Adventure seekers often look to try new experiences that will take them to the edge of fear and exhilaration. If you’re in need of an adrenaline rush, these tourist activities will quite likely do the trick.
1. Running of the bulls, Spain
There have been 16 deaths, mostly by goring during Spain’s annual Running of the Bulls since record-keeping began in 1910, according to runningofthebulls.com. About 2,0000 people charge down the cobbled streets of Pamplona trying to avoid the bulls’ horns daily during the week-long festival.
2. Cave of Swallows, Mexico
Sótano de las Golondrinas, or Cave of Swallows, is the biggest open-pit cave in the world, with a 365m drop to the bottom. Thousands of birds nest in the walls of the cave and in the morning they can be seen flying out in a spiral formation.
The cave is also popular with BASE jumpers and mountain climbers who rappel down the cave’s walls.
3. Volcano Tours
Various places around the world which have active volcanos offer tours which include climbing calderas as well as boat tours that take tourists close to these fiery mountains. Hawaii, Indonesia and Reunion Island are among those that offer these tours. In 2019 tours to New Zealand’s White Island ended in the death of twenty-one people after it erupted.
4. The Plank Walk on China’s Mount Hua
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Одним із найнебезпечніших маршрутів Світу, вважається Стежка смерті. . Стежка, яка прокладена з дощок над прірвою 2160 метрів. . Звідки вона там взялася і хто нею користувався? . Гори Хуашань вважаються священними для китайців. Своїми п’ятьма вершинами, вони нагадують квітку. Тут з давних давен, створювали даосизькі храми. Один із них знаходиться, саме на вершині одного з піків. І щоб до нього добратися, китайські паломники пролізали над обривом, по скелі. Багато з них зривалися, адже дощок тоді ще не було. Були лише невеличкі заглиблини в скелі. Самі сильні і мужні долізали до священного місьця. Такий собі альпінізм без страхівки. . Але в наш час, стало дуже багато охочих ризикнути своїм життям і відчути адреналінчик. Тому і проклали стежку з дощок. Але всеодно був відсоток тих, хто не долізав. А з часом, коли став дуже великий потік туристів, ще й ланцюги прикріпили для страхівки. . Тому, зараз вже не так страшно. Але колінця трусяться всеодно . . . . . #travelling #travelphoto #goprophoto #goprolife #gopropeople #adventures #danger #goproadventure #travel #china #gopro #plank #mounthua #huashan #huashanmountain #mountains #travelblogger #автостоп #китай #відвідативсікраїни #гопро #гори #хуашань #подорожі #пригоди #навколосвіту #мандрівники #мандри .
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This popular tourist attraction on Mount Hau about 120km from X’ian hold religious significance for a number of Chinese people although people from all over com to walk across a few planks of wood which are bolted to the side of a 2,155m peak (the higheat on Mount Hua), that leads to a small shrine. Hikers are harnessed, however, it’s still considered dangerous and certainly not for those who suffer from vertigo.
5. Death Road, Bolivia
At least 18 cyclists have died on the Yungas Road (or Death Road) since 1998. The road is only wide enough for a single vehicle and was the only route between Bolivia’s La Paz and the Yungas region until a two-lane paved road was built in 2006. Death Road, which becomes especially muddy and treacherous after rainfall, has become a popular destination for mountain bikers.
6. El Caminito Del Rey, Spain
El Caminito Del Rey (The King’s Path) is a relatively short day-hike at only 8km long but it’s not for the faint-hearted or those who suffer from vertigo. It begins at the Count of Guadalhorce Reservoir in the town of Ardales in Spain’s Andalusian Province, and winds its way through canyons with dramatic rock formations, over bridges and along narrow walkways to end at the El Chorro Dam. The trail can be done in three to four hours.
7. Devils Pool, Victoria Falls, Zambia
Although there have been no reported deaths of people plummeting more than 100m down the falls from Devil’s Pool on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls it is still a fairly risky activity. Tourists wanting to swim in the pool on the lip of one of the world’s biggest waterfalls can do so in the low season, with the help of a guide. You’ll need to swim across a section of the Zambezi River (home to hippos and crocodiles) to get to the pool where a rocky ledge provides a barrier to prevent you from being washed over.
8. Eagle’s Nest Cave, USA
Cave diving is a dangerous sport however certain spots are more risky to dive than others. Eagles’ Nest Cave in Florida is one of these. According to National Geographic, ‘it’s shaped like a sink with a long, rocky drain that descends into a system of underwater passages reaching 300 feet (91m) in depth.’
Because the cave is so deep, when divers run into trouble they have less time to deal with the issue than if they were closer to the surface. At least 11 divers have lost their lives here.
9. Climbing Mount Everest
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• ↟M O U N T – E V E R E S T ️. • Mona Shahab from Saudi Arabia just beneath camp 4 on Mt.Everest. . From Beirut at 350am, to Madrid, to Amsterdam to Leiden, all in the last 48 hrs. Just like on Everest, it’s been a heck of a ride in production keeping up with the team of Arab women who successfully summited the mountain this spring. With Mona’s backstory now complete, we are almost officially wrapped production. . Barely 5’1, Mona is petite yet powerful. She’s one of the hardest working women I’ve ever met. Somehow she manages to pursue her PhD in the Netherlands, work with her trauma survivor patients as a psychologist and therapist, balance her training, family and social life while climbing the world’s tallest mountains. Born in Saudi Arabia, she’s traveled extraordinary lengths to shape the life she lives today. She’s humble and kind, hides from the limelight, climbs for causes close to her heart and thinks of everyone but herself. We filmed Mona’s story in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and in Europe and to put it rather simply: Mona’s story inspires. . In this scene in the documentary Mona had us all worried. We all have bad days on the mountain and this was one of Mona’s. I doubled back with the cameras from Camp 4 at 7900m to find her on her own, pressing on, relentlessly, one step at a time with no sign of giving up. I’m excited to share this part of the story on screen as her comeback was extraordinary. When I asked her how she did it, she’s simply tapped her temple and said: it’s all in the mind. . Teamwork all the way on this segment. Thanks for everything @monakshahab, we’re almost at the production finish line on ‘The Dream of Everest’. @nellyattar @joyceazzam7s @alharthynoor . . • Captured By: @eliasaikaly • To get featured / tag us in your pics / use #unseenhimalayas • EMail your pictures [email protected] . • Follow us @unseen.himalayas for more amazing pics of Himalayas. #neverstopexploring #Everest #SaudiArabia @beautifuldestinations
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Although Mount Everest is not the sort of ‘tourist attraction’ that you wake up one morning and decide to tackle, it has been a magnet for mountain climbers and adventurers wanting to stand on the roof of the world. There have been more than 300 deaths as people have tried to reach the summit.
Also read: Why are more climbers perishing on Everest?
10. Lake Natron, Tanzania
Lake Natron is a salt lake in Tanzania’s Arusha Region which has an unusually high alkaline content. The pink lake contains high amounts of the chemical natron which has a pH level of 10.5 (which is the same as ammonia) which is toxic to most animals and to humans. However, it is the breeding ground for thousands of lesser flamingos that can safely wade in its shallows and who feed off the copious amounts of spirulina, a bacteria which grows in alkaline waters and which gives the flamingos their colour.
Also read: 7 Activities for SA adrenaline junkies
Image: IanZ / Flickr
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