Swings are for kids, right? Not this one. The Giant Canyon Swing at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is big enough and mean enough to strike fear into the hearts of seasoned adrenaline junkies.
Perched precariously on the edge of a frighteningly sheer cliff, 400 metres above the Colorado River, the Giant Canyon Swing is not your average piece of playground equipment.
For just on 60 seconds it hurtles four passengers at a time, back and forth, to a near vertical angle. It also rockets to a top speed of 80 kilometres an hour, which is enough to create negative G-forces. That’s kinda like having butterflies in your tummy, only a hundred times worse, and with the added fear of vomiting or passing out. Or both.
It’s so scary, riders must sign a liability waiver, and anyone under the age of 18 must have a parent’s or guardian’s signature. Even owner Steve Beckley has only ever ridden the Giant Canyon Swing once. Now if that’s not an indicator of how petrifying the experienceis, we’re not sure what is.
There are few better places to try ice climbing than Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Take a day off from the surrounding slopes for an adventure you won’t forget.
You’ll be picked up directly from your accommodation, fitted out with all the right gear and taken to the entrance of the glorious snow-covered Yampa Valley. From there, you’ll shuffle through waist-deep powder and over icy bridges, crossing frozen rivers to the imposing Fish Creek Falls.
Ice climbing is not for the faint-hearted, and is more difficult than you’d think. Once you’ve attached your crampons and worked out how not to take your eye out with the ice picks, it’s onto the frozen waterfall and upwards.
The big key is trusting your crampons once you’ve kicked into the ice, again much more difficult than you’d think. Only then can you relax, look around and enjoy the incredible surroundings.
Don’t let the name fool you there’s no way you’ll be smiling once this headache-inducing contraption is done with you. The Smiler is the world’s first 14-loop roller coaster, and while it may not be the tallest (its highest point is 30 metres) it does manage to reach a maximum speed of 85 kilometres an hour.
Now that’s uncomfortably fast, especially when The Smiler lasts for a torturous three minutes. But the terror doesn’t just begin the moment the over-shoulder restraints lock into place. Oh no. While lining up in the queue, which begins outside and moves into a darkened room, riders are subjected to projections, special effects, strobe lighting and optical illusions specifically designed to play tricks on your eyes and mind.
It’s certainly disorientating enough to make you feel queasy about what’s to come. Located at Alton Towers, the largest theme park in the UK, The Smiler has got enough sneaky tricks and loop-the-loops up its sleeve to guarantee you’ll be left sufficiently shaken.
It is difficult to explain the adrenaline rush when you first spot a 15-metre-long humpback whale rising out of the deep blue depths below your dangling feet. As it rises, your guide encourages you to “swim, swim, swim” until you’re within only a few metres of the huge surfacing mammal; so close, in fact, you can catch the gaze of its eye staring right through you as it surfaces for a breath. Suffice to say, this has to be one of the world’s great wildlife experiences.
And if you are going to swim with humpback whales then why not do it in the warm waters of French Polynesia while basing yourself on a luxury catamaran?
The team at Majestic Whale Encounters are experts in humpback whale experiences, with offerings in French Polynesia’s outer Austral Islands and Tonga. But if you want to do it in style, cruising Moorea on a yacht is the way to go.
Looking for an epic Vanuatu cultural event? Then the Maskelyne Canoe Festival, where there’s feasting, kastom dance, traditional craft and canoe making and, of course, the ultimate outrigger canoe race, should head to the top of your travel hit list.
Attended by locals and travellers, the festival takes place every July, in a tiny archipelago called the Maskelyne Islands, off the coast of Vanuatu’s second largest island, Malekula. The Maskelynes are a pristine group of low-lying islands with extensive reefs and mangroves. You’ll find welcoming bungalow accommodation, mainly on the island of Uluveo, at places like Batis Seaside Bungalows, which can be booked through Airbnb.
The two-day festival has four rounds of competitive canoe racing, which see men, women and children competing in individual, team and relay races. However, there‘s much more to do than simply watching the fast paddling action. Try traditional kakae (island food) or watch members of the local community perform kastom songs and dances.
Travellers are encouraged to spend more time in the area after the festival, exploring some of Vanuatu’s most linguistically and culturally diverse islands. As the islands are surrounded by a protected marine park, there’s the chance to snorkel the reefs – you might even get lucky enough to spot a dugong. Out of the water, hike diverse terrain or spend time in one of the local villages learning about the unique culture and history of the islands.
Did you know there’s just one place in Australia where you can go on a tour to spot killer whales? This is a natural lovers’ paradise but it is a little remote. The town of Bremer Bay sits on the Southern Ocean between Albany and Esperance in Western Australia.
It’s also where you’ll set sail on the Alison Maree, a modern, 20-metre-long catamaran specifically built for these parts. On your way out to the Bremer Canyon, where the whales live, you’ll listen to a presentation about what you can expect on your eight-hour expedition, although no two days are ever the same. Make sure you keep on eye on the sea though – pods of dolphins are often seen riding the boat’s wake.
Arriving at killer whale central, you’ll probably spy wildlife pretty quickly. It’s not always the killer whales that first come into view – you might also spot sperm whales, pilot whales, beaked whales, sharks or oceanic sunfish while pelagic sea birds fly above.
It won’t be long until the orcas appear. More than 250 are thought to inhabit this area and you’re almost guaranteed to see them. They’re often spotted breaching, spy hopping, surging through the wake, nurturing their young or working with other family pods to hunt.
On-board marine biologists will let you know what to look for throughout the day, and professional photographers are on hand to capture the experience. After your trip, you’ll be emailed the images as well as a daily blog explaining the day’s events.
Armchair experts who live for the opportunity to talk at length about the intricacies of rhythmic gymnastics and canoe slalom once every four years should plan a visit to Colorado Springs. The huge United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum – a sprawling 5,500 square metre building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro – opened there in August 2020.
Visitors can follow the history of the Games from ancient Greece to the present day. It’s fully interactive too, so you can imagine what it’s like to enter an arena during the opening ceremony or try your hand at a training program for sledge hockey (ice hockey for players with disabilities). Of course, it’s very much Team USA, but sports nuts will be rapt.
Imagine this… You look up, far into the air and there, cascading down from an oversized whisk, is a nine-metre-tall chocolate fountain. If you’re anything like us, you just want to dive right in, but we really don’t recommend it lest it leads to time spent in a Swiss jail. This is the world’s largest choc waterfall and the opening salvo for guests visiting Lindt Home of Chocolate.
Opened by none other than Swiss legend and Lindt ambassador Roger Federer in September 2020, this is part production plant and part museum all packaged in an impressive architectural display. Watch as the company’s master chocolatiers do their thing in the research laboratory or tour the exhibition that travels from Ghana, where the cocoa beans are grown, right through every stage of chocolate production. There’s even a chance to pour your own chocolate creation.
And what sort of chocolate museum would it be if there wasn’t a tasting room? You can indulge in a sample or two, before taking a load off in the Lindt Cafe or giving your credit card a bashing at the world’s largest Lindt store. You might need some extra room in your suitcase to get all your purchases home again.
Splashes of colour, quirky characters and hyper-realistic animals are set to take over the pavements, laneways and buildings of the NT capital when the Darwin Street Art Festival kicks off on 14 September.
Now in its fourth year, the must-see, seven-day festival has quickly developed into one of the city’s most popular events. While this year will no doubt look a little bit different (thanks for nothing, Covid-19), some of the best Aussie street artists are already confirmed and have been working hard to whip up their magical designs.
Attendees can expect to see more than 45 murals and 13 augmented reality pieces by the likes of PRESSPlay, Pennyrose Wiggins, Cindy May and Jason Lee. An exciting new addition to the festival line-up this year is Wall Season, which involves 10 local artists beautifying blank spaces with their mind-blowing masterpieces – plus, it’s a chance to see these incredible creators up close and hard at work.
There’s also a newly released app to download, which features an interactive map, artist descriptions and a screen record function. It’s the perfect companion for a day of roaming Darwin’s vibrant streets.
If you want to get to know the real Dubai – the Old Dubai, with its bustling back streets, souks teeming with fragrant spices, textiles and food from Arabic, Indian and Iranian traditions – you must jump aboard the Frying Pan Adventures Souks Food Walk.
The walk begins at Deira, where your guides will lead you into the heart of the spice souk with its sensory overload of shouts, sights and smells. You’ll be plied with information on the medicinal qualities of turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and the most prized spice of all, saffron.
Venture away from the throngs of tourists and into the warren of alleyways to tiny eateries frequented by locals. You’ll sample parotta (flaky flatbread from Kerala) filled with egg and melted cheese, and chips with daqoos (vinegary hot sauce). At other pit stops feast on Emirati snacks and Iranian kebabs. It’s all so moreish, but there is more to come so pace yourself.
You’ll take an abra (Dubai’s oldest form of water transportation) across the creek to Little India with its Ganesh statues, brightly coloured flower garlands and sweet rose incense. Snaking through alleyways, you’ll arrive at the tour’s piece de resistance, the Arabian Tea House, located in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
The tea house is a step back in time, with its turquoise benches, white rattan chairs, lace curtains and bountiful flowers in an open-air setting. This is the place to taste Emirate food. Begin with mint tea then move on to cheese samboosa with tamarind dip, falafel with tahini, fatoush salad, chicken machos (cooked Emirati style) and rice pilaf with loomi (dried limes). It’s all wholesome, homely, authentic and delicious.
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