Extreme Outdoor Activity: Tropical Rainbow Slide in El Salvador

When I first saw a picture and then a video online of this gigantic rainbow slide surrounded by tropical foliage, I would have never called it an “extreme outdoor activity.”

I told my cousin, whom I met for the first time in El Salvador, that I wanted to go on the giant rainbow slide, and he was surprised that I wanted to do it. It was the only thing on my El Salvador bucket list—I desperately talked about it and showed my family before and during the trip.

The dread started when my older male cousin began getting anxious and said he would only do it if I did. Of course, I took him up on that dare; that’s why we were there anyway. As quickly as I reassured him, panic zoomed through my head: What’s there to be scared about? Should I be scared too?

Yes. I should have been scared.

The slide went down the side of the mountain. It was so steep that you couldn’t even see it from the main entrance. We walked past a few extreme activities before we reached our final destination. First, there was a swing that went over the side of the mountain. Then, there was a bungee jump that had participants flying over the mountain’s edge and above the canopy of trees. So much faith and trust in being attached to a rope by your ankle, I thought as we passed a group of German tourists eagerly awaiting their turn.

Could never be me, I thought to myself.

I’ve never been into extreme adrenaline outdoor activities (besides hiking on dangerous trails in the past). So what was I doing here? I was getting nervous.

Once I finally made it to the slide, I looked down and thought, What did I get myself into?

Those POV videos online were either filmed at a different location or didn’t do the slide justice. The slide I bought tickets for did earn its spot at this extreme outdoor activity center.

Too late to back out now, I told myself, trying to muster up the bravery I once had before buying the ticket.

There were three people ahead of us, which felt like a relief—I didn’t have to be the first one, and I could observe how dangerous this really was. Once a park guide walked up to the top of the hill, he had us all sign waivers and pick an inner tube. Then, one by one, the people ahead of me went—some screaming, some whooping and hollering on their way down. It did seem a bit scary. One girl bounced back and forth from one end to the other like a pinball.

My cousin was scared, and since I was the one who wanted to do this, I went first.

Rollercoasters will never be scary to me again. This was the thrill of a rollercoaster without the “safety” and predictability they provide. Halfway down, there was a slight incline into another decline, which lifted me and the inner tube into the air for a few seconds. I felt like I had to hold myself inside the inner tube or else I would have flown out. I couldn't stop screaming out of fear. Toward the end, I started to turn around and my legs got closer to the barrier. The only two thoughts I had were: Raise my legs so I don’t crush them between the barriers and I hope I don’t catch enough air to push me outside of the slide.

It was OVER. I did it. I was ready to reunite with the rest of the family and continue our drive.

My heart stopped, and the same dread as before crept from my head to my toes. The park guide informed me that the slide wasn’t over yet. To my horror, he told me this was a two-part slide.

What made this next part even worse was that they added a bit of water to it and spun you on your way down.

With the Spanish that I knew, I pleaded with them to let me skip this one, but that wasn’t an option.

A very sweet German tourist—an adrenaline junkie (her words, not mine)—came up after me from the first slide to help talk me through my fear. She was the hype girl I needed at that moment, and it felt nice to vent in English for a bit.

As I got in my tube, entrusting my safety to these park guides, I asked them to please not spin me.

They spun me extra hard before I could finish my sentence. On my way down, I screamed back, “Why did you do that?!”—which my cousin found hilarious.

Will I go on the infamous rainbow slide again? No, I will not. However, I am very glad that I did, because it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life as the most “extreme sport” activity I’ve ever done.

I only have pictures from the first slide. My family, who took the video and photos of me, didn’t even know about the second slide to go down and take pictures.

BONUS: Here's a picture of this cute dog that kept following us around for food. Stray dogs are very common in El Salvador, but they were all docile and sweet (at least in my experience).