Vallarta's Newest Attraction
Canopy Tours

by Heather Wilson
Summer-Fall 2002

I guess it’s par for the course that a former James Bond would wow me with daring action. But when Sean Connery nonchalantly hooked himself to a simple rope-and-harness contraption and skimmed across the Amazon tree canopy, I was mesmerized. The world seen through his eyes was so incredibly liberating and full of magic, giving an entirely new perspective on nature. His Medicine Man character was racing to find plants with healing properties before "development" eliminated both them and the lives they could save.

Sitting in a darkened theater I had no idea that in Puerto Vallarta I would actually fly above the trees just like him – albeit for different reasons. And I’ve got to say, it’s even better than in the movies.

Giving yourself a privileged bird’s-eye view of our lush tropical forest is now as easy as one, two, three, thanks to the recent introduction of two spectacular canopy tours on Banderas Bay – one south and the other north of Vallarta.

Given the opportunity to check it out with a group from work – and being assigned to write about it – I was delighted but apprehensive. Heights don’t faze me. But I wondered if I had the physical dexterity to get myself onto and off of the platforms high in the trees.

Our group of seven was picked up for the tour and driven along Banderas Bay’s dramatically beautiful coast to an exceptionally lush area ripe with wild vanilla beans, orchids, bromeliads, philodendrons and strangler figs – not to mention reptiles as long as a man is tall and bright-hued parrots chattering about the strangers flying amongst them.

Registration eased my concerns with a step-by-step description of our upcoming adventure. Learning that folks from seven to 70 repeatedly take the tour made me – as unathletic as they come – a contender. We were issued nylon harnesses like those used for mountain climbing, which pull on like pants, guides making any necessary adjustments. While standing, mine felt sloppy, but it turned out to have just the right tension for sitting comfort. The rest of the gear consists of aluminum alloy pulleys and helmets to prevent hair from snagging on the cable. Recommended are pants or shorts for ladies, rubber-soled shoes and a healthy pre-adventure spritz of bug spray.

Groups of up to 18 can be accommodated, with several guides facilitating on the departure and arrival platforms. A two- or three-minute stroll to the first one revealed it to be easily accessed by solid steel stairs and a handrail. Safely hooked onto it, random thoughts flashed as I waited to follow two fearless nine-year-olds into the void. “Throwing myself into thin air is the kind of thing I usually do on the weekend.” A bit more believable: “I’m going to faint and embarrass myself royally.”

However, with every conceivable safety precaution stringently incorporated, I aced the first length of cable – wisely designed to be the shortest – in spite of myself, giving me the confidence I needed for clear sailing ahead.

The longest ride is about 250 meters and the fastest I traveled was about 35 mph, variables being wind velocity and weight. Cruising along high-tension cable for 2,000 meters over a pacific river canyon forged intimacy with gorgeous flora and fauna I’d previously only read about. The cable culminates at an airy palapa bar, the perfect spot for toasting this adventure and all those yet to come. These tours have all the elements for an unforgettable family outing or team-building exercise. And couples benefit from the role adrenalin plays in attraction.

Summing up reactions to the novel experience, a guide remarked: “The people who arrive the most afraid leave with the biggest grins.” I can vouch for that. Yet it wasn’t until I awoke the following day, feeling on top of the world, that I realized my beliefs about what is personally possible had shifted, leaving me revitalized and more optimistic than I’ve been in a very long time.

Without exception, everyone I’ve met who has had this adventure glowingly raves about it. Alex, one of my tour mates, knows a good thing when she sees it. Simply calling it “cool,” the nine-year-old returned the very next weekend, her brother and father in tow.

Canopy Tours de Los Veranos
(322) 223-6060
Email: canopytours@yahoo.com

Vallarta Adventures
(322) 297-1212 ext 3
Web site: vallarta-adventures.com
Email: info@vallarta-adventures.com