Bungee Jumping

For the adventurous thrill-seeker, Costa Rica offers two extreme, adrenaline-pumping bungee jumps.

Costa Rica's original bungee jump hot spot, located at the old Colorado River Bridge, has been in business since 1991. The river gorge, at 265 feet high, is one of the tallest bungee bridges in the Americas. Just an hour west of San Jose, the Colorado River bungee jump offers tourists a 200-foot freefall jump over a stunning river gorge. Fly headlong off the bridge, hurtling down toward the rocky river, before springing back, yo-yo style, through a lush, tropical canyon. You won’t have to worry about cars, either: the old bridge has been closed to traffic for years. It was originally chosen as the best spot for bungee jumping in Costa Rica because of its height and scenic beauty.

The tour is run by Tropical Bungee, which is approved by the North American Bungee Association (NABA). Visitors can choose packages that include one or two jumps, plus roundtrip transportation from San Jose. For those that arrive on their own, multiple jumps are available at a discounted price.

In Arenal and La Fortuna, adrenaline junkies make their pilgrimage to the only Extreme Machine in the Americas. Offering a big swing, rocket launcher and bungee jump with a water touchdown, the giant towers are NABA-certified and perfectly safe.

The big swing is considered the tamest of Arenal Bungee’s activities, but with an 85-foot freefall, it’s far from docile. The big swing’s 160-foot arch and 180º angle of movement guarantees adrenaline and fun, and is the perfect warm-up to the rocket launcher. Similar to a human catapult, the rocket launcher propels you from zero to 60+ mph in less than three seconds, resulting in multiple backward somersaults almost 200 feet in the air. Finally, the 131-foot bungee jump requires two decisions: will you jump in a seated position, or in the traditional downward position, and will you do the water touchdown?

Can’t decide? Read about our aerial adventures on our travel blog.