| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay | July 2008 
Flying High at Los Veranos Canopy Tour
 Alice Carter-Tyler - PVNN
| | The cascading Orquidias River at Los Veranos | 
| | The heights of the tropical forests | 
| | A young monkey plays with visitors | | |
It was a cloudy, humid morning when my friend Rosa and I set about heading towards the office of 'Los Veranos Canopy Tours' in Puerto Vallarta. Excited about what lay ahead, yet with a little apprehension; I found myself seated with other eager tourists waiting for the jungle cruiser to collect us and take us up through the mountains to where our day would begin.
On board the cruiser, we wound past the scenic coastline of Banderas Bay, taking in Mismaloya, Los Arcos and the increasingly tropical environment changing with our ascent. On arrival, we were swept up by friendly bilingual staff, showing us to the our lockers and launching us up towards the demonstration hut.
For the next 20 minutes we were treated to an energetic, enthusiastic introduction to the staff and equipment. Time passed quickly as we were bombarded with information on the photography and footage of our trip available from a friendly guide.
Having previously felt unsure towards how much I would enjoy the experience, we were rigged up in all our gear and given an extensively safety demonstration which, completely eradicated any previous doubts.
As we were lead up a tropical forest pathway, the initial, slower 4 wires broke us into the sensation of flying suspended in the air, many metres above the forest floor. At each platform a friendly, young male guide helped us land and stopped us from flying deep into the forest!
Throughout the tour, the guides kept giving us encouragement and kept up the excitement with their high voltage energy. This gave me a surge of enthusiasm towards the lengthening cables and approaching 400m cable that lay ahead!
We finally reached the longest cable 'Dos Cajones' that flung you 180m above the gushing Orquidias River, by which time I was more than prepared to take in the beautiful scenery and mesmerizing view that felt like a once in the lifetime experience. The scenery echoed that of images that I have only ever seen before on documentaries. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not once but four times we found ourselves flying high over the breathtaking river, as we gradually made our descent.
All the participants where kept in good humour due to friendly banter from staff and the animated camera crew, despite the rain which obscured our vision of the landing platform somewhat. On one occasion, the keen cameraman climbed aboard with me and made the experience even more memorable through cheering me on to let go and spread my arms while suspended over the drop!
As we neared the last few cables, a knowledgable guide explained the wildlife of the rain forest and pointed out to the group things such as a termite's nest, gum trees, Tequila producing cactuses and beautiful orchids. It was great to be able to savour the surroundings on the last few cables before the final, lowest hanging cable brought us back to base, almost skimming the river as we went.
On our return, complimentary cool drinks to quench our thirst and wet wipes to clean up welcomed us. However, the tour was far from over, with the Palapa Bar and Pancho's restaurant ready to accommodate us and the exciting opportunity to see and hold monkeys and snakes at the on site enclose. With buses running back to Puerto Vallarta every 30 minutes, there was no rush to leave and we were given flexibility and the chance to enjoy all the services on offer.
In all, an absolutely fantastic experience, made more so by the humorous and informative staff that helped to put us at ease and make the most of our trip. I found the entertainment aspects of the trip balanced perfectly with the chance to appreciate some of nature's most beautiful surroundings. I will most definitely be recommending the Los Veranos Canopy Tour to others in the future!
If you'd like to learn more about Los Veranos Canopy Tours in Puerto Vallarta, click HERE or visit CanopyTours-Vallarta.com.
 Alice Carter-Tyler is a participant with Global Volunteer Projects. Having travelled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico from Devon, England; she is working as an intern with BanderasNews as part of Global Volunteer's Journalism placement project for the month of July 2008. In October 2008, she is starting her studies in English at University, after which she plans to pursue a career with journalistic influences. |
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