Soaring Through the Deep Jungles of Chiang Mai, Thailand – Experience the Thrill of Flying Among the Trees

Text & Photos /Matcha Tuna Egg

When it comes to Chiang Mai in Thailand, the hottest and most attractive activity for travelers from around the world is undoubtedly jungle ziplining – flying through the deep forests while harnessed to a cable.

Early in the morning, the tour operators you book with will arrange a shuttle from your hotel, so your fellow passengers are often fellow adventurers from all over the globe.

The drive from the city center to the ziplining site takes about 1–2 hours, but once you arrive, the first thing you’ll do is attend a pre-tour briefing at the operator’s rustic cabin.

After confirming your details and going through the instructions, you’ll store your personal belongings in a provided lockable locker (keep the key and any phones or cameras that can be secured to your body), and then it’s time to get suited up. The instructors will expertly help everyone put on safety harnesses, straps, and helmets.

Then you’ll hop back on the vehicle for a short 10-minute ride to the actual ziplining forest. First, the instructors work in pairs because during the zipline adventure, everyone moves from platform to platform via cables and harnesses.

One instructor will go ahead to the next platform to wait for you, while the other stays with you on the current platform to secure your harness to the cable before sending you over to the waiting instructor. That’s why listening carefully to the pre-flight briefing is super important. The instructors will explain what to do if anything goes wrong, and – most importantly – never try to unfasten the safety buckles they’ve secured for you.

Once you’re ready, let’s take off!! Aaaaaaaah!!! (echo) Actually, moving from one platform to another using the harness and cables isn’t difficult at all. Before starting, I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough strength… or that I’d get stuck halfway through. But the height differences and cable tension here are perfectly designed. The only issue is not wanting to stop – there’s no problem with lack of momentum or getting stuck.

Aside from a few shorter lines at the beginning to warm up, the most thrilling part for me was the 800-meter zipline shown in the photo above. You stand at one end and can’t even see the other platform… and sure enough, the screams start the moment you take off. I didn’t even dare open my eyes.

Besides screaming and flying through the jungle like Tarzan, the guides also share insights about the local forest ecology when possible.

For example, if you don’t look closely… you might wonder why I’m posting a photo of a lush green forest. But right in the center of the picture is a gibbon. Watching them swing from tree to tree using just their arms is amazing – I really wanted to feed them bananas.

The entire ziplining experience takes a little over two hours, and along the way, you’ll get a full taste of the jungle primitive experience. Walking up stairs made of tree stumps is just the beginning – crossing a suspension bridge with a view down into the valley below is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I think after walking such a path, I’ll never fear suspension bridges again.

Finally, after everyone has been lowered down one by one from the super-high platforms, the jungle Tarzan experience comes to an end. The vehicle will be waiting at the endpoint to take you back to the cabin where the briefing and preparation took place…

Then you can check in with the instructors, pick up your meal voucher, and get ready to eat. After spending the day as a jungle adventurer flying around, you’ll definitely be starving. So the operator thoughtfully provides a rustic jungle feast, and the food is authentically Thai. If you’re in Chiang Mai, you absolutely can’t miss this thrilling, high-value, and fun jungle survival ziplining experience.

Want to know what else you can do in Chiang Mai during the Thai national mourning period? Stay tuned to the Matcha Tuna Egg fanpage – let Eggy take you on more adventures.

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