It’s a different perspective up here. Standing on a small wooden platform that is securely bolted to a tree, I’m looking down perhaps 100 feet to the ground over a tangle of variegated greens: Gray greens, blue greens, lime greens, deep greens, even purple greens. The next platform is eight hundred feet away, and to get to it, I’m going to have to snap my carabiner onto a cable and slide through the rainforest, trusting the metal cable to keep me airborne. The trick, which I have yet to master, is managing my speed and braking so that I arrive at the other side with enough momentum to hop onto the next platform, but not so much that I come crashing in at full speed.
Ziplining operations have popped up worldwide in the last 20 years. Today, they are a tourism mainstay, but they didn’t start out that way: ziplines originated in the rainforests of Central and South America as a way for biologists to study the ecosystem of the forest canopy. On the small eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia, ziplining was featured in the National Geographic book Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips.
In Your Bucket Because…
- You just might be one of the lucky ones to see the St. Lucia blue parrot.
- The courses on St. Lucia offer a variety of rain-forest adventures. It’s a great opportunity to vary your days on the beach with the very different beauty of the interior rainforest.
- Good for adventurers and families.
Pick a Zipline Tour: Family Adventure or Eco-touring and a Tram Ride
St. Lucia’s zipline tour operators offer more than simply strapping on a harness and sliding from tree-to-tree.
Of course, the main draw is seeing the rainforest from the canopy. I have to admit that while I’m flying over the jungle, most of what I see is an adrenaline-fueled blur. Waiting my turn on the platform actually gives me time to really look around. I see birds flitting through the trees, chirping their disdain at us humans who need all these cables and harnesses to come up for a visit. But, like most zipliners here, I didn’t see the endemic St. Lucia parrot: Sightings of the distinctive blue-headed national symbol are much more likely on a rainforest walk at dawn than on a busy zipline tour.
Treetop Adventure Park is located near Dennery in the south-center of the island, and is probably the more convenient option for visitors staying on the islands laid-back south side. However, St. Lucia is small enough that visitors come here from Castries (the capital) and the cruise ships that dock on the north side. In addition to nature watching, Treetop offers a full-fledged aerial course, along with cycling, hiking, and kayaking excursions. Energy permitting, you could easily spend a whole day here. If you have kids, there is even a “kiddie challenge” course with its own mini-zip lines for children.
The other Long-established ziplining operation is Rainforest Adventures, located closer to Castries and the cruise ship docks. The twist here is that ziplining includes an aerial tram ride through the rainforest (not unlike a ski-lift gondola, except it’s open-air) to the top of the zipline course. Be forewarned; there is actually a bit of strenuous, if short, hiking, involved. Rainforest Adventures also offers bird watching hikes led by expert guides who describe the plants, animals, and ecological issues of the rainforest, making it a good choice for those interested in understanding the rainforest ecosystem.
Practicalities
- Adventure tours and packages can be booked directly with the zip line operators, or through St. Lucia hotels, and should be reserved in advance.
- For those who haven’t done it before, zip lining can be a little intimidating at first. The rider wears a climbing harness system, two carabiners (“lifelines”), one of which is always attached to a fixed cable, and a pulley, which is affixed to the zip line itself. Most zip lines start with the rider sitting on a wooden platform, getting in position, and then gently pushing off. The rider’s dominant hand is used for braking, by reaching behind and pulling down on the zip line. Beyond that, a zip line ride in St. Lucia is mostly a matter of flying through the trees and taking in the extraordinary rainforest scenery.
- Wear comfortable but not overly loose clothing an closed shoes — no flip flops; one of them may end up 100 feet down on the forest floor! Tie back long hair. Rain gear is a good idea, since the zip line operations are in a rainforest. (At the very least bring something to protect cameras and cell phones).
Updated 2016
