for those of you that have used los veranos in PV...

[kornuttle]

It says on the website that if a person wanted, they could decline to participate in the ziplining and enjoy the other amenties of the restaurant/river/slide and so on...but I was wondering how much the persons in my group would be charged if they chose not to do the ziplining adventure, or if there is a charge at all? Any extra info on that would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)

[househunter]

I did that last April. I stayed on their "beach" in a lounge chair and read a book and drank margaritas and had lunch. They only charge you for the transportation, I think it was about $20.

[cawhite]

I did Los Veranos with my teens 2 weeks ago. I think I recall $20 too for the transportation only.

 

Carole

[banderboo]

for those of you that have been on the Canopy tour can you tell me about the equipment? Is it a single or double cable system? Did everything seem to be well maintained, checked frequently for problems, knowlegeable guide, etc?

[cawhite]

Hi banderboo - With Los Veranos we wore helmets and gloves (I believe that is a new requirement with them). We had a regular harness line and a safety line.

 

I can't really comment on the maintenance. The CC article below (which came out after the death on a zipline in Roatan)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=660

 

says you should ask about the tour company's insurance status, accreditation (if any), and the credentials of the companies that installed and operate the zip-line.

 

Carole

[cawhite]

Hi banderboo - With Los Veranos we wore helmets and gloves (I believe that is a new requirement with them). We had a regular harness line and a safety line.

 

I can't really comment on the maintenance. The CC article below (which came out after the death on a zipline in Roatan)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=660

 

says you should ask about the tour company's insurance status, accreditation (if any), and the credentials of the companies that installed and operate the zip-line.

 

Carole

[mikaula]

I have done this tour twice. I was scared to go the 1st time but after the first 2 zips I started having fun. The guides were fun and I felt safe the entire time. The 2nd time we went we brought our 21 year old son and he loved it too.

[cawhite]

Yes, I felt perfectly safe too. I'd do it again in a heart beat!!

[banderboo]

Thanks everyone. After reading about the zipline accident in Roaton I was a little concerned

[OHW]

Just got back from our cruise and the highlight of our trip was zipllining at Los Veranos. Everyone there was very professional and entertaining. We were equipped with a harness with a strap that attaches to the "pulley" and a second strap that is our safety line. We wore helmets and gloves. They gave us a short demonstration on what we have to do to get hooked, unhooked, body position, how to brake and what to do if we don't make it all the way across. Actually, if the guys saw someone slowing down too much, one of the guys on the receiving end just jumped on the line, met up with the zipliner and pulled them in. I felt completely safe and had a fabulous time. People got so comfortable that they were ziplining backwards and when doubled with the movie cameraman, some of us let go of our hands and even leaned over backwards. I highly recommend Los Veranos.

[cookiersmom]

On some zip lines I have been on, the "landing" at the end of some of the lines could be rather "jarring" to the body.

I am wondering, at Los Veranos if you can control your speed well enough for all your landing to be "soft"?

 

thanks

[mpbmark]

I was there last Thursday. Great adventure. They have a system that slows you down as you reach the platform. The platforms are also large enough that you aren't brought to an abrupt stop as you are when going from tree to tree. Here you generally land and depart from the ground (there are a few exceptions).

 

Biggest problem for some may be the hiking required between stops. Many steps between "zips" and usually uphill. You do need to be in reasonable shape or you will find yourself getting winded. Nevertheless, "flying" almost 500 meters above the river gorge is worth the effort.

 

This can be booked online for about $67 each and the trip takes about 4 hours depending on whether you each lunch afterwards and how many drinks you consume.

[addicted to cruising]

I was there last Thursday. Great adventure. They have a system that slows you down as you reach the platform. The platforms are also large enough that you aren't brought to an abrupt stop as you are when going from tree to tree. Here you generally land and depart from the ground (there are a few exceptions).

 

Biggest problem for some may be the hiking required between stops. Many steps between "zips" and usually uphill. You do need to be in reasonable shape or you will find yourself getting winded. Nevertheless, "flying" almost 500 meters above the river gorge is worth the effort.

 

This can be booked online for about $67 each and the trip takes about 4 hours depending on whether you each lunch afterwards and how many drinks you consume.

 

 

did this on the 24th and it was a blast....I had the Roatan thing in my head and just put it out and agreed to just have fun and what will be will be.Ya know I never felt jarred even though I came in pretty fast most of the time but later that night I was a bruised mess. My left side took the brunt of it. I was shocked when I took off my cloths as I never felt like I hurt myself.

The walk was exhausting...I agree you need to be pretty fit or stop to take breaks. Our group was about 30+ so you could just fall behind others if you got tired walking.

 

Loved it...company took very good care of us and the guides are a blast

[joycefnp]

The only reason I am even considering using the cruise ships excursion is just not having to arrange any kind of transportation. For those of you who have done it, was it a pain to get from the pier to the Los Veranos office to take their shuttle? How much did it cost? On their website, they recommend that cruise passengers don't book anything earlier than the 11 am departure. Has anyone booked one earlier than that? How long does it all take from beginning to end?

[shawilson]

Can you wear eyeglasses on this, with a string thingie to keep them from falling off? Sorry for the dumb question.

[Greektreats]

joycefnp - We did this a couple of years ago, so I don't remember what time our tour was, but we took a taxi from the dock to the Los Veranos office, and sure enough, we were late for our tour, but fortunately, they had room on the next tour for us so we just waited in their office for the next group to leave. It was our fault, I'm sure...if we had left the ship earlier we wouldn't have had a problem. Maybe someone else can tell you how long the cab ride took.....maybe 15 - 20 minutes??

We were in Puerto Vallarta again a couple months ago in a condo for a week, and did the Los Veranos zip-line again. It was every bit as much fun as the first time! I highly recommend it. The only thing different from the 1st time is that now they require you to wear gloves and helmets. When you finish the ziplines, make sure to stop in the restaurant for beers/margaritas/nachos, etc. Very good!

shawilson - No problem wearing glasses. We all had sunglasses on.

[luv2cruise450]

Hi...we just got off the Ryndam last Wed and spent several days in Vancouver before flying home...we had booked this activity online about 2 1/2 weeks before embarkation. There were 'large' van sized shuttle buses inside the terminal gates when you got off of the ship...but they were only doing a dropoff in the 'middle' of town...but Los Veranos tells you to go outside the gates and get one of the yellow cabs...it cost $10. USD for the two of us to be taken to the Los Veranos office...we made our appointment for 11AM and brought copies of our receipt etc and then had to wait ~15 minutes before their open air shuttle bus left for the actual ziplining site (maybe ~ a 1/2 hour ride). There they outfitted each person with a 'belt' , helmet and harness plus you were given a pair of gloves. Then they gave a 'demo' before having us 'hike' to the first platform (this is where you will be climbing up a metal spiral staircase straight up). It can be very tiring hiking to the next platform in between the ziplines since you are also given the pulley to carry with you plus the belt adds weight too. But it was a lot of fun and the crew does a superb job...at the end of the session...after your last line...there is a cooler there where you can get a soft drink or a beer...and the tip box is there too (the guys do a great job and really deserve the tips) plus the photographer and videographer are there to sell you the video and pix if you want them. Then you can get something to eat or just 'so see the animals and birds. If you have the time and desire you can stay and swim in the 'river' (more of a stream to me). Otherwise they have shuttles that will take you back to the Los Veranso office and you can make your way into the 'old town' or go to the malecon etc. etc. From the downtown area (it is too far to walk back to the pier) we got another cab for $10.00 USD to take us back to the cruise terminal.

So go and have fun ziplining in PV!!

[kidfanz]

The animals you mentioned, were there monkeys here? I know I've read about there being monkeys at the end of a canopy zipline and I'm wondering if this is the one.

[luv2cruise450]

Yes...there were several kinds of monkeys in different cages...the tiny capuchin monkeys were adorable and there were a few babies among them...sorry that I don't know the names of the other types of monkeys that they had...if the keeper is around...she will bring one out and let you pet or hold them if you want to...I just took a few pix while one of the other guests held them (or tried to hold them as they were quite active and wanted to run free rather than be held). There were also several types of parrots and toucans for viewing also.

[kidfanz]

thanks, that seals the deal. My family is crazy for monkeys and would actually prefer holding monkeys to swimming with dolphins. They really enjoyed zip lining too when we were in Roatan.

[joycefnp]

Yes, it sealed the deal for us too! When I told my 20 yo daughter that the los veranos tour had monkeys she could hold, she went "ape" so to speak :>)

[kidfanz]

A few more questions: Are advance reservations needed? Would it be unwise to just get off the ship, grab a cab to the tour office and book there? Or were they really full? Do they accept credit card payment at the office? Are there cabs that hold 6 people or will we need to get 2 cabs? If so are the cab fares per person, or per cab? What type of tip for the guides at the end of the zip lines is typical? Is it clear what time the last bus leaves from the tour area back to the office? Is the restaraunt there good and reasonably priced, or should we bring snacks and plan on eating back in the main part of town? Thanks in advance for all help and advice.

[4cees]

We did this tour mid-April and loved it. I made advance internet reservations through their website. I tried to change our tour time, because the ship time (Golden Princess) is different than the local time, and we wanted to take full advantage of the time in PV. I couldn't, because the earlier tour was booked full. I paid in advance through Paypal. If I recall correctly, Los Veranos sent the paypal link and confirmation to my email address. They were prompt to reply to my queries. I had no problems at the office at all.

 

From the ship, we took a cab to the beginning of the Malecon. Walkded down the malecon, crossed over the river (bridge of course), and up the side streets to the office. I simply used a map from mapquest.com. It was easy, and we didn't feel "lost" at all. Watch your step, sidewalks are VERY uneven. We had plenty of time to make it to the 11:00 a.m. tour.

 

We stuck around the "camp" for about an hour; I went in the monkey cage and also got a boa (python?) wrapped around my neck, got our $40 DVD, and was bussed back to the office. From there, we walked back to the Malecon, passing through the Isla Cuola (spelling) area, ate a taco (El Moreno taco stand---NOT easy to find!), walked back up the Malecon, and then took a cab back. We cut it a little too close as we had fun at looking around at the Isla Cuola.

 

Recommendation: when you get on the bus from the office, get on the right side of the bus (as you face the front). You will be following the coastline for some of the drive, and will get to see some great views.

[joycefnp]

Thanks for your great input! Did you get off at the Malecon because you wanted to, or to save money, or what? I had planned on taking the cab right to the office.

[4cees]

Hmmm, I edited my response to add answers to the prior post, but mine didn't post.

 

We chose to be dropped off at the Malecon because we had plenty of time. When we arrived at the office, there were a number of cabs dropping people off. :) I've also read somewhere that if you take a cab directly, make sure you tell them the office, and not the "camp" location.