Your guide to ziplining Riverbanks Zoo

I’d say the coolest thing about interning for the summer at COLAtoday is not only writing about Cola – but actually seeing Cola – and our team got a pretty nice view a couple weeks ago when we tried out Riverbanks Zoo’s Zip the Zoo + ZOOm the River.

Based on annual attendance numbers topping 1.4 million visitors, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden is one of the top five zoos in the country according to CEO Tommy Stringfellow – and the largest zoo in the Southeast, drawing more visitors than zoos in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami + N.C. USA Today readers voted the zoo the top attraction in S.C. this year. Can I get a handclap? 👏

So, clearly, we had to try ziplining there. Since we are now pretty much experts on this five-year-old excursion (launched August 2013) that attracts 3,000+ guests each year (with nearly 25% coming from outside of Columbia), we put together some dos, don’ts + #protips of this treetop adventure.

Oh, and my bosses made me strap a GoPro to my chest – so keep scrolling to check out our video of the whole experience. 🌳

Chloe, Beth, Adena + Katie before starting the course

📆Booking

You can book your excursion for a minimum of one person (we won’t judge) or up to eight people, depending on availability. We were part of a very ~exclusive~ group of four (minus Sam – we wouldn’t call her the daredevil of the COLAtoday team) + our two trusty zip guides. When you order tickets, the number of spots available for each tour time are shown on the page, so no one in your group accidentally gets left out.

There are three options + they range from $25-80 per person (discount available for zoo members):

Zoo Zip: Climb through cargo nets and zip through the treetops along the edge of the Zoo’s Carousel Plaza. // ☑Ideal for beginner + intermediate zippers. // ⌚1-2 hours // 💸$35 for general public, $25 for members

River Zip: Climb through a cargo net, zip through the treetops, cross a rickety bridge, and take a 1,000-foot flight over the scenic Saluda River. From start to finish, there is a 60 ft. drop in elevation with zippers travelling at ~35 mph. // ☑Ideal for beginner + intermediate zippers. // ⌚1-2 hours // 💸 $55 for general public, $40 for members

Zipline Canopy Tour: This is a combo of the options above and this is the one our team did. Challenge yourself to the ultimate adventure with seven treetop zips, test your balance across a rickety bridge, climb through two cargo nets and take a 1,000-foot flight across the Saluda River. // ☑Ideal for intermediate zippers – but anyone can give it a shot. // ⌚ 2-3 hours // 💸 $80 for general public, $60 for members

All three tours are available seven-days-a-week (see schedule) + take place rain or shine. If there is a chance of thunder/lightning/hurricane/tornado (this is S.C. – you never know), you can reschedule. To zip, there is a min. weight of 70 lbs + a max. of 250 lbs There’s even a weigh-in before you get harnessed up.

We consider ziplining a perfect activity for office bonding (like us), fear-facing or family ridiculing. We could easily pick out the bravest of them all (Beth + Adena) vs. the scaredy cats (me + Chloe).

👟Preparing

You need to arrive at the Zipline HQ (behind the carousel in the kids section) at least 30 minutes before your scheduled zip time to weigh in, learn safety rules + jam out to some sick carousel tunes. Tours can take up to 3 hours so be sure to hydrate, wear sunscreen + bug spray and kiss the ground goodbye.

What do you wear when zipping the zoo? You are required to wear close-toed shoes, so sneakers work best. It is all about comfort, so wear whatever you feel best in (just no skirts/dresses — we opted for leggings + jeans). Prep for the forecast. You can wear sunglasses, but no hat with the required helmets.

🆒The Zip

Our Zipline Canopy Tour took ~2 hours to complete (including both the Zoo + River zips). The seven-platform Zoo Zip went through the treetops + over onlookers (who were jealous). You can’t see any animals from the zipline, but if you listen closely you can hear the howler monkeys. Our two guides (one to send us off + one to catch us on the other side) had a seamless platform transition system in place to ensure our safety and made us feel confident enough to jump out of trees.

But be prepared, you might get a guide who preys on the weakest of the group, saying “OH WAIT” right when you jump off the landing.

After we finished our Zoo Zip, we gracefully descended off the platform (see evidence in video) and embarked on a scenic tram ride across the Saluda River and up towards the Botanical Gardens — passing complaining groups of elementary school campers lugging their backpacks up the hill — where the entrance to ZOOm the River is located. You start by climbing through a net to get up to the platform, and as we waited for each other to crawl up, we got some helpful advice from those elementary schoolers – don’t die.

Before going on the 1,000-ft. zipline across the Saluda River, you have to make it across a rickety bridge (it was mildly terrifying for me – Beth was a champ though). You can try to break the 6-second speed record or the 36-minute turtle record. I’ll let you decide which one you’re going for when you get there.

After two “prep” zips – which were similar to the ones we completed at the Zoo Zip – it was time. The 1,000-ft. zip traveling 35 mph over the Saluda River. It’s how I imagine flying would feel, and it was incredible. I didn’t speak for an entire five minutes after I docked.

Don’t watch this video if you’re scared of heights. 👇

With adrenaline rushing through our veins, we ran off to witness all 👏 the 👏 zoo 👏 babies 👏. The end.

Ziplining at the Zoo is the perfect way to take your fears to new heights. We also got to visit baby giraffe Amelia afterwards – so I’d say it was a good day, overall.

-Katie, COLAtoday intern

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