Zip Lining In Belize

What is zip lining you ask?  Well it is just about the most fun you can have in the Caribbean. 

On our last cruise one of our ports was Belize and the big excursion there was zip lining through the jungle.  Now let me tell you that this was not on the top of my list.  You see I am afraid of heights and the idea of zipping through the jungle 90 feet off the ground sounded very scary.  On top of that I was a little concerned that the equipment we would be using may not be maintained properly. 

Well after much coaxing from my friends I decided to go along for the "ride" and boy am I ever glad I did.  First off this was a top notch excursion.  The equipment was certainly "properly maintained" and the operators were very well trained and helpful.  Safety was obviously their top priority as they prepared us by strapping us into our harnesses. 

From there we followed a path to the first platform where we would be taking off from.  In total there were about 9 platforms or legs that we would zip line between.  The cables were attached to enormous trees that towered above the jungle floor and at each tree there was a platform were you started and ended.  At each platform there was an operator who would help you get on the platform from the cable and then he would then clip you on for the next leg.  Oh by the way the cables we travelled on were at least 3/4" thick and the harnesses had double safety clips so even if one failed there was a second to catch you.

To take off all you had to do was lean back in the harness, lift your feet and let gravity take over.  We were all outfitted with special gloves that would protect our hands because one of our hands was used as a brake.  To slow down we simply reached overhead and applied pressure to the cable with our gloved hand, but it wasn't necessary to brake very much.  It was better to go a little faster to ensure you reached the next platform because if you slowed too much you would stop and then have to haul yourself along the cable hand over hand. 

The longest run was about 300 feet but it didn't seem that long as you "zipped" through the jungle.  Oh and as for the height issue well there wasn't anything to it.  You see I was concentrating so much on getting on the next platform that I didn't pay much attention to how high I was from the ground.  Also in most places you couldn't see the ground because of the leaves.

The scariest part was getting back on the ground.  We ended up on the last platform about 25 feet off the ground and we had to step off and glide straight down to the ground as an operator controlled our decent. 

At the end of the event we were fed an excellent meal of barbecued chicken and rice.

What a ride!  I can't wait to do it again and have heard that Panama offers great zip lining which is where we just happen to be headed for our next cruise.