Selvatica zipline tour: an exciting day in Mexico

Selvatica zipline tour: an exciting day in Mexico

The Selvatica zipline tour would be the most fun and memorable day of the entire trip

When I landed in Mexico, I was excited about two things: its beautiful beaches and its Mayan ruins, especially those at Chichen Itza. The plan was two weeks of sun and lazing, peppered with a bit of culture, so on a whim I booked a trip to Selvatica.

I usually avoid booking tours from hotel brochures, but the tour salesman at our hotel reception was so friendly that we couldn't help but stop and talk to him, and soon he had us parting ways with £50 each to book the Selvatica Zipline Tour or 'Extreme Canopy Tour'. Little did I know that it would be the most fun and memorable day of the entire trip.

We arrived by bus and were greeted by a group of lively, super-charismatic guides who outfitted us with helmets and climbing harnesses. Before long, we found ourselves on the first of 12 ziplines wired across the Yucatan jungle.

alt=“Selvatica zip line”>Kia on the Selvatica zip line

Some of the leaders jumped off, howling and laughing as they raced away to the other side. Her enthusiasm was contagious and the guests quickly joined in. Luckily we were in a group of adventure junkies, so there were no nervous Nellies to calm down and wait for. It was boom boom boom, one after the other, jumping, whirring and screaming with excitement.

Unfortunately, I kept getting stuck about two-thirds of the way through the line, at which point a guide jumped onto the line, wrapped two feet around mine, and backed me off. Apparently I was “too light” so I didn’t get enough momentum – although I’m not sure that’s true considering what happened to Boris.

The zipline portion of the tour passed in a heady mix of adrenaline and laughter. The guides even turned us upside down a few times which was quite an experience. After the tour, we stopped for lunch (included in the price) and then headed deeper into the jungle to a remote cenote (sinkhole).

alt=“We spent a fantastic few hours swimming and lounging in the cenote”>Lounging in the cenote

There we changed into our bathing suits. Since there were no changing rooms, we had to improvise a bit. We spent a fantastic few hours swimming and lazing around in the beautiful cenote.

The guides had set up a rope for diving into the cenote, but as a relatively weak swimmer I didn't take part. When it was time to leave, we dried ourselves off, went back to the guest reception and said goodbye to our amazing guides.

On the way back we have a bonus stop at another, larger sinkhole that is not normally included on the tour. Here we watched for a while instead of swimming as it was much busier than where we had been before - but still beautiful. All in all, it was the best day of our trip and is absolutely unmissable for anyone visiting the area.

alt=“We had a bonus stop at a larger but busier cenote”>A bonus stop at a larger but busier cenote

Selvatica zip line tour

When to go: Mexico has two main climate seasons: rainy (May to mid-October) and dry (mid-October to April). It can get quite hot and humid during the rainy months, so you may find the dry season more pleasant. Mid-December to early January as well as July, August and Easter are peak holiday months, so avoid these if you can.

How: Book the Selvatica Zipline Tour at selvatica.com.mx.

Mexico is easily accessible by air with many international airports throughout the country (book via skyscanner.net).

Mission statement: Dreamstime

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