Best ziplines in the world

One moment, you're standing on a platform surrounded by towering spruce trees, tropical rainforest or volcanic cliffs. The next, the ground falls away and the landscape opens in every direction. That's what makes ziplining so memorable. Attached to a thrilling ride, you also have the rare opportunity to see a destination from above. The best places to zipline are those with not only an adrenaline rush, but with the awe-inspiring scenery to match.

Several of the best ziplines in the world can be experienced during a Princess Cruises® vacation. These professionally guided shore excursions make it easy to experience remarkable scenery without the need for independent planning.

When deciding what the best ziplines in the world are, there are different factors to consider that can give you the experience of a lifetime.

• Speed: Some ziplines are designed for fast descents, while others move at a gentler pace that allows guests to focus on the scenery.
• Length and elevation: Significant height changes often create the most dramatic rides, especially when crossing mountainsides, valleys or forest canopies.
• The setting: Whether you're soaring above an Alaska mountainside, a Costa Rican rainforest or a Caribbean coastline, the landscape is often what guests remember most.
• Professional operators: Experienced guides, quality equipment and thorough safety procedures help create a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

The destinations featured below excel in different ways, but each combines remarkable scenery with professionally operated excursions that allow guests to experience the landscape from a completely different perspective.

When you book a zipline excursion, do you know exactly what you are getting into? Some excursions involve a single ride from a mountaintop, while others include multiple platforms, short hikes or even guided exploration. These are some of the different types of ziplines that you may encounter when you sign up for one.

• Canopy tours: The most common style of zipline excursion, where you have multiple shorter lines throughout. Guests travel along a series of shorter ziplines connected by platforms, trails or suspension bridges. These tours are typically designed around scenery, wildlife and immersion in the landscape rather than speed, and it’s usually highly accessible for guests of all ages.
• Single mega-lines: These experiences focus on one long descent, often beginning high on a mountainside. The ride itself is usually the main attraction, with expansive views and significant elevation changes creating a strong sense of scale. It’s all about intensity and those incredible panoramic views.
• Superman ziplines: Rather than sitting upright in a harness, guests ride face-down in a horizontal position. This configuration creates a flying sensation and gives you an entirely different perspective on the landscape below.
• Tandem ziplines: Two riders travel side by side on parallel lines. This setup allows couples, friends and family members to experience the ride together while sharing the same views along the route. They are especially common in Alaska and the Caribbean.

Experiencing a world-class zipline doesn't have to involve extensive planning or traveling far from the ship. Each of the excursions below is available through Princess Cruises shore excursions, making it easy to explore forests, mountains, coastlines and rainforest canopies with transportation, equipment and experienced guides already arranged

Few zipline experiences begin with a view quite like this one. Perched high above Icy Strait Point, the launch platform looks out across a landscape of forested islands, winding waterways and distant mountain ridges. On clear days, guests can see deep into the surrounding archipelago before beginning the descent toward the village below.

The ride itself drops approximately 1,330 vertical feet, making ZipRider one of the most dramatic cruise-accessible ziplines in the world. As the line carries guests down the mountainside, dense stands of Sitka spruce give way to expansive views of the water below. Fishing boats that looked full-sized from shore suddenly appear miniature against the vast landscape, while the village at the base of the mountain gradually comes into focus with every passing second.

Unlike many traditional ziplines, ZipRider features a tandem configuration that allows two guests to ride side by side. Sharing the experience often becomes part of the fun, whether you're comparing views or simply taking in the scale of the surrounding wilderness together.

Experiences like this help make Alaska one of the world's most distinctive zipline destinations, which is why people often look for cruises to Icy Strait Point. From May through September, guests sailing with the #1 Alaska Cruise Line can combine unforgettable scenery with outdoor adventures that showcase the region from an entirely different angle.

For travelers looking to pair panoramic views with one of the most memorable descents in North America, the ZipRider Adventure & SkyPeak Gondola excursion delivers both.

One of the absolute best things to do in Skagway, Alaska is the canopy zipline. Set within a coastal rainforest outside town, this guided excursion combines multiple ziplines with suspension bridges and elevated walkways that carry guests through the forest canopy. You will feel completely immersed in the reverent wilderness of Alaska, with time to appreciate the landscape between each ride.

One of the highlights is Grizzly Falls itself. As water tumbles down the rocky mountainside, the sound follows you through the forest, creating a backdrop that's uniquely Alaska. Moss-covered trees, rushing streams and towering evergreens surround the course, while occasional openings in the forest reveal glimpses of the mountains beyond.

Because the excursion is fully guided, it's often a comfortable choice for guests who are newer to ziplining. Guides provide instruction, assist with equipment and share information about the surrounding environment throughout the experience.

The setting also connects naturally to Skagway's history. Once a bustling gateway for prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush, the town now serves as one of Alaska's most popular cruise destinations. On a cruise to Skagway today, visitors can trade stampeders' trails for suspension bridges and zipline platforms while still experiencing the rugged landscape that defined the region more than a century ago.

For guests who want a zipline adventure that balances scenery, exploration and accessibility, the Grizzly Falls Ziplining Expedition offers a memorable introduction to Alaska's rainforest environment.

If Skagway introduces guests to Alaska's coastal rainforest, cruises to Ketchikan places them right in the middle of it. Located within the Tongass National Forest — the largest temperate rainforest in the United States — this excursion offers a canopy-level view of an ecosystem shaped by abundant rainfall, towering evergreens and dense vegetation. Wooden platforms tucked among the trees connect a series of ziplines that carry guests through the forest at varying heights.

As you move through the course, the scenery feels distinctly different from the mountain vistas found elsewhere in Alaska. Massive spruce and hemlock trees dominate the landscape, while layers of moss and ferns cover the forest floor below. Shafts of sunlight filtering through the canopy create shifting patterns of light and shadow throughout the day.

The elevated perspective also helps reveal the scale of the Tongass. What appears from the ground to be an endless wall of green becomes a complex ecosystem when viewed from above, with treetops stretching toward distant waterways and mountain slopes. The view alone makes this one of the best things to do in Ketchikan.

Together with experiences in Icy Strait Point and Skagway, Ketchikan helps showcase why Alaska remains one of the world's most remarkable destinations for outdoor adventure. Guests interested in exploring this unique environment can do so through the Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Adventure excursion.

Most visitors know Roatan for what lies beneath the water. The island's coral reefs and clear Caribbean seas have made it a favorite destination for snorkeling and diving. This excursion offers a completely different perspective.

Set above Mahogany Beach, the Roatan, Mahogany Bay — Extreme Zipline Adventure (at Isla Tropicale Beach) carries guests through the tropical hills overlooking the coastline. As the course winds through the landscape, glimpses of aqua water appear between the trees, creating a striking contrast between the dense greenery of the island and the bright Caribbean Sea beyond.

The experience is one of the more energetic options featured in this guide, so if you enjoy a faster pace, this one is perfect for you. Even with the adrenaline rush, though, the scenery remains the star of the show. From elevated platforms, it's possible to appreciate the geography of Roatan in a way that's difficult to experience from the beach, with forested ridges descending toward sheltered coves and the surrounding sea stretching toward the horizon.