It’s been weeks since I zipped through the forest as a guest of the Antigua Rainforest Canopy Company and still it makes me smile. Part of the appeal is the time spent with one of my nephews. Part is the fear factor that comes from being suspended from cables several hundred feet in the air, travelling at high speeds thanks to a pulley system you can’t begin to understand the physics of!

Who knew fear was such a rush? “If you’re scared of heights, it’s perfect,” says ARC employee Nian Blanchard as he gives me a preliminary tour. “Something that’s a little scary but fun is always good – like going to an amusement park.” I’ve been to amusement parks with their multiplicity of pulse pounding rides. This was altogether different. Part of what makes it distinctly Caribbean is how much the activity makes you feel a part of the natural environment – a real life ‘Survivor’, the wind whipping at you and the blood pumping through your veins as you fly through the most forested area of Antigua.

The lines run from one massive tree to another, with mini tree houses cut unobtrusively into the natural decor. You’re prompted to push off from one tree, legs extended, careening towards another tree – half certain you’re about to face-plant into its implacable trunk. For the first few zips, you can’t even look. But once you open your eyes, and maybe even look down at the dense greenness all around, you’ll discover the bird’s eye view is as much a part of the appeal as the adrenalin rush.

And the truth is, while it feels the good-side-of-dangerous, it never feels unsafe thanks to the safety talk and demonstration you receive before moving out. You’re also well harnessed and kitted out with gloves and helmets, plus there’s a natural breaking mechanism for the times when you can’t remember how to stop!
The high point of this particular zipping adventure is ‘The Screamer’ – a line 325 feet long, 300 feet high. By the time you reach it you’ll have conquered a few more manageable lines and feel amped for something more challenging. Your gut will clench as much in trepidation as anticipation, as you leap, open your mouth and “Oooooooooh!”

The Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour company (www.antiguarainforest.com) appeals to tourists looking for an adventure beyond the beach and, increasingly, locals hankering for a ‘staycation’ experience. This, Blanchard says, includes church and youth groups, and companies looking for team-building experiences.
If you yearn for the ultimate eco-adventure, and are in good health, check it out. A scenic drive through rural Antigua will get you there, and you’ll find it totally thrilling!

It’s catching on!
Antigua’s Canopy tour is only one among many zip line adventures in the region. Once the preserve of serious adventurists, this wild ride is now accessible to all adventure seekers, even children, with most operators boasting a kids’ option. Check below to see if there’s one near you...

• The Wacky Rollers Challenge course in Dominica takes you over (or, if you opt for the river tubing/canopy combo), through the Layou River – Dominca’s longest and largest river. www.wackyrollers.com/adventurepark.htm 

• St Kitts’ Sky Safari soars above the  ‘Valley of the Giants’. www.skysafaristkitts.com

• St Lucia has not one but two zip line tour operators – Rainforest Aerial Trams and Palm Services and Tree Top Adventure Park and plenty of lush land to explore.  (www.rainforestrams.com/stluciaintro.html, www.adventuretourstlucia.com)

• The Fly Zone Extreme zip line is based at the Loterie Farm nature reserve in St Martin. www.loteriefarm.net

• The Aerial Trek zip line adventure takes you over the Jack -in-the-Box Gully in Barbados. www.aerialtrek.com