While we were in Puerto Rico, I was sure to knock off a bucket list item:

103. Zip line through the Jungle ✓

There are few zip line adventure companies that allow children along for the ride. In the San Juan area of Puerto Rico, we could only find one. Our son is seven and many require a minimum age of ten years old.

Tropical Adventures in Dorado, a short drive from San Juan, has an accessible course that allows anyone from “six years old, to healthy seventy year olds.”

The views of the Rainforest as we were zip lining were absolutely breathtaking.

Tobias is afraid of heights, so I was really worried about this excursion before the trip.A few years ago, when marking

23. swim with dolphins ✓

off the list, he quickly learned that dolphins are “much bigger than in books” and “have really big teeth.”He was scared our of his little mind. So you can imagine my hesitation.But, kids don’t get higher self esteem by being told they’re great, they get high self esteem from doing things that they’re unsure that they’re capable of.

Plus, there’s only one way to overcome a fear.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfsfMj_vjVA]As you can hear from his response toward the end of the line, he had a good time.

There were four zip lines total, with very short hikes between. The first two were hill top style, and the second two were from tree platform to tree platform.Along the hikes, the guide would tell us history of the island, and well as information about the flora and fauna there. Did you know what aside from El Yunque National Forest, at one time much of the island had been completely deforested? Few of the trees and plants you see when you visit Puerto Rico are native to the island, after they reforested, they brought in flora from Madagascar, Australia, and the East Indies–including The Philippines!This is the part Tobias liked the least: a short walk across this rickety cable bridge. He was cabled in and the guide helped him cross just fine.

After the fourth zip line, we took a brief hike to a small waterhole that was spring fed by a tiny waterfall. We took a dip in the very brisk waters that once were covered in gold, and I

95. Put my head under a waterfall ✓

I’ve zip lined before-first at Utah Olympic Park, then in Tagaytay and in Palawan. And I’ve also seen quite a few waterfalls, but this was the first time I could honestly knock both of those off of the list.

Do you have a bucket list? Tell me about it in the comments.