Destinations
Best zipline destinations in the world, compared region by region
The best ziplines in the world sorted by what they actually do better than anywhere else. Costa Rica, Hawaii, the Alps, Alaska and the Caribbean, sorted by what they genuinely do better than anywhere else rather than by who paid for the listing.
Costa Rica
The best zipline destinations start here
Figure 01
Of all the best zipline destinations, Costa Rica came first: commercial canopy ziplining started here, and the country still has the deepest concentration of courses anywhere. Monteverde is the reference point: cloud forest at altitude, mist moving through the crowns, and courses old enough that the guiding culture is genuinely practised rather than improvised. Compared on the forest itself rather than the cables, this is the best of the zipline destinations.
Among the best zipline destinations Arenal trades forest for spectacle, with lines run in view of the volcano, and the Pacific side near Manuel Antonio gives you dry weather and shorter drives at the cost of the cloud-forest atmosphere. The dry season, December to April, is the difference between a view and a wall of white.
Everywhere else
The other destinations, compared
- Hawaii
- Compared with the forest destinations, reef and channel views no forest course can match, on short, well-run lines. Maui has the most courses; the island of Hawaii has the most family-friendly limits at Umauma.
- The Alps
- Vertical. La Tyrolienne at Val Thorens drops roughly 600 m from above 3,000 m, and the alpine courses generally beat everywhere else on drop rather than length.
- Alaska
- Temperate rainforest with real gradient, around Juneau, Ketchikan and Hoonah. A short May-to-September season tied to the cruise calendar, so book early or not at all.
- The Caribbean
- Records. Toroverde in Puerto Rico held the world's longest span before Jebel Jais and still runs one of the great prone lines.
- The Gulf states
- Scale for its own sake. Jebel Jais in the UAE is the longest line on earth, ridden head-first down a bare mountain face, and it feels nothing like a canopy tour.
- The US Southwest
- Desert and canyon instead of canopy. The Arizona courses run over Verde Valley rock and the mountain terrain above Williams, close enough to Phoenix and Sedona to be a half-day trip from a resort base.
How to choose
The best zipline destinations for forest, water, vertical or record
The best ziplines in the world split into four kinds, so pick which one you are actually after. Forest means Costa Rica or Upcountry-style courses in real tree cover. Water means Hawaii, where the view is the reef rather than the canopy. Vertical means the Alps. A record means the Gulf or the Caribbean, and it will not be a forest experience at all.
Ranking the best zipline destinations against each other only works inside one of those four kinds. The other decision is prone or seated. A head-first harness turns a long line into something closer to flight and is what the record courses use. Seated lines are more sociable, easier for children, and the standard on canopy tours. Neither is better, but the two produce completely different days.
Destination questions
Where is the best zipline in Costa Rica?
Monteverde for cloud forest and the longest-established courses, Arenal for volcano views, and the Pacific coast near Manuel Antonio for warm, dry weather. Monteverde is the one most people mean when they talk about the best ziplining in Costa Rica.
What is the tallest zipline in the world?
Height above ground and vertical drop are different claims. For drop, La Tyrolienne at Val Thorens is the clear answer at roughly 600 m. For height above the ground beneath the cable, alpine and canyon courses dominate, and the figures are rarely published in a comparable form.
Is Alaska good for ziplining?
Better than most people expect. The rainforest courses around Juneau, Ketchikan and Hoonah run through genuine temperate rainforest with serious vertical, and the season is short and busy because it follows the cruise calendar.
When is the best time of year to go?
For Costa Rica, the dry season from December to April. For Hawaii, any month, with mornings preferable year round. For the Alps, high summer. For Alaska, May to September and no later.