Heart Pounding Fun At Florida EcoSafaris

If you are looking for a little heart-pounding, adrenalin-racing, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs fun then look no further than Florida EcoSafaris. Located on a 4700 acre eco-ranch and wildlife conservation area, this is untouched Florida at its best. And at the heart of the natural Florida beauty stand 65-foot wooden platforms that are ready for adventure-seeking to take a leap of faith and step off of. If you think you know ziplining, think again. Florida EcoSafaris has taken ziplining to a whole new level.

When 20 bloggers descended upon Florida EcoSafaris prepared for a thrill we were given the option of the traditional zipline safari complete with seven ziplines and three sky bridges or testing out the first roller coaster zip line in the US, stepping off a 65-foot platform in a dead drop and zipping an impressive 1,300 feet on one line. Having previously tackled the zip safari on my Brandcation adventure, I was ready to face the three extreme challenges head on.

The Rattlesnake

The zip coaster, The Rattlesnake, is just plain AWESOME! What is a zip coaster? Pretty much what it sounds like. Suspended from a harness attached to a metal frame that weaves through the trees, it is truly a roller coaster experience on a zipline. I love to zipline so while this ride didn’t terrify me, it was crazy fun. I tried to video myself on the coaster, but during one of the jolts I must have knocked the camera and turned off the record button so I only got the first half. (Too bad because you miss my big scream at the end of the ride for the biggest bump!) Here we go…

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZInThtvn_w&feature=g-upl

This is another video I shot of fellow blogger Crystal from Simply Being Mommy on The Rattlesnake. Unfortunately, this one ends early too because my battery died! Sorry for all of the technical difficulty!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN1Ne-j22CY&feature=g-upl

The Panther Pounce

I don’t scare easily with these things. While I don’t particularly like heights, as long as I am strapped in I am pretty brave. But when it came to stepping off that 65-foot platform for a free fall I was frozen. I mean frozen. I stood at the edge of that ledge for what felt like forever willing my feet to move. It was the oddest sensation. I wanted to step off that platform, but it was like my feet where saying screaming, “No!” I knew I was harnessed, but up on top of that platform you look out with NOTHING in front of you and it is truly like walking off the edge into nothing… Once my feet finally moved, down I went. That step is near impossible, but the trip down is a piece of cake.

The Peregrine Plunge

The final challenge was like a Sunday stroll compared to the death-defining drop. The longest zipline in Florida was an easy ride across 1,300 feet of wild Florida below. It was a beautiful day, and I videoed the whole way down. The only hang up was me at the end. It was a still day with no breeze, and I didn’t weigh enough to make it to the lower platform. So they had to retrieve me by dragging me to the finish line with a rope. This zip allows you to race your partner to the ground, hint the bigger guy is gonna win!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6sCcxRVSIE&feature=g-upl

For those who aren’t into that lump-in-your-throat feeling, a nice Cypress Canopy Cycle offers the opportunity to take a leisurely ride through the trees (25 feet up) without all of the action. And for those who never want to leave the ground, you can relax on a Coach Safari. (But the real fun is in the tree tops.)

A full day of adventure including the zip safari and all of the extreme adventures including the Cypress Canopy Cycle and the Swooping Crane (a giant swinging zip that wasn’t open yet) costs $135. If you wanna swing through the trees, I highly recommend the fun! For more information visit www.FloridaEcoSafaris.com.

Disclosure – I was invited to a Chimpanzee premiere blogger event, which included my adventures in Florida. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.