Thrills and skills: 13 off-the-wall activities for adrenaline junkies

 You’ve thrown yourself off a platform suspended  200m in the air with what amounts to a giant elastic band around your  ankles; you’ve paddled down swirling rapids and maybe even jumped out of  a helicopter to ski some of the world’s best powder – so what’s next?

You  can always trust adrenaline junkies to keep pushing boundaries and  testing the limits of the human heart rate (and maybe even the strength  of your bowels) – so we’ve rounded up 13 brilliant and bizarre adventure  activities to inspire your next blood-pumping escapade. Go on, take the  leap...

   Do you dare try this extreme water sport?

Flyboarding

The latest craze in water  sports, flyboarding was brought into being by Frenchman Franky Zapata in  2012. It involves strapping your feet into a kind of skateboard jetski  hybrid that fires out powerful jets of water, propelling you up into the  air. There is also a jetpack version for sci-fi fans and adrenaline  junkies alike. Popular destinations for flyboarding include Australia, Dubai and the USA.‘It  is strange to think that as I propel myself 40ft to 50ft up on two jets  of water, I feel more in control in that moment than any other time.  It’s an incredible experience.’ – Ben Merrell , pro hydroflight athlete

   Take the leap – just don't drop your selfie stick

  

Gorge swings

Bungee jumping’s crazier  cousin, gorge swinging will make you feel like Tarzan on some serious  steroids. You can get your swing on over some awesome landscapes, from  the Zambezi river (thezambeziswing.com) to  South Africa’s Oribi Gorge (wild5adventures.co.za). Amid such stunning scenery you’ll soon forget about the imminent 160ft free fall... right?

    You can muni almost anywhere – if you can master the art of staying upright

 

Mountain unicycling

Take the usual equation  of bike plus mountain, minus one wheel and you’ve got muni: mountain  unicycling. From the rugged peaks of the Rocky Mountains  to the lush landscapes of the Alps, anywhere you can mountain bike, you  can muni – but it’s best to give this one a good deal of practice  before hitting the harder runs. The International Unicycling Federation (unicycling.org) has lots of useful info for both newbies and pros.

‘Because  there’s just something about a unicycle that makes people smile, I’ve  never found a better way to connect with local people when I can’t speak  their language.’ – Kris Holm (krisholm.com), the world’s leading mountain unicyclist

     Iceland's Thrihnukagigur is your gateway to another world

 

Go inside a volcano

The Thrihnukagigur volcano in Iceland  may be dormant but this journey to the centre of the earth is still  pretty thrilling. After a 3km hike to the crater, to get to the ‘good  bit’ you’ll still have to descend 120m into the opening via an open  cable lift. Inside the Volcano (insidethevolcano.com)  offer exclusive tours that'll take you beneath the earth’s crust where  you can admire the kaleidoscopic colours and unique rock formations of  the volcano’s crater.

      The rush of surfing dunes is worth all the sand in strange places

 

Sandboarding

Surfers and snowboarders – and  all you other thrill seekers – ditch the waves and runs and head to the  desert for an alternative boarding experience. Namibia’s  Namib Desert offers the ultimate adventure playground, boasting some of  the highest dunes in the world. Be sure to soak up the views of your  epic surrounds at the summit, because once you’re whooshing down the  dunes at speeds of up to 80mph, you may be a wee bit distracted.

‘Definitely  worth all the sand in strange places, although unless you’re quite good  you don’t get much speed standing up – you just fall down!’ 

     The Rattlesnake's twists and turns are thrilling 

 

Zip line roller coasters

Whizz along tracks  that weave through rainforest and jungle scenery, but don’t be fooled  into thinking this is a gentle ride. You’ll be whipped around twists,  slaloms and 360° loops, all whilst dangling at a dizzying height of up  to 60m. The aptly named Treetop Crazy Rider (treetops.com.au) in Australia and the Rattlesnake (foreverflorida.com) in Florida, USA, beckon the brave with over 1600m of track between them.

      You need more than a strong core to brave rapids on a SUP board 

Whitewater SUP

If you’ve managed to  successfully stand up paddleboard (SUP), well done! But why not take it a  step further and test your skills pelting down some whitewater rapids?  There’s also whitewater tubing and creeking (whitewater rafting in a  kayak) for those who prefer to sit or recline whilst being jostled by  river rapids. Yet to take off as a global phenomenon, whitewater SUP is  still largely the domain of rivers in the USA.

‘It’s  challenging; you’re standing up, your centre of gravity is raised,  you’re having to use all your muscles and you also have to read the  water. It’s about finding stillness in the chaos.’ – Nikki Gregg (nikkigregg.com), whitewater paddler and fitness guru

     Could you muster up the courage to take a dip in the Devil's Pool? 

Swim the Devil’s Pool

As the name suggests, this ultimate infinity pool – situated on the edge of Victoria falls  – is anything but a relaxing dip. The trend is to launch yourself into  the pool and let the current whisk you off to the edge of the falls  where the lip of rock will catch you. The Devil’s Pool is only safe to  swim in the dry season (mid-August to mid-January) and it’s recommended  to go with a certified tour company. Tongabezi (tongabezi.com) offer five tours per day which include a tour of the pool’s access point, Livingstone Island, as well as a daring dip.

    Some travellers will do anything to get the best city views

High-altitude urban experiences

Adventure  activities are often thought to be the remit of the great outdoors, but  thrill seekers can get all their kicks without venturing to the sticks.  Many cities offer high-altitude, adrenaline-pumping tours, from  abseiling off famous buildings to walking around the outer edges of  iconic skyscrapers attached to a safety wire.

New Zealand’s Auckland Sky Tower (skywalk.co.nz) and Toronto’s CN Tower (edgewalkcntower.ca) both offer tours around their heady heights. Alternatively, try abseiling 100m down Rotterdam’s Euromast (euromast.nl).

‘I  cried real tears on the CN Tower EdgeWalk. But honestly, it was life  changing and there’s not really much I’m scared of anymore.’ 

    The Caminito del Rey has had a much-needed facelift

 

Cliff walking

Dubbed the world’s deadliest hike, the Huashan mountain trail in China is not for the faint hearted. Tethered to a safety line on the rock  face, hikers make their way across wooden planks and sheer cliff edge to  reach one of the world’s most remote tea houses, over 2000m high. There  are plenty of other (slightly) less pant-wetting paths around the  world, like the Caminito Del Rey in Spain, which underwent a hefty restoration in 2015.

     Head into the unknown on a two-week adventure across India

Rickshaw run

Think the Gumball rally, but on  glorified go-karts. The Rickshaw Run is an epic pan-Indian adventure  spanning 3500km. All you need is to get your hands on a rickshaw and  book two weeks off work and you’re good to go… kind of. The Adventurists  (theadventurists.com)  can help with all the know-how you need to hit the road, including visa  requirements, budgeting and tips for pimping your rickshaw.

‘The  Rickshaw Run is a real old-school adventure. It’s two weeks of  boredom-obliterating mayhem.’ – Mr Matt, Event Manager at The  Adventurists

 Australia's Lady Elliot Island is one of the best spots to try blowhole diving    

Blowhole diving

Blowholes are naturally  occurring sea caves that also have an opening at the surface of the  ocean. Freedivers and scuba divers are drawn to these unusual geological  formations not just for the epic ride – the current combined with the  structure of the caves creates a surge that propels you through the  cavern – but also for the unique wildlife that inhabits these  environments. The best blowholes to dive can be found at Lady Elliot Island, Australia and The Corridor in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

    Are you wild enough to want to witness the perfect storm?

Storm chasing

Most people would run from a  swirling vortex of doom, but not you. You head right into the middle of  the action. Specialist tours can take groups safely into storm zones to  see some immense weather such as tornadoes and supercell thunderstorms.  Extreme weather-watchers flock to Tornado Alley in the American  midwest for some of the most epic skyscapes.

‘The thrill of  seeing large supercell structures, hundreds of bolts of lightning and  possible tornadoes out in the open fields… there is nothing else like  that feeling in the world!’ – Roger Hill, Silver LIning Tornado and  Storm Chasing Tours (silverliningtours.com)