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The 450-meter long ACEER Canopy Walkway is the longest canopy walkway in the world and was the first to be constructed in the Amazon Basin. It is basically a series of suspension bridges connecting 13 large, canopy-emergent trees, with one or two observation platforms in each tree. The canopy walkway was built for tourist use and as a research and education tool. Starting from atop the highest hill in the area, the walkway goes out at a slight grade, quickly climbing into the tops of the trees. It winds around the hill through the tops of the tallest trees, averaging more than 25 meters above the ground and reaching 36 meters above the ground at its high point. With its unprecedented access to the forest canopy it provides a wonderful opportunity to view and study the rich plant and animal life of that habitat. Though only a relatively few researchers have used the walkway so far, its research potential is great. With the many school groups that use it, the walkway has been an effective tool for getting them interested in and teaching them about the rainforest. |
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| Protection of the environment, and in particular, protection of the support trees used for the canopy walkway was of prime concern to us. Care was taken to choose a route that would not require the removal of any limbs or large branches, and extremely minimal pruning was done to the trees. In the design used, neither the walkways nor the platforms are nailed or bolted to the trees. | |
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| The safety of visitors to the walkway is also of great concern, and both the design and building materials were carefully chosen with safety in mind. | |
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