What's the Difference?

Published on: 22/01/2023

Who can Go Ape?

Go Ape is the perfect outdoor activity for the whole family, with high ropes and ground-based adventures for every thrill and skill level.

We’ve been helping people to live life more adventurously for more than 20 years, and, in that time, we’ve had the opportunity to create over 10 different experiences. 

Find out all about the difference betweenTreetop Challenge, Treetop Adventure and Treetop Adventure Plus and choose the best adventure for you.

Treetop Challenge

Are you ready for the big one? Treetop Challenge is exhilarating forest fun with daring crossings, butterfly-inducing Tarzan Swings and epic zip wires and sites that only get more difficult.

Dial the thrills up to the max with this classic outdoor experience.

Who is it for: Adults and Families with Older Children

How long does it take: 1-3 hours

Continuous Belay

Continuous belay at Go Ape means that you are attached to the safety by a safety line and a device called a trolley, that can only be attached and disconnected on the ground. Participants have additional safety lines, which adventurers (or supervising adults) will be responsible for clipping onto the safety system.

Find our more about our continuous belay and self belay adventures. 

Self Belay Courses 

Self-belay at Go Ape uses a safety system where you move around the course clipping and unclipping your safety lines as you go. At least one of the two safety lines on your harness must always remain attached to the safety system as you do this on the course platforms. 

As with all of our activities, if you are supervising a young person under 16 years, you are responsible for making sure that they use their safety equipment correctly. 

Treetop Adventure

Treetop Adventure is the perfect high ropes activity for younger adventurers over 1m tall or anyone wanting to build their confidence.

Kids and parents love Treetop Adventure as it's thrilling fun in the great outdoors. You're guaranteed laughter and yells of delight, and most importantly, you'll see their confidence grow as they leave their comfort zone.

How long does it take: 1-2 hours

Who is it for?: Children and Young Families 

Treetop Adventure Plus

Treetop Adventure Plus is all about the ‘more’. More speed, more air, more freedom, more height and more thrills.

Adventure Plus is the next level up from the Treetop Adventure experience! Participants may also have access to loops of Treetop Adventure, but this will vary depending on the location (please see individual location pages for further detail). 

Treetop Adventure Plus gives young explorers the opportunity to turns up the fun dial even further, climb higher into the tree tops and finish with an independent zip ride back to the ground.

How long does it take: 1-2 hours

Who is it for?: Children and Young Families 

Safety Brief

Before every Go Ape adventure, you are given a full safety briefing and a chance to show what you have learnt.

For Treetop Challenge, Treetop Adventure and Treetop Adventure Plus, you’ll be harnessed up by instructors and then shown the ropes.

Our experienced instructors will demonstrate how to use your safety equipment correctly and you will have the chance to practice on our low-level training course.

One of the most important rules is to always stay attached to the safety system. Supervising adults must ensure their supervisees understand how to clip on the safety lines and ensure they are clipped on correctly.

Don’t worry, you’ll be a pro in no time. Harnesses are also regularly checked and adjusted by instructors to make sure they’re fitted correctly.

What to wear 

In the UK, we’re pretty famous for our unpredictable weather. It’s not uncommon to experience at least 2 seasons in a day, so it’s best to be prepared.

Here are a few top tips on what to wear:

• Wear gloves for comfort. Bring your own or pre-order our recommended gloves and collect from our cabin.
• Wear something you don’t mind getting grubby. Dress for the weather and bring along a raincoat just in case.
• Make sure you have the correct footwear which can’t fall off easily. Shoes should offer protection to your toes and heel. Do not wear sandals, flip flops, Crocs, slip-off or high heel shoes.
• Your stomach will need to be covered to prevent the harness rubbing.
• Long hair must be tied back.

What to know more? Check out our What to Wear Whatever the Weather blog.

What about those not doing a Go Ape adventure

For Treetop Challenge, Treetop Adventure and Treetop Adventure Plus supervising adults must stay with their children. It’s great fun watching your loved ones as they grow in confidence and leap and zip through the trees.

On both courses, you can follow along beneath the adventurers, snap some photographs, and enjoy a wander through the trees.  

Go Ape Locations

We've have 37 cherry-picked outdoor activity locations to ensure your Go Ape experience is one of a kind. Expect nature at its most spectacular with stunning landscapes, historical backdrops and brilliant views from famous city skylines to tree top vantage points.

No two Go Ape locations or adventures are exactly the same. We’re sure that every time you visit one of our locations, you'll be WOW'ed and make memories that last a lifetime.

Discover your nearest Go Ape location or get some staycation inspiration.