ABSEIL IN MALAYSIA
It’s an abseiling paradise in Malaysia, with several sumptuous locations on offer for a range of abilities. Beginners would be advised to try Gunung Jerai in kedah or Gunung Tangsi in Negeri Sembilan, while the more experienced abseiler can’t fail to be impressed by the challenge the rivers, mountains and rainforests provide. For those looking for the ultimate abseiling test, though, look no further than Sabah’s Gunung Kinabalu. At just over 4,000 metres, it’s one of the highest – and toughest – mountains in southeast Asia.
ZIP LINE IN COSTA RICA
If you like speed, height and adrenaline, zip line is well worth investigating. Essentially, riders hold on to a grip and zip along suspended cables at pace; it’s not uncommon to see modest versions in kiddies’ playgrounds. If you want the real deal, though, head to the Costa Rican rainforest. Locations such as the Monteverde cloud forest and Arenal Vocano are superb, not only for the quality and height of the zip lines, but also for the surroundings. Can you imagine whizzing past streams and vines, and literally through the jungle?
CANOPY WALKING IN PERU
They say the best way to admire the Amazon’s unique wildlife and vegetation is from above, but instead of buzzing overhead in a plane, try out the Famous Canopy Walking in Iquitous, Peru. The suspended walkway is spread between 14 of the area’s largest rainforest trees, and at about a third of a mile is one of the longest of its kind in the world. You’ll need a decent head for heights, though – it’s 115 feet off the ground.
RUN THE JUNGLE MARATHON IN THE AMAZON
This does not compare to running your Sunday 10k in the park or 26k street marathon this is running through the jungle for days. The jungle Marathon is staged in the Para region often referred to as the ‘Caribbean of the Amazon – with temperature topping 40c and 99% humidity, making all together a harder challenge. Competitors can choose to run either the full 200km or 100km, with the race completed in stages throughout the week. To make things more difficult, runners have to carry food, hammocks and mosquito nets and nights are spent sleeping on the shores of the Tapajos River.
SLEEP IN A JUNGLE TREE HOUSE IN INDIA
If you missed out on having a tree house as a kid, then this is your opportunity to make up for it. For the real tree house experience, head off to Vythiri, tucked away in the middle of the North Kerala rainforests of India, where you’ll find the Green Magic Nature Resort. Although facilities are comfortable – double beds and running water, for instance – you’re right in the middle of nature, halfway up a tree and with lush, green vegetation on all sides.
ELEPHANT TREKKING IN THAILAND
Its the adventure of choice for hippies and gap year kids alike, but elephant trekking is a fine if uncomfortable way to explore the jungles of northern Thailand. The elephant is the national symbol of Thailand. Bestriding a wrinkly grey lump of raw mammalian power will make you feel like a true adventurer, as you lurch past tumbling waterfalls and local hill tribe villages, all the while being spied on by inquisitive gibbons and lamurs. Some of the elephants even play football.