Top 5 destinations for adventurers

For those who enjoy living on the edge and want their trips full of adrenaline rush and adventurous activities, here’s my pick of top five destinations that you should travel to feel pumped up...

Adventurers’ paradise

The ultimate adrenaline rush. Pic: balitourvacation

Multiple adventures, one destination – that’s Bali for you. Great surf, ancient temples, lush jungle, you will find all this and more at one of the most spectacular locations on planet Earth. Known as Indonesia’s paradise, Bali is an excellent place to discover something new. Many a times you must have heard people talking or raving about the picturesque beaches in Bali, however there are a lot of daredevil experiences to be had.

Bring forth the adventurer in you and enjoy the rapids of Ayung River that make for an amazing wild white water rafting ride. To challenge yourself, you can go cycling down the steep slopes of the Mount Batur volcano. If all this sweat through physical activity doesn’t take your breath away, the amazing views over endless green valleys and rice fields, lined with tiny Balinese villages, definitely will.

Under water thrills

Discover the underwater world and be amazed! Pic: cozumelscuba.net

If you are a water baby and enjoy stunts and adventures related to water, especially underwater exploring, then there is no place quite like Mexico’s Palancar Reef. Be it exploring and watching other worldly marine life or challenging yourself with some technically powerful dives, Palancar Reef is the place to be. Diving deep at this huge site off the southwest side of the island of Cozumel, you can even venture into the Palancar Caves to gaze at large brain corals and explore swim-through tunnels, or the Palancar Gardens to look at the tropical fish and perhaps even spot an enormous sea turtle.

Life on a wild safari

Jungle love. Pic: riftvalleyexpeditions.com

As a child, how many of you envisioned a trip to African forests to meet the wild, giant gorilla? At least I did. So, it is but natural that an expedition to an African country to meet mountain gorillas could be a trip that’s on many an adventurous travellers final check list. To make this childhood fantasy come true, all you need to do is pack your bags and travel to Uganda. Gorillas are now an endangered species, and there are only around 800 left in the world. Out of this number, over half of these gorillas live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla Park.

Tracking or trailing gorillas can be an arduous experience, however the unimaginable reward of seeing these rare beasts in the wild will certainly make you happy that you pushed yourself.

Bollywood’s go to destination

Awesome natural beauty. Pic: screativeimage.com

While talking about top destinations for adventure, how can we leave Switzerland out? Made so famous by our Bollywood films, Switzerland is an ideal place for those who love doing their adventure in the midst of beautiful surroundings.

Skiing at the Alps is one thing, however if you want to challenge yourself, then get out of your comfort zone and out on the risky Via Ferrata from Mürren to Gimmelwald. This ‘iron road’ of ladders, ropes and rungs, and a petrifyingly high steel suspension bridge, was formerly built for troops making their way through the mountains in World War I. These days, adventure junkies make the dizzying, 2.2km journey on careful harness, just for kicks. Though it is very safe, first timers should rent a guide in order to learn the proper techniques. 

Conquering the mountains

The charm of mountain life. Pic: travelpod.com

Pic: c14l.com

Yangshuo, a charming former fishing village, has found itself christened the adventure capital of China – partly due to its approachability, but principally due to the rock-climbing opportunities afforded by its several limestone karst peaks that rise extraordinarily from the thick emerald-green vegetation. A lively scene of local and international climbers enjoy, without a doubt, one of the best concentration of climbs in Asia, most of which are accessible by a short bike or bus ride from downtown. Many routes are well secured, though the more daring climber can still find fresh, and in some cases near vertical, routes to master.