The Hottest Helicopter Ride
Fans of air travel will love the offer from Chilean tour operators. For $12,000, local companies offer anyone interested a helicopter flight over the crater of the active Villarrica volcano. Its height is 2,840 meters.
The volcano is considered one of the most active in the Andes, having erupted over 60 times. The last major eruption occurred in 1971. At that time, lava flows and ash covered all nearby roads. On a clear night, a red glow can be seen above the volcano's summit. Locals say that the volcano should be feared when it is not emitting smoke – it means it is lying low and preparing for an eruption.
The flight to Temuco – the nearest city to the volcano that can be reached from Moscow – takes about 30 hours.
The Most Dangerous Bike Ride
If you are tired of cycling through the Moscow region forests or the Tambov swamps, you are welcome in Bolivia. Thousands of fans of risky two-wheeled rides come here every year. The road connecting the country's capital La Paz with the Yungas region is often called the "death road." The winding road runs along sheer cliffs and is not equipped with protective barriers, but it offers stunning views. Every year, about three hundred people do not reach their destination.
The flight from Moscow to La Paz can take from one to two days.
The Highest Bungee Jump
You can tie your legs with a rubber rope and jump from a height of 230 meters in Macau, China. Adrenaline junkies do not reach the ground until the last 30 meters, and the free fall lasts just over six seconds.
To get to Macau, you first have to fly to Beijing, Bangkok, or Shanghai. Including a layover, the flight will take about 20 hours.
The Darkest Parachute Jump
The depth of the Cave of Swallows in the tropical forest of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, is 512 meters. Parachuting enthusiasts believe that this is more than enough for a jump. The width of the cave, which in some places reaches 62 meters, allows the parachute to be opened without fear for health. One hopes that the promises of local tour operators not to forget any extreme sports enthusiast at the bottom of the cave are not just words.
Flight time to San Luis Potosí is about 20 hours including two layovers.
The Highest Cable Car
Traveling to the popular ski resort of Gulmarg in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is worth it if only for the unique beauty of the Himalayas, which is best enjoyed from the highest-altitude cable car. Its upper point is located at an altitude of 4,200 meters, and its length is about five kilometers. The staff warns that tourists with suspected heart problems should refrain from riding, otherwise, due to altitude changes, this ride could be their last.
Travel time from Russia to the state capital Srinagar with a minimum layover is 16 hours.
The Coldest Vacation
If the mere thought of two weeks on the beach or endless museum visits makes you cringe, you should definitely head to Oymyakon. This village in Yakutia on the banks of the Indigirka is often called the "pole of cold" and the coldest place on the planet. In the winter of 1938, a temperature of minus 77.8 degrees Celsius was recorded here.
It should be noted that it is not always so cold in Oymyakon. For example, on the eve of last New Year, it was only minus 33. In winter, the day length is four and a half hours. According to the 2010 census, the village is home to 462 people, most of whom are engaged in hunting and fishing, so you definitely won't starve here.
To get to Oymyakon from central Russia, you first have to fly to Yakutsk for six hours. "Planes fly from Yakutsk to Oymyakon only in summer, and even then once a week. So in winter, you can only get there by car on an icy road. Only one vehicle can cover 1,000 kilometers under harsh weather conditions – the UAZ-452 'loaf'. The travel time is up to 30 hours," says Oleg Sukhomesov, who used to work as an air traffic controller at Oymyakon airport.
The Fastest Ziplining
The popular extreme activity of ziplining involves descending a long steel cable at the highest possible speed. The fastest such attraction, called Zip 2000, is located in South Africa. During the two-kilometer descent, you can reach speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour (it is said the speed record is 185 kilometers per hour). The cable itself is located at a height of almost 280 meters.
You can only get to Zip 2000 by car from Johannesburg, the flight to which takes about 15 hours.
The Arctic Surfing
Do you think you can ride any, even the most unpredictable wave on your surfboard? Are you long tired of telling your friends for the thousandth time stories about how you outran a sperm whale in the open ocean? Then the offer from Unstad Arctic Surf school is made especially for you. The company has been taking surfers to the Lofoten Islands, located above the Arctic Circle, since 1963. In their free time from surfing in very cold waters, the school's owner Marion Frantzen offers travelers to warm up in a sauna or in hot thermal springs.
The fastest way to get to the archipelago from Moscow is with two layovers – in Oslo and Bodø. The travel time will be at least 28 hours.
The Most Extreme Boat Ride
In the Iguazú National Park on the border of Argentina and Brazil, there are about 270 waterfalls. The height of the water drop from the largest of them, "Devil's Throat," is 82 meters, which is 29 meters more than Niagara Falls. In 2011, Iguazú Falls were recognized as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Every year, Iguazu is visited by one and a half to two million tourists, the most daring of whom are offered to overcome the cascade of waterfalls on inflatable boats.
You can get to Iguazu from Moscow on flights of several airlines. The average travel time will be about 26 hours, but it should be noted that the cheapest tickets (for the nearest dates) will cost you more than 160 thousand rubles one way.
The most dangerous lunch with sharks
You can feed bloodthirsty sharks in dozens of countries; such tours are sold probably by more than a thousand tour operators. However, nowhere will you experience the same sensations from feeding sharks as in Beka Lagoon in Fiji. Only here will you and the predators not be separated by centimeter-thick steel bars. So if you are lucky, you will be able to pet the shark; if not, you will become its meal. The flight to Fiji will take about 19 hours.
Timur YUSUPOV.
Lenta.Ru