Ever wondered what it would be like to soar like a bird? The Big AMA Canopy Zipline Tour will certainly fulfill that fantasy!
Located just outside of La Fortuna and near the colossal Arenal Volcano, this canopy zipline tour is conveniently located close to most area hotels. After being picked up for your tour, you will be brought to the Arenal Mundo Aventuras grounds. Your group will then take a 20-minute tractor ride through the fields and up to the jungle. You will then hike in another 15 – 20 minutes uphill to the course.
On arrival, your guide will provide and fasten your harnesses. Once everybody is ready to go a brief safety presentation will be provided.
Despite the name, the Big AMA now offers 12 ziplines with a full course length of over 3 kilometers! This is one of the fastest courses in Costa Rica and among the most interesting. The highlight of the tour is a cable that traverses the canyon in front of the gorgeous La Fortuna Waterfall. This zipline is up to 120 meters high and 980 meters long!
After the ziplining adventure, you will have the opportunity to visit the onsite Maleku Indigenous Cultural Rescue Center to learn about their culture.
At the end, you will be brought back to your La Fortuna area hotel. Including round-trip transportation, this thrilling adventure usually lasts around 3.5 hours, though this can vary based on a variety of factors. The adventure includes transportation and guides.
This tour is HIGHLY recommended!
The Big AMA Canopy is available from Arenal, Arenal Zone 2, and Arenal Zone 3
7 and up
Latitude: N 10° 27' 16.45"
Longitude: W 84° 38' 47.4"
09/21/2023
It was nice to ride the tractor back up the site to take the trail to La Fortuna waterfall without an extra cost after our zip line experience. Then we played in the river and did the rope swing which is right next to the entrance of this property. All guides were professional with quality equipment. The long zip line runs near the waterfalls was great.
02/10/2023
Thrilling and very good. All of the guides from Manuel Adventures were so patient and helpful. Always felt like we were safe and in goo hands.
03/20/2022
Could not have been more fun! The staff was beyond wonderful. My father was very fearful of the experience and they went above and beyond to ensure his safety and comfort. Remarkable experience.
11/26/2021
Over all the tour was fantastic and our guides were amazing (probably the best of the trip)! The views from the zip lines were truly spectacular! The logistics were a bit of a nightmare. The drop off at the place was a bit chaotic because they are running so many different tours. Our driver did not speak much English, so our instructions were not entirely clear. The lines for check-in were long. After that we rode in one of the most uncomfortable vehicles I have ever been in on one of the roughest roads I have ever been on and the ride was 30-45 minutes of pain. I admit that at that point I thought this tour was going to be a disaster. Once that was over, however, the rest of the tour was fantastic (except the ride back in the horrible vehicle).
08/12/2021
This was for sure, one of the most exciting things I have ever done. My husband is 77 and I am 76, our guide said we may have been the oldest people he ever took on this tour. I would do it again, probably over and over, if I could.
03/18/2021
This was so much fun! The experience of arriving and seeing the small farm, the ride and hiking up to the zip lines and of course, the experience of each zip line ride was really amazing! The instructions were great, we felt safe and the views were outstanding! We did the 12 zip lines, saw the water fall, the height and length of the rides was so exciting! We had a great time!
02/14/2021
The zip lines were fast and fun! We had a good time on this trip and Stephanie and Marcos (our guides) were awesome and friendly.
12/24/2019
Lots of fun, but lubricant from the cables splattered onto our faces and clothes. Mixture of mist and rain.
08/22/2019
Absolutely amazing. This exceeded our expectations.
07/07/2019
This was such an exhilarating experience. The competence of the guides made me feel very safe. Gorgeous views of the rain-forest and waterfalls. Loved it!
04/05/2019
Our overall experience was one we will never forget! We appreciated the guide's positivity and instruction.
02/05/2019
Again, this exceeded our expectations! The guides were extremely knowledgeable and addressed all of our needs and concerns. It is a beautiful location and I felt very safe. What a fantastic experience! The only comment I would make is that when you indicate there is a 15 minute walk to the first cable, you might want to include that it is Climbing and not walking on a level ground.
01/22/2019
Great organization
We felt very safe.
12/30/2018
The "15 minute hike" was 97 flights of steps, and far too difficult. The guides were very patient as it took us longer to get to the platforms. Actual zip lines were very good. Too sore to make Kayaking the next morning.
10/01/2018
Guides took great care of us. Jeffery and Fabian did a great job.
09/24/2018
Stephanie and other guides very helpful. Amazing experience
12/03/2017
Great experience - even in the rain.
06/26/2017
Only thing I wish I knew: bring money to pay for pictures!! This tour was amazing by far the best on the trip. Unfortunately I did not bring cash so could not pay to have my picture taken. Next time!
06/05/2017
Had I known we were so close to the La Fortuna waterfall I would have made arrangements to hike there after we finished zip lining. Instead I had to come back later.
03/25/2017
The tour and the guides exceeded my expectations. Absolutely fantastic zipline.
02/27/2017
Amazing! I had a knee injury prior to vacation which required me to wear a knee brace. Everyone was very kind and made sure I was okay all the time. Total fun!
02/10/2017
Our guides were excellent
02/05/2017
What a fun time we had! The guides were patient and understanding of those who were a little freaked out by the experience.
01/20/2017
The zip lines were exhilarating. The guides were very conscious of our safety ensuring that we understood exactly how to handle the braking. It was a memorable day and we were glad we bought the photo/video package.
01/15/2017
The tour was great! The tour guides put us at ease and made us comfortable for such a scary and thrilling adventure!
01/09/2017
Unfortunately it was raining very hard so we had to stop midway through and wait for it to clear out. Once again this is not the fault of the guides and I was very happy that they cared more about our safety then getting done with the tour quickly. I was not a fan of zip lining myself, but my boyfriend loved it. Transportation was a little late, but it all ended up being ok!
01/02/2017
Exciting experience, wonderful guides. However they never sent a bus to pick us up after the zip lining and had to walk back in the pouring rain.
12/28/2016
I can now say I have done zip lining!
12/22/2016
Too big of group. Had to wait in lines all day
12/18/2016
Super fun tour led by very energetic guides!
12/05/2016
Most amazing views! Very knowledgeable and engaging guides. Hike is more than moderate, have to be in good shape!
08/09/2016
Great guides and great experience, we just got bogged down when we caught up to another group which was very large.
07/25/2016
On the tour it was very scary on the heights but it was much so worth it
06/29/2016
Ziplining was amazing! Definitely one of the best experiences in Costa Rica.
06/14/2016
Malina was amazing! The views were awesome and we had an absolute great time!
06/09/2016
This was so much fun! The only down side was the weather and we could only do 9 out of 12 zips but that's not the guides fault.
06/07/2016
Biggest and best views of all the ziplines I've done. Longest lines too!
05/23/2016
Awesome!
05/17/2016
This was a first-rate canopy tour and zip line experience. The guides were patient and helpful. The scenery was lush and gorgeous, and the hike was not too strenuous. We really enjoyed the visit to the Maileku tribe hut at the end, and would have liked to spend more time visiting this exhibit, however the logistic did not allow us to remain longer, as the tour bus needed to move on.
05/16/2016
The canopy tour was incredible and the tour guides did an awesome job getting me and my group through the course safely.
05/15/2016
Beautiful views on the zip line course
05/06/2016
We had an amazing time. The scenery was beautiful and the guides were amazing
04/23/2016
The walks up to the zip line sites was a bit grueling but the zip lining experience itself was exhilarating and incredibly fun!
04/09/2016
Lucked out with a great guide and small group of just 4! Skipped lines and had a great time.
03/27/2016
We have ziplined before,but this was by far the longest runs we have ever been on!!! This tour was great but as everyone else complains about ....The walk up was crazy!!We are 56 and 58 americans who are over weight...Which is our problem!!! And we made it to the top. The skinny people were struggling also. The company would maybe consider a tram to take the people up. (I know that would be pricey for them.BUT!!!) Well anyways it is well worth the trip. I walked all winter in the snow in WI. to be ready for this zip line trip because the reviews tell you it is a hike.So I was ready.All in all it was great!! The views are unforgetable!!!
03/23/2016
This was the hi light of our trip! Some of the guides were a little rude if you didn't make it all the way to the end and had to pull yourself through. They also rushed us during a few of the zips so we didn't get to take in a lot of the scenery. Other than that, it was a wonderful experience and a lot of fun.
03/20/2016
The guides were so patient since I had some difficulties on the steps. The guides were patient and made me experience one I will never forget.
03/19/2016
unfortunately, the photographer was injured before us so we couldn't get the video that we wanted, but we had a blast
03/14/2016
We really enjoyed the ziplining. However, the logisitics were very disorganized. What was to take about 3.5 hrs took almost 6 hrs to complete. Too many different tours packed together leading to confusion and lack of harnesses. Guides were very patient and personable. Great experience. Was better than we expected, despite the disorganization.
03/13/2016
Too many people. Took up 60 of us for the tour and took forever to finish. Would not do again with that many people.
03/12/2016
Weather was rainy. No control over that.
03/06/2016
Guides were great
02/18/2016
This was the greatest excursion ever this was my first time and I'm so glad this is where I chose to do it. It was unbelievable granted the climbing is tuff but worth every bit it even rained and it was still great, Ulysses and his crew where very professional they did a great job.
01/24/2016
incredible for someone scared of heights, guides were great!!!
01/20/2016
Over and above expectations
01/15/2016
Scary but they provided me with Hector as my "taxi" on all the lines. He was polite and fun to talk to and I got to see all of the views without any worry of braking or not braking, etc.
01/03/2016
By far our top 3 favorite thing about the trip.
01/02/2016
So much fun! Guides were great. The native art show at the end was a little awkward though.
12/31/2015
Most memorable time of the honeymoon
12/24/2015
The guides were exceptional!
12/18/2015
The hardest working people I have ever met. So professional I felt very safe.
12/13/2015
Tour was very god. I would recommend that in comments list that it is a significant hike and climb (very many steps) to get to the first zip. The $30 cost for the photo & video is not a great value.
10/25/2015
Beyond expectations. I could do that all day. The team was very reassuring and focused.
10/06/2015
This was my favorite tour of the trip!! The guides were excellent and made sure we felt safe and had a great time!!! Would recommend this to anyone!
10/04/2015
This was our favorite part of the trip. Our guide, Mey, was fantastic, and the overall experience was exhilarating. A lot of people we talked to throughout our vacation did other ziplining tours, and it sounded like Big 11 AMA Canopy was the right choice. I would recommend this specific tour to anyone looking to do ziplining in the Arenal region.
08/05/2015
Awesome experience!
07/26/2015
It was a blast
07/04/2015
I wasn't prepared for the uphill hike throughout the experience so I was behind the entire time. I felt we were a bit rushed but there were only 4 of us so that is understandable.
06/23/2015
I was terrified and decided not to go. All staff members took turns riding with me so I did not miss the adventure. They were so great
06/19/2015
Lots of fun. The guides were exceptional
05/23/2015
Awesome! great there was only 4 of us total and we did all 12 lines.
05/06/2015
Want to do this again!
04/13/2015
An amazing experience. There was some confusion from the driver about the pick up, so we were 1/2 hour late getting there. We got there just in time to go up, but the rushing around made my 14 year old son, who was already nervous, ever more nervous...In the end, he did overcome his concerns and we all loved it. We would all do it again in a heartbeat. Loved the photos they took and videos they included on the disk.
04/07/2015
This was incredibly fun, safe, and well run. Super glad we did this.
04/02/2015
We have a few issues on this tour but it worked itself out and so overall it was fine. The issues we had were that the groups were to large. They separated us as a family in the beginning and put the kids first leaving us behind. We were not comfortable with the kids 3 zip lines away and we had no idea how they were doing. We kept telling them that we need to be with them or at least allow one parent to go. Since the group was so large other people were getting mad. Eventually on the 4th zipline the main guide talked to us and ensured we would stay together. We had one more incident but not again. We did have fun once that got worked out. The other issue we had was the one guide strapped my daughter to the tower and left her there while you went to the other side of the zip line. My daughter wasn't sure what to do. Luckily another guide came and took her off of it.
Again we did enjoy the zip lines just those issues made it our experience a little less than perfect.
03/31/2015
We couldn´t do it all, there was not time enough, too many people, we were waiting in line before each zipline, and were hurried through it all by the guides.
03/23/2015
The guides were wonderful. Mauricio (I believe I spelled his name correctly) was very engaging and spent extra time with my husband and I after the tour discussing chocolate.
03/20/2015
The transportation arrived late at the hotel. The 'hike' to reach the zip lines was extremely exhausting. Transportation back from zip lining was also late. At times we felt a little rushed. Most disappointing was the lack of wildlife in the area of the zip lines. Overall however it was a positive experience.
03/15/2015
It went very well for a group of 40 participants.
03/09/2015
We enjoyed the sense of humor of the guides.
03/08/2015
Had tons of fun as well as family
02/23/2015
Staff was great
01/20/2015
Excellent adventure! Absolutely loved it! Very nice guides.
12/28/2014
Best Zip line I have ever been on--very professionally run
12/04/2014
Awesome tour!!! The guides were a lot of fun; you could tell they enjoyed their jobs! The ziplines were fantastic!
11/11/2014
The tour was excellent and the photographer at the zip line was great!
07/28/2014
I wanted to update you on the AMA - they now have 12 zips- one I think they said is the longest in CR , 980km. That was awesome! Most of the people with us only did 7 zips, some were upset that they weren't booked for all 12 by their "agent" or whoever, so thank you!! Also, we didn't hike 40 min, they now have a tractor to pull a "bus-like" vehicle to the base of a 15 min hike. Was very nice to only walk the 15 min, but I can't see how people do it who are not in shape! I am and I was out of breath by the end! At the end, we walked through the Meleco village, which was neat. Anyway, just wanted you to know so you can tell your future clients.
See you tomorrow!