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Have you ever had the desire to experience life as a hamster?
Run around in tubes, eat seeds, exercise in a wheel, roll around in a ball?
Well, you can do one of those “hamstery” things while in Costa Rica. Zorbing is an amazing experience in which you roll down a hill inside a large ball sphere made of plastic!
My son discovered this crazy attraction and decided that he absolutely had to do it!
The adrenaline-fueled sport originated in New Zealand in the 1990’s and became known as Zorbing as the sphere invented for the sport had the trademarked name, “ZORB”. The spheres used have another inner sphere, connected by hundreds of small ropes with an air gap between which provides cushion for the occupants. After climbing into the inner sphere through an opening, the rider will slide around freely, with the help of water, as the ball rolls down the course.
After booking his Zorbing adventure at Mistico Hanging Bridges Park, my son and I were driven over to the Zorbing course, a winding, zigzagging ditch carved into a 190-meter hill. At the top of the hill, my son stripped down to his bathing suit and crawled into the hole in the ball, sloshing around and waiting to be upended.
A big push sent the ball rolling down the course, back and forth, until it reached the bottom…and the funny thing was…you could hear my son screaming and laughing, while he was slipping and sliding inside, all the way down!
After the first venture, he was driven back up to the top and climbed in to do it all again. Before his second journey, however, the driver got me down to the bottom so that I could photograph his big finale. I have to say, it was quite weird watching him slide out of the ball in a big gush!
This thrilling experience is like no other and one of the many things to do in the Arenal area. Daredevils can reserve their ride on the Mistico website, however, if you find yourself outside of Costa Rica, never fear! Zorbing is offered in ten other action-loving countries!
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Arenal Zorbing at Mistico Park
- https://www.misticopark.com/tmp/arenal-zorbing/
- Address: 1.5 miles over the cobblestone road next to Lake Arenal Dam in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
- Hours: 0800-1530, daily. Reservation required.
- Admission: $35 for two rides for single participant (per ticket). Riders must be at least 47 inches tall. Rides last approximately 25 minutes.
- Other Zorbing locations: Guam (ZORB Guam-Yona), India (Ski Himalayas-Burwa, Himachal Pradesh), Japan (Ikawa X Park-Miyoshi-shi, Tokushima Prefecture), New Zealand (ZORB Rotorua-Rotorua, Bay of Plenty), Philippines (Ride the Zorb!-Boracay Island, Aklan), Slovenia (Zorb Slovenija-Bohinjska Bela, Bled and Zorb Ekopool Celje-Runtole, Celje), Sweden (ZORB Sweden), Thailand (Rollerball Phuket-Patong, Phuket), United Kingdom (Orbzorbing-Manningtree, Essex, Madtrax Mayhem-Glasgow, Scotland and Go Zorbing London-Whyteleafe, Surrey), United States (Amesbury Sports Park-Ambesbury, Massachusetts, Eagle Falls Ranch-Eminence, Missouri, ZibZorb-New Florence, Missouri, Ski Roundtop-Lewisberry, Pennsylvania and ZORB Smokey Mountain-Pigeon Forge, Tennessee