As more and more holiday companies jump on the adventure tour bandwagon, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find extreme challenges with trump-proof bragging rights. Worldreviewer.com ‘s travel specialists and members suggest their favorites – from free diving with Great Whites in South Africa to Bond’s Bungy-jump in Ticino: holidays for toughies.
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Goldeneye Bungy from the Verzasca Dam, Ticino, Gerra, Switzerland
Immortalized in the opening scene of Goldeneye, the 200-metre jump from the Versace Dam in Switzerland is a must for movie buffs hoping to emulate Bond and thrill seekers looking for a challenge. Voted the best movie stunt of all time in 2002, the bungy jump is one of the world’s highest and set against a backdrop of pure concrete is sure to give even the most adventurous an incomparable rush.
Camping with Saharan Nomads, Niamey, Niger
The opportunity to experience an increasingly forgotten way of life is sure to be one of the most unique experiences on this list. Participants spend a week or two with the Tuareg people and discover the history, traditions of their nomadic lifestyle while enjoying the expansive beauty of the Sahara aboard a camel.
Plura River Cave, Mo i Rana, Norway
The scenery of the Plural River Cave has been formed through years of erosion and divers can explore chambers with vast ceilings and remarkably patterned surfaces. The cave itself is expansive and with an entrance of close to 30km and a depth of up to 34m, diving this site is an incredible experience.
Jackson Blue Spring, Marianna, United States
With a length of about 6000ft and depths of 100ft, Jackson Blue Spring is one of the most spectacular settings for cave diving . The cave allows night diving and its rocky caverns are also impressive during the daylight.
Great White Sharks, Gansbaai Western Cape, Hermanus, South Africa
Set close to “Shark Alley”, the world’s densest population of great white sharks, Gansbaai is one of the best locations for cage diving. Diving with the most ferocious predators may be a feat best reserved for thrill seekers but cage diving allows the chance to experience sharks close up with no knowledge of diving or free swimming necessary. Winter is the best time to experience the great whites but there is the opportunity for a sighting all year round.
Antarctic Ice Diving, Antarctica
With constant changes to the frozen landscape, ice diving provides one of the most unique experiences to divers and with penguins and seals as your companions it is also one of the most breathtakingly beautiful environments. Enduring the freezing temperatures alone is enough to ensure this is one activity not for the faint hearted but with the chance to explore expansive depths of strikingly blue ocean it is sure to prove one of the most memorable.
Cave of Swallows, Xilitla, Mexico
A 1400ft deep cave set deep within the Mexican rain forest, the Cave of Swallows is a remarkably beautiful and unusual setting for base-jumping. Arguably one of the most famous caves in the world it provides a stern test of endurance given the rugged terrain, mystical migration of swallows as you dive into the cave and punishing ascent following the jump.
Cresta Run, Cresta, Switzerland
Running for nine weeks from the end of December to February, the Cresta Run is a daring ice run with participants facing a 514ft drop and top speeds of up to 80miles per hour. The course is rebuilt each year and includes 10 hairpin turns and the three quarter mile ice chute winds from “The Leaning Tower” in St Moritz to the village of Celerina.
Sky Diving over Moab Desert, United States.
With spectacular colours and stunning depths, the Moab desert is one of the most memorable landscapes and from a vantage point of 2500 ft it is even more spectacular. Sky diving is considered one of the most thrilling activities and with jumps organized for all skill levels anyone with the courage to leap from the plane at 13,000 feet can experience an incredible adrenaline rush.
Build an Igloo, Churchill, Canada
If you can brave the –33 degrees Celsius weather, Northern Canada offers an incredible range of wildlife and nature’s most famous light show with the Northern Lights. For the more adventurous however, there is the opportunity to carve and construct an igloo out of snow and ice and experience the wilderness from a completely unique setting.
