloud forest so unique. Monteverde has a completely different climate than Tamarindo, so I love that this tour gives you a chance to explore both. 

If you’re short on time, taking a day trip is a great way to see Monteverde. Plus, you can knock a few items off your Costa Rica itinerary by booking this zipline and hanging bridges tour in Monteverde. This tour includes roundtrip transportation from Tamarindo, lunch, a zipline tour, the hanging bridges tour, and entrance to the park. It is definitely a full day of fun, from the high-flying ziplines to the natural beauty of Monteverde Cloud Forest. 

This tour has a few different options. You can reserve it with transportation included from Tamarindo for $210 USD each, choose to drive yourself and join the tour in Monteverde for $160 USD, or opt for a private tour for $290 USD each if you book for 4-15 people.

Reserve this amazing experience in advance HERE so you don’t miss out on seeing Monteverde’s cloud forest from the treetops!

4. Combo Tour including Ziplining

Time to switch on adventure mode because this Mega-Combo Tour hits eight activities all in one day! Get ready to zipline, scurry across hanging bridges, ride horses, slide down a huge water slide, ride a tractor, hike to a waterfall, bathe in volcanic mud and natural hot springs, and check out the most active volcano in Costa Rica. Whew – that sounds like a Costa Rica bucket list if I’ve ever heard one!

This day packed full of adventure starts with pick up at Tamarindo-based hotels. It’s a 2-hour drive to the base of Rincon de la Vieja volcano, so we used this time to rest while we could!

The adventure park is at the base of the volcano and I like this kind of park because all the activities are close together so there’s no wasted time driving from one to the next. There are also lockers and changing rooms which are nice perks because you won’t have to worry about keeping your belongings safe and can simply enjoy the tour.

Over the next few hours, your guide will lead you from adventure to adventure. This tour is great because all the equipment is provided and we thought it had a good balance of exciting, high-energy activities (like hiking and ziplining) with chill and relaxed activities (like soaking in a natural hot spring and taking a leisurely horse ride). They also provide a buffet lunch, snacks, and water so you’re well-fed and can continue exploring!

This is jam-packed but does a good job of giving you enough time to enjoy each activity and I think it never feels too rushed. Plus, this is a private tour so you really can move at your own pace. I’d recommend this tour for anyone short on time who wants to have the ultimate Costa Rica experience! 

You have to have a minimum of four people in your group to book this tour, but it’s cheaper for larger groups. It starts at $199 USD each for private transportation or $179 USD for shared transportation (the tour will be private regardless).

You can reserve this Mega-Combo Tour in advance, here! 

5. Combo with Ziplining, Horseback Riding, and Hot Springs 

This tour combines a few of the activities Costa Rica is most known for: ziplining, horseback riding, and hot springs. I love that this tour is a combination of exhilarating and relaxing activities, which honestly matches the vibe of Costa Rica exactly! 

This full-day tour takes off from Tamarindo in the morning and drives an hour and a half to an adventure park. Throughout the drive, you’ll catch scenic views of the rolling landscape as it turns from beach town to rainforest. Costa Rica is so diverse in its landscape that half of the fun is simply going from one location to another!

You’ll start out with the high-flying adventure by ziplining down 10 different cables. This part is thrilling, of course, but also a great viewpoint of the canopy from above! This is a larger group tour, and although this can sometimes mean more standing in line than ziplining, the guides typically do a good job of keeping the tour moving. 

After a few hours of ziplining, you’ll have a traditional Costa Rican lunch, then a horseback ride (or tractor ride) to the hot springs! With so many amazing hot springs in Costa Rica, your trip isn’t complete unless you’ve soaked in at least one. This one also has a sauna and mud baths – you’d have to drag me away from this experience! 

This tour includes roundtrip transportation from Tamarindo, lunch, and all activities. It’s scheduled to last about 10 hours, so you get plenty of time to have fun and relax in the beauty of Costa Rica.

This tour is available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, at multiple departure times (depending on how early you want to get up!).

This tour can be reserved online for $134 USD per adult and $96 USD per child. 

6. ATV Zipline Tour 

This half-day tour makes a point of getting you off the beaten path both by soaring over the jungle and exploring the back roads that are only accessible by ATV. In a place that has gotten as touristy as Tamarindo, a tour that escapes the normal sightseeing locations is hard to come by!

You can choose to drive the ATV yourself or ride as a passenger (this is usually what I do as Daniel drives!) as you wind through the forest roads spotting howler monkeys, coatis, and maybe even a sloth. Even if you don’t have a lot of experience driving in Costa Rica, this is a safe way to explore and get an adrenaline rush along the way!

A big advantage for us is that this tour is just minutes from downtown Tamarindo, so the bulk of your time can be spent adventuring instead of traveling! 

To get to the zipline course, it’s a short drive aboard an ATV, so even the journey there is fun! Once you reach the zipline course, you’ll zip around seven cables, catching incredible views from the top of the canopy and having a great time the entire way. Then it’s time to ride the ATV back down the mountain and drive back to Tamarindo with the entire other half of the day to relax on the beach! 

This tour includes hotel pickup and drop off from Tamarindo, safety instructions and equipment for all activities, and your local guide. You must be at least 16 years old to drive the ATV, but children as young as five can ride as passengers. 

This is one of the best tours to maximize your time in Tamarindo, and great for those looking for a high-adrenaline experience. You can reserve this tour for $145 USD as a single rider or for $190 USD as a driver with a passenger. 

Be sure to reserve this tour in advance HERE, as you don’t want to miss out on this fun experience out of Tamarindo. 

When is the best time to go ziplining in Tamarindo? 

The great thing about ziplining in Tamarindo is that you can do it all year round! Rain or shine, there will be a zipline tour running.

When you’re deciding what time of year to visit Costa Rica, the dry season (December to March) is when you’ll find the best weather. This is when you’re most likely to have a nice sunny day as you zoom over the canopy. But the jungle will be a bit more brown as you can see from our photos. We’ve found that going from September to November is especially beautiful because the landscape is green and lush during the rainy season.

As far as the time of day, I highly recommend going in the morning. It can get pretty hot in Tamarindo, even during the rainy season, so going in the morning is the best way to avoid the heat of the day. We did not book our tour enough in advance and could only do an afternoon tour, and let me tell you it was toasty! I’d recommend scheduling your tour far enough out so you have the flexibility to choose whatever time works best.

Related Read: If you join a ziplining tour early in the day, you’ll have time to grab lunch or supper at one of the best restaurants in Tamarindo!

Is ziplining in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, safe? 

Yes, ziplining is an extremely safe activity and fun for the whole family! Costa Rica was one of the major pioneers of zipline tourism and has been running tours since the late ‘90s, sending thousands of thrill-seekers over the treetops!

Safety in Costa Rica is a huge priority for these tours, as tour operators want people to have a great experience and come back for more. 

A safety harness and helmet are required on all tours, and each zipline is made of strong cable and a braking system. The guides take you through a safety briefing before the tour and double-check your harness before you get on each zipline, so there are safety checks throughout. Even though it is a high-adrenaline activity, ziplining is actually one of the safest tours you can book while in Tamarindo!

Do you need to book a ziplining tour in advance? 

Yes, I highly recommend booking a zipline tour in advance. If you are visiting between December and March, booking well ahead of your travel dates is essential as this is Tamarindo’s busy season. The earlier you book your tour, the more flexibility you’ll have regarding the time of day and availability of tours.

Don’t be like us and wait until a day or two before, because then you’re not as likely to get the time you want. Plus, the most popular tours can be completely filled up by then!

All of the Viator tours we’ll go through below have an awesome cancellation policy. So if your plans change you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour and get a full refund. We’ve personally canceled tours with Viator because of weather or a change in our itinerary and Viator is totally legit and refunded our money with no issues.

What is the best ziplining tour in Tamarindo for kids? 

This Canopy Jungle Zipline Tour is our top pick for kids! Not only do you get to soar down ziplines for a few hours, but it also has a large emphasis on spotting wildlife, which is always exciting for kids (and adults too, let’s be honest)!

This is a small group tour, which is ideal so you don’t have to wait in line forever to go down each zipline. I also think this tour is a good length for children (about two hours) which holds their attention and isn’t too long so they get tired throughout. 

Kids as young as 4 years old can participate in this zipline experience and it can be reserved for $65 USD or slightly cheaper at $55 USD for kids 4-11!

What should you wear ziplining in Tamarindo? 

My biggest recommendation is to wear comfortable clothing! You will be walking around in your harness for a few hours, which isn’t necessarily comfortable in itself, but is better if you’re wearing loose, athletic clothing.

You must have closed-toe shoes for these tours, and be prepared for the heat! We wore shorts and T-shirts and were perfectly comfortable. 

They will provide a helmet and you can wear sunglasses if you want, but keep in mind that you’ll be soaring high up in the air so if you lose them, it’s very hard to get them back – so maybe don’t wear your favorite pair! I’d also recommend wearing sunscreen, as you’ll be out in the hot sun most of the day. 

Related Read: Having fun in Tamarindo doesn’t have to cost a lot. We made a huge list of the free and cheap things to do in Tamarindo if you’re looking for ideas!

Should you zipline if you’re afraid of heights?

Although you’re definitely high up in the air while ziplining, it’s generally not as scary as other activities at heights. You’re well-secured in the harness, so you know you are safe and won’t fall when clipped into the cable.

I’ve found that ziplining never really has that falling feeling because you’re gliding across the cable to the next platform. 

That being said, if your fear of heights is extreme, it’s probably a good idea to skip out on this activity and stick to those where your feet are planted on the ground. But if it’s just a mild fear, you’ll have no problem ziplining!

Is ziplining in Tamarindo worth it?

Absolutely yes! Costa Rica is known all over the world for its amazing ziplines. It is such a unique way to experience the lush jungle, see wildlife, and get outside for an epic day of adventure.

Many of these tours offer other fun activities, like ATVing or soaking in a natural hot spring, so it’s a great way to experience multiple excursions while on vacation.

Tamarindo is a hub of activity, and there are so many great tours out of this beach town. It is one of the best places to book a zipline tour in Costa Rica and experience a different side of the city than just a lazy beach day!

The local guides here were fantastic, so full of energy and knowledge that they really took our tour to the next level. We were impressed!

Book our favorite ziplining tour in Tamarindo here!

Other Must-do Activities While You’re in Tamarindo

Tamarindo is a town filled with tons of things to do and see. So while you’re planning your trip here, make sure to check out a few more of our other favorite activities:

• Visit Rio Celeste – One of the most beautiful rivers and waterfalls in Costa Rica is within reach of Tamarindo. Rio Celeste Waterfall is a natural phenomenon where two rivers meet and cause the water to literally turn blue. Since it’s 2.5 hours away, unless you have your own vehicle, you’re going to need to join a tour. This specific tour leaves Tamarindo at 6:30 am and includes everything from hiking to a swim in the turquoise waters and even a visit to a wildlife sanctuary to see sloths!

• Sunset cruise – One of the best relaxing activities you can do in Tamarindo is a cruise through Tamarindo Bay. Aboard this Sunset Catamaran Cruise, you’ll sail out into the ocean in search of magnificent views, wildlife, and of course, an epic sunset. You can choose to do the tour in the morning or afternoon (afternoon is better), and it includes an open bar, water activities, and a meal for only $85 USD!

• Learn to surf – Although you won’t find Tamarindo on any list of the top places to surf in Costa Rica, it’s arguably the best place for beginners. You can do surf lessons any day of the week, and there are tons of surf schools in town. This two-hour surf lesson is top-rated and has over 1,600 five-star reviews.

• See turtles – Getting a chance to see turtles in Costa Rica is pretty amazing. Luckily there are some secluded beaches around Tamarindo where turtles come to lay eggs on the beach from November to April. This turtle nesting tour is an evening experience (that’s when turtles come ashore) and if you’re really lucky you’ll even see baby turtles hatching and making their way to the ocean.

• Check out a local market – On Saturdays, the Tama Market is the place to be in Tamarindo! From 8 am to 2 pm, the market is bustling with stalls where you can do some shopping, pick up fresh fruit or veggies, or even grab lunch. We tried some excellent cold brew coffee here and I found a sunscreen I love made with natural products!

Pura Vida!

I’m so excited you’re considering a ziplining tour in Tamarindo! We had a blast zipping over the treetops (sometimes upside down!). A tour helps take care of all the details and some even have fun extras like ATVing or hot springs. I love when I can just show up and have a great time and these tours do that!

To learn more about what a trip to this country can look like, have a look at our blog all about Costa Rica or leave us a question below.