Terms and Conditions

Who we are and which documents govern your booking

The canopy tour and this website are operated by Corporación Turística del Bosque Nuboso S.A., corporate ID 3-101-504200, in Monteverde, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, trading as The Original Canopy Tour. In these terms, "we" means that company and "you" means the person booking or taking part.

Three documents govern your relationship with us, and it helps to know what each one does: these terms, which are the general conditions; the specific details of your booking (date, time, number of guests and price), which prevail over these general conditions on those points; and the liability waiver you sign at reception before starting, which contains the specific conditions for taking part in the activity.

Questions about these terms: reservas@canopyoriginal.com · WhatsApp +506 8931 0048.

Booking and confirmation

Bookings for up to 10 people are made online, through the booking system available on this website, operated by our external provider Flora Plus.

A booking is complete when the booking system confirms it and you receive your confirmation. The availability and price shown by that system at the time of booking are the ones that apply; if a price published elsewhere on this site differs from the one shown by the booking system, the latter prevails.

If an obvious and demonstrable pricing or availability error means a booking is confirmed on terms manifestly different from the real ones, we will tell you as soon as possible and you may choose between keeping the booking on the correct terms or receiving a full refund.

Bookings for parties of more than 10 people cannot be completed online, because the system offers 10 places per departure. Write to us: in these cases, the schedule, price and method of payment are agreed individually, according to the group's needs. In all other respects, the booking is governed by these terms.

If you booked through an intermediary, such as an online booking platform, an agency, a hotel or another third party, these terms also apply to your booking, including the conditions on changes, cancellation and withdrawal. Payment and any refund are handled according to who made the payment, as set out under "Payment".

Payment

For bookings made on this site, payment is one hundred per cent of the price at the time of booking. Prices are in US dollars and the breakdown is shown in the booking system before you confirm. For parties of more than 10 people, the price and method of payment agreed with you under "Booking and confirmation" apply.

For bookings made on this site, payment is processed by our booking and payment provider. We do not store your card details.

Where a refund is due, it is made to whoever made the payment. If you paid, we refund you. If an intermediary paid, we refund the intermediary, which then handles the refund with you.

The price includes transport from the Santa Elena pickup area. It is optional and is arranged after booking, by writing to us by email or WhatsApp.

Changing your date or time

You can change the date or time of your booking at no cost with at least 24 hours' notice before the start time, subject to the availability there is at that moment. A change is not guaranteed: it depends on space being free on the departure you ask for.

With less than 24 hours' notice before the start time, bookings can no longer be modified. This is our commercial policy on changes, without prejudice to any statutory rights you may have, including the right of withdrawal described below.

If you cancel: our commercial policy

If you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time, we refund one hundred per cent of what you paid.

If you cancel less than 24 hours before the start time, the amount is not refundable. Nor is it refundable if you do not turn up for your departure.

If you voluntarily decide not to continue once the tour has started, you can leave it at any point, but the amount is not refundable. This also applies when the reason is fear or physical discomfort. Interruptions that you do not decide, such as those caused by a thunderstorm or for safety reasons, are governed by "If the tour cannot run".

All deadlines are calculated using the local time of Costa Rica, where the tour takes place.

This is our commercial policy. It is separate from the statutory right of withdrawal described below, which may apply to you in addition to it.

Statutory right of withdrawal

Independently of our commercial policy, Costa Rican consumer protection law recognises a right of withdrawal that may apply to contracts entered into by electronic means.

Where it applies, you may rescind the contract without liability within eight business days following the completion of your booking, provided the service has not yet been performed; that is, provided the tour has not taken place.

To exercise it, tell us by the same means you used to book, or write to reservas@canopyoriginal.com, keeping proof that you sent it. We will refund all amounts received by the same means you used to pay. If an intermediary made the payment, the refund is handled as set out under "Payment".

This right does not depend on our cancellation policy and is not limited by it: where both apply at the same time, whichever is more favourable to you applies.

If the tour cannot run

The tour takes place outdoors and in the forest. If, for safety reasons or through other circumstances beyond our control, the tour cannot run or has to be interrupted once started, we will first try to reschedule your booking. Where rescheduling is not possible, the corresponding refund follows. Thunderstorms have their own procedure, set out below.

In a thunderstorm the tour is paused and the group takes shelter. The distance of the storm is measured and we wait 30 minutes until a new measurement, which may be repeated. If conditions do not improve, the tour is suspended for the day and we offer to reschedule it once, for the following day, at a time agreed with you. If the tour had already started, it resumes from the point where it was interrupted.

For these purposes, the tour starts when your group begins its first activity, either the Tarzan Swing or the first zipline. This applies even if you choose not to participate in the Tarzan Swing. Time on the course is counted from that point, excluding pauses caused by the thunderstorm.

If you decide not to reschedule, or if no time can be agreed for the following day: if the tour had not started, we refund 100 per cent of what you paid; if it had started and your group had spent 60 minutes or less on the course, 50 per cent; if it had spent more than 60 minutes, no refund is due.

We will contact you using the details you gave when booking as soon as we know.

Participation requirements

The canopy tour is an adventure activity carried out at height and outdoors. Taking part requires meeting the following requirements, which exist for reasons of safety and of the equipment used:

Minimum age: 5 years. There is no maximum age; participation depends on being able to complete the tour.

Maximum weight: 115 kg (250 lb) for the tour. The Tarzan Swing, which is optional, has a lower limit: 90 kg (200 lb).

Fitness: Basic physical condition. You need to be able to walk for 10 to 15 minutes on forest trails with few slopes and to climb a few vertical ladders. Most of the movement through the course happens on the ziplines.

Medical conditions: You cannot participate if you are pregnant, have had recent surgery, have a spinal, neck, hand or shoulder injury, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, balance problems or sudden fainting episodes, or are under the influence of drugs.

Footwear: closed-toe shoes. Open footwear is not accepted.

By booking you confirm that, to the best of your knowledge, those taking part meet these requirements. The information you give us must be truthful: we use it to prepare the activity and to make safety decisions about those taking part.

Minors

Guests from 5 years old can take part. It is not necessary for an adult to do the tour with them.

It is necessary for the liability waiver to be signed by their parent or legal representative, who is the person entitled to represent a minor.

If the adult accompanying the minor is not their parent or legal representative, they must bring written authorisation from someone who is. If you are unsure about your case, write to us before booking.

Arrival, identification and late arrival

If you are making your own way here, come to reception 45 minutes before your departure time. If you use our included pickup service, contact us after booking so we can agree on the pickup time and location. The time at reception is for checking in, signing the waiver and getting ready before heading into the forest.

Identification is requested at check-in.

If you arrive late, we will try to fit you onto another departure the same day if there is space. That is an attempt, not a guarantee: if there is no space, taking part will not be possible and the amount is not refundable.

Safety instructions and conduct during the activity

Before starting you will receive a safety briefing and the guides will explain and demonstrate the technique. Throughout the activity you must follow the guides' instructions and use the equipment we provide as instructed. Personal equipment is not accepted.

You must tell the guides about any condition that could affect your safety or that of others in the group.

The guides may decline a person's participation, or stop it, to the extent necessary to preserve safety, where that person does not follow safety instructions, arrives under the influence of alcohol or drugs, has deliberately concealed or misstated relevant information about the participation requirements, or fails to meet an objective requirement that was communicated to them in advance. In those cases, because the failure is attributable to that person, the corresponding amount is not refundable, within the limits the law allows.

If taking part becomes impossible because of a reasonable mistake or a circumstance the person who booked could not have known, that consequence does not apply automatically: the situation is resolved in light of the circumstances and of any applicable rights.

This applies only to the situations described and is exercised for safety reasons, not at discretion.

Risks of the activity and liability

An adventure activity in a cloud forest carries risks inherent to it that cannot be entirely eliminated, including those arising from height, weather, terrain and wildlife. By taking part you acknowledge the nature of the activity and those inherent risks.

That acknowledgement does not change our obligations: we maintain the equipment, train our guides and operate according to our safety procedures, and we answer for our performance on the terms set by Costa Rican law.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for bodily harm, for defective performance or for delay, nor any other liability that the law does not allow to be excluded or limited.

The waiver you sign at reception contains the specific conditions relating to taking part in the activity and its inherent risks, and complements these terms.

Personal belongings

We provide free lockers for the belongings you cannot take with you on the course. Phones and personal cameras cannot be carried on the course.

The lockers are a convenience and are not a deposit or safekeeping service: you are responsible for your belongings and for locking your locker. This does not affect any liability of ours where damage or loss results from our own actions.

Photographs

During the tour our guides take photographs and offer them to you for purchase at the end. Buying them is optional and is not part of the tour price.

Buying a photograph entitles you to use it personally. It does not transfer ownership or authorise commercial exploitation.

If you would prefer not to be photographed, tell your guide at the start of the activity.

This website

The name The Original Canopy Tour, our logo, and the text and photographs on this site belong to us or are used with permission. You may share and link to our pages; you may not reproduce their content for commercial purposes without our written consent.

This site links to third-party services we do not control, such as maps and review platforms. We are not responsible for their content or availability, and their own conditions govern their use. The booking system is not a link of that kind: although a third party operates it, it is the channel through which you contract with us, and what is said above governs it.

We work to keep the information on this site accurate and current. The descriptions, schedules and prices published here are informative; the ones that apply to your booking are those shown by the booking system at the time you book.

Language, governing law and complaints

The Spanish version of these terms is the contractual version. This English translation is provided to help you understand them; in case of any discrepancy, the Spanish text prevails.

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of Costa Rica, including its consumer protection legislation, whose rights are not affected by anything set out here.

If something has not gone as you expected, write to us first at reservas@canopyoriginal.com: it is the fastest way to sort it out. This does not limit your right to go to the administrative or judicial bodies the law provides.

If any provision of these terms turns out to be invalid, the remainder continue to apply.