Carnival Corporation is offering its guest a new and exciting shore excursion in St. Maarten. Rainforest Adventure’s Rockland Estate eco-park attraction features the world’s steepest zip line, a historic museum, 360-degree views from the island’s tallest mountain and three additional exciting rides.
With almost 1.7 million cruisers visiting the island every year, St. Maarten is one of the Caribbean’s most popular vacation destinations. As such eight brands from the world’s largest leisure travel company feature calls on St. Maarten on their itineraries. To attract new visitors and provide new offerings for returning tourists, Carnival Corporation has financed Rainforest Adventure’s Rockland Estate eco-park, a one-of-a-kind attraction expected to quickly become one of the most popular in the Caribbean.
The new Rockland Estate offers something for everyone: the world’s steepest zip line and a mountain chair lift with breathtaking views and a heart-racing tube ride for thrill-seeking adventurers as well as a museum that showcases the rich history and culture of St. Maarten and its people.
The Soualiga Sky Explorer encompasses 68 four-passenger chairs that take guests to a transfer station for zip line and tubing rides, and then on to the top of one of St. Maarten’s highest points at 1,125 feet where they can take in spectacular panoramic views.
From the transfer station at the midpoint of the Soualiga Sky Explorer, guests can experience the exciting Sentry Hill Zip Line, where riders traverse a 1,600-foot, four-span line that provides unforgettable vistas of the mountain ridge.
The Schooner Ride at the midway point of the Soualiga Sky Explorer gives guests the chance to surf down the mountain in large 40-inch inner tubes across a specially designed 657-foot track of heart-pounding curves mixed with fast straightaways.
One of St. Maarten’s highest elevations, Sentry Hill, offers walkways and platforms that encircle the mountaintop, showcasing 360-degree vistas of the island with views of neighboring Saba, St. Barts, St. Eustatius and Anguilla.
The Flying Dutchman is Rockland Estate’s main attraction and the world’s steepest zip line. It guarantees thrill-seekers the ride of a lifetime while securely harnessed in a chair, dropping them 1,050 feet in elevation from the top of Sentry Hill down the mountain over a 2,800-foot span.
Originally built as a plantation home in the 1700s, the Emilio Wilson Museumtells the powerful story of Trace Wilson, who was born into slavery on the property, and her direct descendant, St. Maarten pioneer and preservationist Emilio Wilson. It also highlights the customs, traditions, lifestyle and stories that have earned St. Maarten the moniker “The Friendly Island.”
Carnival Corporation also partnered with Rainforest Adventures to develop Rainforest Adventures Jamaica at Mystic Mountain in Ochos Rios where guests can travel from the seashore to 700 feet above sea level at the top of a mountain, stretching over 100 acres. Additionally, Carnival Corporation worked with Rainforest Adventures to design and build the Magical Flying Beach Chair at the cruise company’s Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan. The chair lift system takes cruise ship guests from the welcome center to Mahogany Beach via a six-minute ride across nearly 1,200 feet of suspended cables, providing not only convenient beach access, but also views of the lush countryside as well.