Original Canopy Zipline Tour

Zipline Original Canopy Tour

The Original Canopy Tour is a zipline adventure through the jungle near San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I took part in the canopy tour as part of a shore excursion from a Celebrity Cruise.  Overall, I would recommend the tour, though please be aware of some of the drawbacks that I encountered before booking.  Our tour was booked through Celebrity Cruises and cost $131 per person.

What to Expect
The tour operators picked our group from the dock in San Juan.  After a thirty minute ride on a charter bus, we were dropped off at an empty lot in the hilly countryside of San Juan.  Confused, we were told that a smaller bus would pick us up in a few minutes to deliver us to the canopy tour site.  Once we boarded the second bus, it was clear that the mountain roads in Puerto Rico were too steep, narrow, and winding for a large charter bus.  In fact, the drive was almost the most thrilling/scary part of the adventure.  In Puerto Rico, everyone speeds through mountain roads while continually honking to warn motorists and pedestrians around the corner.  We had several near accidents.

Once we dropped off at the site, we signed a waiver and climbed a VERY STEEP hill to the canopy site. All participants were fitted with a harness, gloves, and helmet.  Instructions, given in English and Spanish, made it clear that the company took safety very seriously.

Unlike other tours, this tour really took you from tree-to-tree through the rain forest.  Though none of the ziplines were all that long, it was beautiful to see and hear the sounds of the forest.  My only complaint was that, with a large group, we had to wait nearly an hour to travel on our first zipline.  Once we started, however, the tour was completed in about 45 minutes.  

Tips
1. Bring a rain jacket.  It rains often on the mountain, and it rained during my tour.  On the positive side, rain will increase the speed you fly through the jungle!

2. Take motion sickness pills--not for the canopy tour, rather for the bus ride through hills of Puerto Rico.

3. If you are looking a long, fast zip line ride, book another tour.  This tour is fun because it takes you through the rain forest.  However, none of the zipline rides last longer the 15 or 20 seconds.