I tried my hand at ziplining last week. Thanks to a PR-stunt by the British Columbia tourism board, I got the chance to zip for free right on over San Francisco’s Embarcadero. Hurtling down that 680-foot metal cable, comfortably nestled into my harness with my backpack clipped in above me, I finally understood the appeal of ziplining. It’s fast, fresh and fun.
As a tourist activity, ziplining has definitely made a name for itself and is all the rage in eco-tourism hot spots. While feeding your adrenaline need, it’s pretty much carbon free (minus the traveling it took to get to your preferred ziplining destination) and you can see some pretty cool things from a whole new perspective.
Preparing for a zip line tour is far from complicated and mostly entails listening to the instructions of your guide. Plan on wearing comfortable clothes and stashing your valuables in a zippered bag or purse.
So what’s out there? Canopy tours are the most popular, but you might be surprised to know that flying over the jungle isn’t the only place a zip line can take you.
Check out the Great Wall
In China you can even experience the Great Wall from a bird’s eye view, where $4 in Simatai scores you a classic Chinese zip line tour. Okay, so you’re not ziplining directly over the Great Wall, but it does give you some great views of the wall as well as a ride over a river.
Cruise over a historic center
If your travel style is more focused on culture than adventure, you might want to take a look at Flyingfox in India. Boasting India’s first ever zip line, Flyingfox organizes tours over the historic landscape of Rajasthan.
Go Superman Style
French operation Fantasticable takes ziplining to the next level by letting you hang face down in your harness, the ultimate for a green adventure seeker. You can fly through the Alps, over a French village or 4,650 feet across the mountains of north-east Portugal.
Fly at night
Sure zipping in daylight is all well and good, but what are night owls to do? At Sky Adventures in Costa Rica you can opt for the Night Tour, with the promise of possibilities to view erupting volcanoes and nocturnal wildlife.
Images: Anna Brones, Anna Brones, Ryan McFarland, and Flyingfox