Rainforests, known as the “jewels of the planet” because of their extensive biodiversity, are the most important ecosystems in Costa Rica, providing a home for a wide variety of plants and wildlife.

Jaguars, pumas, woodpeckers, toucans and poisonous snakes are among the wildlife that visitors can encounter in the Central American country’s rainforests.

Rainforest Adventures has been operating a cable-car ride since 1994 in the Atlantic Rainforest, a park located just 24 kilometers (15 miles) outside San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital.

The trip takes 70 minutes and covers 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles), introducing visitors to each level of the rainforest as the cable car rises.

“We’re at a very favorable elevation, around 500 meters (1,640 feet) above sea level … you see the diversity everywhere, there’s no ecosystem with as much diversity as this one. It’s a place where the average annual precipitation is around 3.5 meters (11.5 feet),” guide Marvin Esquivel told EFE.

The park abuts Braulio Carrillo National Park, the largest protected area in central Costa Rica, sprawling over 50,424 hectares (more than 124,500 acres).

“This was the first aerial tram used to observe nature. They were always used as a means of transportation, for skiing, getting to a hotel, but this one was used to promote environmental tourism in the middle of the forest,” Esquivel said, adding that not a single tree was cut down during the cable-car system’s construction. EFE