Koh Samui: Zipline Rainforest Tour with Hotel Pickup

5.00

(8 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Someone was tightening the harness around my waist — not too tight, but enough that I could feel my heart thumping against it. Our guide, Lek, grinned and said something in Thai to the other staff. I caught “farang” (foreigner) and laughed because yeah, I probably looked nervous. The air smelled like wet leaves and sunscreen. We’d just been picked up from our hotel in Lamai (right on time, which surprised me), and now we were standing under these giant trees that made you feel small in a good way.

The first platform was higher than I expected. You could hear birds calling somewhere above us, and the zipline cable hummed every time someone took off. When it was my turn, Lek gave me a thumbs-up — he must do this a hundred times a week but still seemed genuinely excited for each person. Pushing off felt like jumping into nothing for half a second, then suddenly you’re flying over green, catching glimpses of the sea between branches. My hands were sweaty inside the gloves (they give you everything you need), but after the third line I started to trust the harness more than my own legs.

There are 16 or maybe 18 platforms — honestly I lost count because by halfway through I was just laughing at myself every time I landed awkwardly on a wooden deck. At one stop, Lek pointed out some fruit growing wild nearby (I think he called it “lamyai”?). He offered me one and watched as I tried to peel it with clumsy fingers; he laughed when I made a face at the taste — sweet but kind of earthy? Anyway, it’s those little moments that stick with you more than the big adrenaline rushes sometimes.

By the last zipline, sweat was dripping down my back and my hair had gone wild from the helmet. But there was this view — jungle rolling out below us, sunlight flickering through leaves — that made me pause before unclipping for the last time. The ride back to our hotel was quiet; everyone just sort of stared out the window or scrolled through photos. I still think about that feeling of hanging between trees, not quite flying but close enough.