Branch out into a new kind of adventure with these tree top walks that take you into the thick of the world’s most beautiful rainforests. Although they are not for the faint-hearted, these canopy walks certainly provide the best seats in the house for bird-watching.
Kuveshi, Kerala
Walk on the wild side on India’s first ever canopy walk in the Kuveshi village in Kerala. This treetop walk was built earlier in 2018 in this lush tropical rainforest that borders on the Kali Tiger Reserve, as an effort to boost eco-tourism. You can view the tall sura hone trees of the region from a height of 30 feet, as you walk along the 240-metre-long wooden bridge. The viewing gallery lets one pause and look out for the wildlife around: from woodpeckers, the Kingfisher bird and even the Malabar squirrel scurrying about from tree to trunk.
The canopy bridge is open from 9.30am-3pm and is shut during monsoons.
Capilano Suspension Bridge, Canada
Deep within a rainforest in Vancouver exists a way for people to walk among the clouds. The Capilano Park, which embodies the eponymous river, is best-known for the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge, which is nestled around cedar and evergreen trees, is as tall as 230 feet above the ground, and stretches across 450 feet.
The Treetop Adventures, also a part of the Capilano Park, is another way to hop from one tree to another with seven suspended bridges. These bridges twist and turn around the Douglas fir trees, giving you a view from 100 feet up in the air. Now we know why there’s much ado about (or ‘aboot’) this.
Treetop Walk, Singapore
Singapore’s Treetop Walk is in the midst of a thick forest with a hiking trail near MacRitchie Reservoir area. To reach the tree top, one has to walk on a winding 2.5km path, get a brush with nature, and inevitably, monkeys, and climb seven flights of stairs. The canopy walk, however, is worth the effort as you are rewarded with a breathtaking view. The bridge is 82 feet off the ground, which gives the illusion of being suspended straight from the sky right into a rainforest.
Monteverde Park, Costa Rica
Adventures come aplenty in Costa Rica, but the Selvatura walkway is a notch above the rest. The beautiful suspension bridge which is 500 feet off the ground may make the faint-hearted quiver, but the view of the Monteverde Cloud rainforest makes one get past that. The massive structure connects 8 suspension bridges in a row and is about 3km in length, taking the average traveller 2.5 hours to complete. All the while, you’ll have a view of the monkeys, birds and the occasional sloth hanging off a tree branch here.
O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk
Take a walk among vines-covered trees and a thick forest cover at the oldest suspension bridge in Australia. O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk in Queensland, Australia connects series of nine bridges in row that together cover a total of 180 metres. At a startling height of 100 metres off the ground, you can expect to get a view of both the canopy as well as the McPherson mountain range.
Tips from a traveller: Don’t abruptly halt as people usually walk in single file, or get too adventurous with phone angles as they may fall into irretrievable depths beneath.