We're big fans of bringing our blood to a boil — and doing it on the go. That's why we've compiled the following list of our top 10 adrenaline experiences.
You don't necessarily need to throw yourself off a mountain to get your adventure fix. Try working a crowd in NYC or leaping across the Melbourne skyline, just to name a couple of crazy holiday options. Check out our list below:
Skydiving on the Gold Coast
It's called the ultimate adrenaline rush and there is no better place to do it than in the country's best 'drop zone'. The scenery as you climb to altitude is breathtaking, with views from Byron Bay to Stradbroke Island, taking in the Surfers Paradise skyline and the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland as well. Perhaps the best thing about skydiving here is that you actually get to land on the beach — how good is that?
Gold Coast Skydive Centre is based at Coolangatta Airport on the Gold Coast at.
Bungee jump the world's highest bungee
At a heart-popping 216m, the Bloukrans Bridge bungee in South Africa is the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. The platform is suspended beneath the road surface on the highest single span arch bridge in the world. The feeling that you get standing on the platform as the guys from
Face Adrenaline count you in is out of this world. In this instance, it really is a case of bigger being better.
Kingda Ka — the world's fastest and tallest rollercoaster
This behemoth accelerates from zero to more than 200km/h in 3.5 seconds. It then climbs vertically while twisting to the right, reaching nearly 140m into the air before spiralling straight down for 127m. It is the undisputed 'King of Rollercoasters' and will represent the scariest 28 seconds of your life. Even hardened thrill-seekers return looking a little pale. The
Six Flags Great Adventure theme park which contains Kingda Ka is just 100km from New York in the US and contains more rides (72) than any other theme park in the world.
Heli-rafting in Queenstown
Yes, that right — heli-rafting. It is the most spectacular way to go
white water rafting. Take off from beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand, and enjoy an amazing scenic flight before being dropped into Skippers Canyon and let loose on the Shotover River. What makes this rafting trip stand out — apart from being choppered in — is that you raft through a 170m tunnel. It's an eerie experience in total darkness. With the rapids graded from three to five (medium to 'oh my god') you'll definitely get your thrills, as well as the inevitable spills.
Become 'maverick' for a day in your own top gun experience
I feel the need, the need for speed! The
Mig-25 is the fastest aircraft ever built, capable of Mach 3 (more than 3000km/h). It can climb to 80,000 feet (twice as high as a jumbo jet) in two minutes. A true 'edge of space' experience with black skies and the curvature of the earth visible. Add to this combat style manoeuvres at faster than the speed of sound and this is possibly the biggest adrenaline rush of them all.
Do a comedy course at the American Comedy Institute in New York
Don't think that performing stand-up comedy fits in here amongst all these fast and furious activities? Then you obviously haven't felt the throat-drying sensation of performing your first stand-up comedy routine. New York is king of all things stand-up and the
Comedy Institute is the most revered school of all; try melting the Manhattan veneer of one of the world's toughest crowds. We dare ya!
Do a Parkour class
Feel the exhilaration of leaping across the tops of buildings in Melbourne's CBD. Admittedly, it does take a while to reach this level, but once you do, or even if you don't … whew!
Le Parkour, or Free Running, is the art of moving from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible through jumping, climbing and leaping through a (normally) urban landscape. It has its origins in France and has become a worldwide phenomenon. Get yourself down to one of the classes in Melbourne and experience the freedom.
BASE jump the Perrine Bridge in the US
Anyone that has skydived knows the fear and the adrenaline that pumps through your body as you leap. Well, times that by ten and you might get close to what it feels like to BASE jump. The Perrine Bridge in Idaho is the only bridge in the US where BASE jumping is allowed year round without a permit. Up to 5000 jumps per year take place here, making it the most jumped spot on the planet.
BASE Jumping is the most extreme of the activities listed here — know what you're doing before signing up.
Paintball battle at Heartbreak Ridge
You're leaning over a burnt out shell of a car, you've got one of the opposing force in your sites, and you feel the surge of adrenaline send a shiver down your spine. You just need her to move to the right and you'll have a clear shot … Paintball is the thinking person's adrenaline fix. It's tense, exciting and best of all it can last for hours.
Heartbreak Ridge in western Sydney is considered one of Australia's best fields.
Want something even more extreme? Check out the mental and illegal sport of base jumping on RALPH.
What's your top adrenaline experience? Have you tried any of the intense activities listed above? Tell us about it.
