Baños Zipline Adventure: Puntzan Canopy with Guide & Pickup

5.00

(9 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I noticed stepping out of the van was the way the air in Baños felt—sort of sharp and earthy, like wet leaves after rain. Our guide, Diego, handed me a helmet and harness with a grin that made it seem like he’d done this a thousand times (he probably has). I fumbled with the straps for a second before he helped me tighten them—he said something about “safety first” in Spanish, then winked. The whole group laughed, which helped my nerves a bit. I could hear birds somewhere up in the trees, but mostly my heart was thumping so loud it drowned everything else out.

We started with the first zipline—six in total, Diego said, stretching over 2000 meters from mountain to mountain. The first cable looked longer than I expected. When it was my turn, I hesitated (my palms were sweaty—I know, classic), but Diego just nodded and said “Vamos.” So I went. The wind whipped past my ears and there was this rush—half fear, half pure excitement—that hit right in my stomach. You can see all of Puntzan Adventure Park from up there: green hills rolling out below you, little rivers glinting between rocks. It’s wild how fast you move but how much you notice at the same time.

By the third line, I’d stopped thinking about falling and started noticing other things—the smell of moss when we landed on one platform, or how one of the guides joked about my “zipline face” (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t flattering). There were families doing it together and even one older couple who cheered every time someone launched off. At some point I realized I wasn’t scared anymore; actually kind of wanted to go again once we finished all six lines. Funny how that happens.

I still think about that last jump—the sun came out just as I pushed off and everything below looked gold for a second. It’s not something you can really photograph right; you just have to feel it yourself. On the ride back to town everyone was trading stories about their favorite part. My hands were still shaking a little but in a good way—you know?