For
some travellers, taking a break is more about white-knuckle
thrills and adrenaline-pumping activities than lounging on a beach.
Recent years have seen a surge in the popularity of Adventure
Tourism and increasing numbers of tour
operators and travel agents are
cottoning on to the growing trend for thrill-seeking breaks.
From abseiling, mountaineering,
trekking,
base-jumping and other high altitude pursuits through to
white-water rafting, deep-sea diving, river-surfing and
canoing,
there are countless holiday options out there for those who
like
their vacations to come
with a large dose of adrenaline.
So
what are the top spots for thrill-seeking travellers? It all depends
on how much the adventure traveller can afford to spend in
terms
of both time and money. Happily for British adventure
tourists
who have neither the budget nor the time to travel to far
flung
corners of the world, there are plenty of heart-poundingly good options
to be found in the UK. Scotland
in particular has been establishing a reputation as a top
destination for adventurous outdoor types and its rugged mountains
are excellent terrain for scaling sheer rock faces and
traversing long, narrow ridges. Rock-climbing,
mountain-biking, mountain-boarding and abseiling are all
popular
land-based activities in Scotland, while Aviemore in
the Cairngorms
in the north of the country is carving itself
a reputation for ski-ing and snowboarding during the
winter months.
For
cash-strapped adventure tourists who have plenty to spare by way
of time but little by way of a travel budget, one of the best
destinations to head for is Bolivia in South
America. The Bolivian Andes
offer high-altitude thrills and spills in a stunning backdrop,
while the low cost of living means that it`s possible to find
food
and accommodation without blowing the travel budget.
For the
ultimate in brownie points, travellers should be sure to take
the
heart-stoppingly perilous mountain-bike descent along the "World's Most Dangerous Road".
This dubious honour belongs to the Camino de
las Yungas, a 61
kilometre road leading from La Paz to Coroico. The
descent is
both terrifiying and breathtakingly beautiful but
the gravity-assisted mountain bikes assure that riders come to
no
real harm.
Thrill
seekers with both time and money to spare should make a beeline
for Zimbabwe, where the magnificent Victoria
Falls
offer the opportunity to try the wildest, white-water rafting
in
the world. Gorge swings, zip wires and bungee jumping are
further
fast-paced pursuits to be enjoyed in this stunningly beautiful
part of the world, while elephant rides, river cruises and big
game fishing are memorable ways to unwind after a day
of heart-pounding activity.
The Victoria
Falls
bungee jump is legendary among extreme sports enthusiasts and
it`s
certainly not for the faint of heart. From a platform that
stands
more than 111 metres above the raging white waters of
the gorge,
those with a head for heights and a taste for adventure take
the great leap that will provide memories to last a lifetime.
If
all this talk of climbing, jumping and hair raising adventure
has
whetted your appetite, it might be time to start planning an
adventure sports trip, with last
minute holidays often representing great deals on
adventure sports packages, you might be able to head off
sooner than you could imagine.
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