Among extreme sports, bungee jumping is the great equalizer. You don’t need any special skills, just courage. And whether it’s your first jump or your twentieth, the experience will be just as thrilling. To get the utmost from this daredevils-only-activity, however, you might try free-falling from one or more of these locales.
1. Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria Falls in Livingston, Zambia, is the largest waterfall in the world – that is, the largest when you factor in both its width and its height. It’s awe-inspiring to stare at the Zambezi River tumbling with such power and majesty. Of course, you won’t have much time for staring as you leap off Victoria Falls Bridge, which is 420 feet tall and which connects the nations of Zambia and Zimbabwe. But you will be so close to Victoria Falls that it will spray you as you go.
2. Verzasca Dam
Ticino, Switzerland’s 720-foot-high Contra Dam is popularly known as the Verzasca Dam, as it’s situated on the Verzasca River. Nestled among the Alps, this hydroelectricity-producing behemoth allows you to fulfill your fantasy of being James Bond. That’s because Pierce Brosnan leaps from this dam at the beginning of “Goldeneye” (1995).
3. Bloukrans River Bridge
Bloukrans River Bridge holds the distinction of being the Earth’s highest single span arch. Construction on this beautiful bridge, located just outside Nature’s Valley in South Africa, was completed in 1983, and people have been allowed to jump off it since 1990. It’s a safe 709-foot jump, too; there hasn’t been a bungee accident here since 1997.
4. The Last Resort
The Bhote Khosi River begins in Tibet, cuts through the Himalayas, and winds up in India. A luxurious resort called The Last Resort, which has been in business since 1999, is located on this river, near Tibet. These accommodations include a suspension bridge about 525 feet above the river. It’s widely considered the best – you can translate “best” as “scariest” – place to bungee jump in the Himalayas.
5. Royal Gorge Bridge
Colorado’s Royal Gorge Bridge attracts about 300,000 thrill-seekers annually, and at 1,053 feet, it’s the highest suspension bridge in the world. And there’s another reason to dive off this structure spanning the Arkansas River. A fire in June 2013 raged through the region, and forced the temporary closure of this bridge. Thus, when you bungee jump off Royal Gorge, you help the local economy to rebound.
6. Macau Tower
Since opening in late 2001, China’s multipurpose, futuristic Macau Tower has been among its great landmarks. Macau is an administrative region of China, once a Portuguese colony, located to Hong Kong’s west across the Pearl River Delta. If you visit this tower, you’ll have hours of available entertainment: This skyscraper includes restaurants, shops, and theaters. The highlight of your stay, however, is likely to be your 764-foot dive off the side of the building.
7. Ledge Urban Bungee
The Ledge Urban Bungee in Queenstown, New Zealand, may not be the highest of bungee jumps. The trip down is only 154 feet. But it provides a special rush all the same. That’s because the harness you’re strapped into allows you to descend any way you want: You can do flips, spins, or whatever other moves you can devise. You can jump at night, too. Having the lights of Queenstown twinkle at your feet is nothing short of magic.
8. Kaivopuisto
Kaivopuisto, better known as Kaivari, is a combination beach and public park in Helsinki, Finland – ideal for sunbathing in warm weather and sledding when it snows. Nowadays, Kaivopuisto is a haven for bungee-jumping enthusiasts from late July to mid-August, during which time they can jump off of a tall, crane-like structure and onto a platform floating in the water. And jumpers reach top speeds of nearly 75 miles per hour on the way down.
