Ecoglide Arenal Park — Attraction in La Fortuna

Unfortunately, safety needs to be improved at this facility as my 10 year old son was injured with several rope burns on his body while zip lining (I will upload pictures when able). This injury was entirely preventable as I'll explain and I hope that Ecoglide adopts a new safety protocol--which I'll specify--to prevent others from getting injured.

The guides at Ecoglide were very nice and apologetic after the injury, but again this was preventable.

These are the circumstances that resulted in the injury. There are several guides who guide you on the zip line course. 1-2 guides help connect you to the zip line before sending you on the line. There is another guide waiting to receive you at the platform at the end of the zip line whose responsibility it is to slow you down and help you land on the platform safely. On at least 2 platforms, my guide was distracted with other duties instead of keeping an eye on me and slowing me down. I came in way too fast, but was able to slow myself down with the glove they provided. However, 1. that glove is supposed to be for backup and the receiving guide should have been paying attention and slowed me down and 2. they don't provide those gloves to children riders who ride alone, so children are unable to slow themselves down if coming in too fast.

This is what happened to my son. He came in too fast, because the guide did not slow him down and with all that momentum, my son looped on top of the rope and got tangled in the break line leading to burns that we're still treating and continue to cause him tremendous pain.

They should immediately adopt a safety protocol in which the receiving guide keeps direct eye contact on the rider AT ALL TIMES, DOES NOT break visual contact with the rider, and has no other duties to perform so as not to get distracted allowing all the focus to be on receiving the rider safely on the platform.

Had this protocol been in place, my son would have been safe and could have easily avoided this injury.

Until the above safety protocol is adopted, I'd avoid Arenal...

We visited Ecoglide Arenal Park in March 2025 on our spring break trip. When we first got started, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. We've done tours like this before, so I was expecting a group of 10-15, but they run groups of 60. My 7-year-old isn't a fan of crowds and was very apprehensive, but the guide assured us that as we got started it would thin out and that was true. They line up the group with families with kids at the front, so if you do have young kids you won't be stuck with a long wait. That being said, once you get started - there are some platforms that move a lot faster than others. Our 4-year-old wanted to go first, and at one point he was 2 ziplines ahead of myself and my husband which I was not comfortable with. He is a strong, independent second child, but I would have insisted that we go parent-kid-kid-parent to avoid the kids ever being on a platform without a parent had I known they would do this. (I saw another review about a similar experience to which Ecoglide replied that their child was sent ahead to be clipped with a guide - and that's not what I am describing here. He was riding 100% independently). That being said, we all had an absolute blast. Everyone was incredibly kind, I like that they "brake" for you at the end of the line so you don't have to worry about stopping yourself. My 7-year-old and I did the Tarzan swing and it was quite exhilarating. I don't know that I would do it again, but my son was begging to go again! The professional photos are only a $40 add-on and they turned out great (includes photos AND videos). Overall, it was an amazing experience and I highly recommend. Took off a star only because I think they could find a way to stagger groups and reduce overall group size and I wish they wouldn't put young children solo on the line so far ahead of...

An absolutely incredible experience that you should definitely have at the top of your list if you’re visiting La Fortuna! My best friend and I felt safe the entire time and it’s honestly the highlight of our trip! We impulsively booked this online and received a confirmation email about shuttle pick up within 30 minutes! I recommend you pack light, but no worries if a small bag or backpack is needed as there are lockers for you to rent for 1000 colon. Upon checking in and signing the waiver, you get a wrist band based on what ziplining experience you purchased (basically with or without Tarzan swing). Then, you’re funneled into the equipment area where all the staff will help you get set up and fitted accordingly. From there, pictures will be taken and of course a safety course demonstration given. You also get to practice your form - no pressure! Remember, don’t squeeze the break gloves - just cross and bend your knees + press down on the breaks if needed but the instructors also have manual breaks on their end to slow your speed!!!

Once you are up on the course, that’s when the fun happens and your zooming away - one zip line course after the next. It definitely went by quick but the views and the thrill was incredible! Also, they have a photographer and videographer following the group around and will offer you a package of the photos at the end. I think it’s worth buying bc they manage to capture every possible moment you’d never want to forget! Once I download my pictures from Dropbox on my computer, I’ll post on here.

We felt safe every step of the way and the staff were incredibly skilled at what they do and on calming down any nerves you may have! If I had more time in La Fortuna, I’d...