The following list represents the most popular adventure activities offered around the world, with tips on where you can do each one both near and far from home.
Skydiving
When it comes to adrenaline-pumping activities, few things beat launching yourself out of an airplane and plummeting through the air on a breath-taking freefall, but as the parachute unfolds you’ll be able to catch your breath and admire the incredible views. For a beachside vista, soar over the coast on a Miami Tandem Skydive or get a bird’s eye view of the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip with a Las Vegas Tandem Skydive. For a change of scenery, head over the Pacific, and enjoy a Reef and Rainforest Tandem Sky Dive in Cairns or hop over to the extreme sport hotspot of New Zealand, where you can enjoy tandem skydives in Rotorua or the adventure-capital of the south, Queenstown.
Remember careening through the playground on a swinging tire as a kid? Well, zip lining has had a bit of a makeover since then — these days treetop zip lines reach dizzying heights and you can zoom through the air at break-neck speeds, all while securely attached to a safety harness. Get the ultimate adrenaline rush on a Bootleg Canyon Zip line Tour, gasp at the Hawaiian scenery on a Kipu Zip line Safari, or tackle the longest zipline circuit in North America on a Cancun Extreme Zip line Canopy Tour. That’s not all – how about zip lining the heart of the Puerto Rican rainforest on experiencing the Dominican Republic’s first zipline on a Punta Cana Zipline Canopy Adventure?
Bridge climbing
Thrill-seekers don’t have to get out of the city to challenge their climbing skills — try clambering the rungs of these iconic bridges, where you’ll be rewarded with the best panoramic views in the city. The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge isn’t just a monumental landmark, the 440-foot (134-meter) high walkway is also a bucket-list favorited — attempt the Sydney Bridge Climb at night if you dare. Brisbane Story Bridge Day and Night Climbs are another popular choice, with views from the summit spanning the nearby Glass House Mountains and Lamington National Park, alongside New Zealand’s Auckland Harbour Bridge Climb.
Exotic car driving and racing
Whether you fancy making like James bond in a vintage Aston Martin or tearing up the tarmac in a made-for-speed race-car, why not live out your motoring fantasies in style, with an Exotic Car Driving Experience Elite Package. Speed freaks can reach hair-raising velocity with a Race Car Drive-Along: Rookie Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando or the Richard Petty Rookie Experience in Las Vegas, or you can make like you’re a movie star and cruise the open roads of the Red Rock Canyon Exotic Car Tour.
Rafting
Whether hurtling downstream or navigating treacherous rapids that threaten to overturn your dingy, river rafting is an exhilarating way to get your pulse racing and your clothes soaking. Grab a paddle, hop in an inflatable raft and explore some of the world’s most daringly turbulent waters. Try Tully River Full-Day White Water Rafting from Cairns boasting an incredible 45 rapids; drifting beneath an array of tropical wildlife on the White-water Rafting on the Pacuare River in Costa Rica or taking on the mighty Colorado River with a Grand Canyon Rafting Trip from Las Vegas. Fancy an underground water adventure instead? Go Black Water Rafting at Waitomo Caves near Auckland and you can navigate eerie caves, underground waterfalls and caverns filled with glow-worms. Just don’t forget your life jacket!
Sandboarding
Forget walking across the sand dunes – the most entertaining way to get around in the desert is by sliding downhill on a sand board. The summer alternative to snowboarding, sandboarding has fast become a popular activity, but if you can’t get your balance, don’t worry – you can always sit on the board and sled downhill instead! Try a Dubai 4×4 Sandboarding Safari; a Cerro Negro Volcano Sandboarding Tour from Managua where you can climb the famous volcano, before zooming back down the other side; or wander the moon-like landscapes of the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia and try sandboarding on the looming Lancelet sand dunes, with a Pinnacles Desert, Koalas and Sandboarding 4WD Day Tour from Perth.
If nose-diving through the air like a human yoyo sounds like fun, you’re sure to have bungy jumping on your to-do list. Whether you want the ultimate death-defying plunge with your nose skimming the floor or a short-and-sweet drop, there are a range of locations around the world that will help you live out your bungling aspirations. The Original Kawarau Bridge Bungee Jump in Queenstown was the world’s first public bungee jump and at 141-feet (43-meters) it’s the perfect way to experience the activity. The Auckland Harbour Bridge Bungee Jump and the 164-foot (50-meter) high Cairns Bungee Jump are also popular choices, but for the ultimate in extreme jumps, try the mega 440-foot (134-meter) drop at Queenstown Nevis High wire Bungee Jump with a scream-worthy 8.5 seconds of freefall.
Rappelling
Even more thrilling than climbing up a mountain, is rappelling, or abseiling, down one. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds though – you’ll need to lower yourself down vertigo-inducing cliff faces, scramble down rocky outcrops and traverse icy cold waterfalls to get to the bottom. For the most incredible views, try rappelling 180 feet (55 meters) beside Brazil’s mammoth Iguassu Falls with a Rappel Adventure from Foz do Iguaçu or scale the heights of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain then rappel back down. For an extreme-sport buzz without the stomach-churning heights, opt for underground cave rappelling, as part of a 4-in-1 Tulum Adventure in the Yucatan.
Caving
While not one for the claustrophobic, if crawling through narrow rock crevices, swimming in eerily-lit underground pools and scrambling through pitch black caves sounds like your idea of an adventure, grab a headlamp and a crash hat, and head underground. Caving is not only a challenge, but a chance to discover some otherworldly scenery – an Iceland from Below Tour uncovers a wealth of curious lava formations, dripping stalactites and peculiar rock formations, and a Batu Caves and Temple Tour from Kuala Lumpur reveals a fascinating series of underground Hindu temples etched into the mountainside. You can even go caving in the city – Budapest Caving Tours expose a labyrinth of tunnels and secret caverns right underneath the city’s residential district.
Swimming with sharks
There’s no better way to prove your bravery than taking a dip in the ocean with sharks so close you can feel the swish of their fins. Thankfully, you won’t be cast into the open seas to re-enact scenes from Jaws – instead, you’ll be safely inside a cage, able to return to the boat at any time. Take a trip to the St Thomas to enjoy Swimming with Sharks at Coral World Ocean Park, where you can take a detour to the dolphin pools if your nerves get the better of you; brave the depths of the Atlantic to try Cage Diving with Great White Sharks from Cape Town or take an Oahu Shark Dive in Hawaii. Prefer your sharks a little less ferocious? Try a Mexican Whale Shark Snorkel Adventure where you can dive amidst the world’s largest, and decidedly friendlier, fish.
CONCLUSION
In the end I would like to conclude this article by saying that Despite the effects of adventure tourism and lack of benefits to the surrounding community, the people still support tourism development. Some local communities accept adventure tourism if only they shall benefit directly, whereas, others believe that the positive impacts are more than the negative impacts.
