If taking it to the max is your thing, then you’ll be looking for something special for your vacation. Before undertaking any extreme adventure experience, you first need to explore what’s on offer, the risks involved and whether you really feel up to it. If you’re into pushing your limits, then this probably won’t bother you too much!
There are so many opportunities to participate in adrenaline-fueled activities when on vacation that you may have a difficult time choosing a destination. Here are some ideas of where you can explore some of the best extreme adventure vacations.
Skydiving
Popular the world over, skydiving is not for the fainthearted. After all, you’re heading up into the skies in a small airplane, and you know that you’re going to have to jump out of it with a parachute. If it’s your first time, then you’ll likely jump attached to an experienced instructor unless you have had training elsewhere and are competent to jump solo.
Skydiving is a unique way to get a perspective of the land below you with a bird’s eye view. The adrenaline rush – possibly accompanied by some swearing and/or praying – gives way to the thrill of effectively flying without a machine to enclose you.
Head for Australia or New Zealand for some classic places to skydive or take a trip to Arizona, where you can tandem skydive and see the magnificent Grand Canyon in a completely different way.
Bungee jumping
Another opportunity to hurl yourself off something high, bungee jumping is a regular feature at county fairs and many vacation spots. For the highest cliff jump in the world, make your way to Queenstown in New Zealand, where you can throw yourself off that cliff and have a freefall experience that is second to none. You’ll get amazing views as you hurtle down, and if you need a little extra courage before you make the leap, then there will always be people around to encourage you to get over the edge – in the nicest possible way, of course!
When you’re doing an activity such as this, it’s worth considering the best type of clothing to wear, so think about what’s useful to pack before you travel. Men’s workout shirts should fit the bill, and you can check out men’s workout and compression shirts – Tommie Copper is a good place to start – to get what you want.
Finding the fish
Great white sharks have been given a bad reputation by the movie Jaws, but these denizens of the deep are seriously misunderstood. If you go to South Africa, particularly to the southern tip of the country around Cape Town, then you can get nose to nose with these magnificent creatures in an underwater cage. You don’t need a diving certificate, and it’s the perfect way to get a real-life shark experience.
Other undersea options include scuba diving with bull sharks and tiger sharks – a different kind of experience, but no less exciting as you interact with these scary species in their ocean habitat.
Rappelling down a waterfall
Rappelling – also called abseiling – is a technique that every rookie climber learns early on. Put simply, it’s bouncing down a rock face swinging out and in on your secure rope until you reach the bottom.
Water rappelling uses the same technique, except you rappel down a waterfall, and one of the best places to do this is in Costa Rica. There are many fine water rappelling sites in this little Central American country. You’ll get a little practice if you haven’t done it before, and when you’re ready, off you go over another type of cliff face! Costa Rica also offers Latin America’s longest zipline, so you can cruise through the rainforest enjoying views that you’d never see otherwise.
Volcano trekking at night
Volcanoes are natural phenomena that inspire awe and fear in humans wherever they are found. Monumental eruptions such as Mount Vesuvius, Mount Helena and Krakatoa are legendary. You can take an extreme trek in Indonesia at night up Mount Ijen, which is near Yogyakarta in Java. Experience the simmering blue fire in the crater and be all but engulfed by the sulfurous flames as you edge ever closer. You’re pushing the boat out in terms of energy to get up there, but you can wear your adventure as a badge of honor.
Going to the extreme
Life is often tedious and repetitive, but an extreme vacation can blow off those cobwebs and give you an experience that you will never forget. Maybe you will even want to try many more adventures in the future!