Purnima Sharma
While relaxed vacations spent away from the work desk and smartphone have their own charm in quiet rooms with a view, travellers are also always on the lookout for unusual activities to add zing to their holiday. Fortunately, many major tourist destinations across the globe offer diverse activities for those looking to experience an adrenaline rush. Here’s a list of a few destinations that vacationers must include in their itinerary when out in these parts…
A Touch of Glass (Sanya)
The Yalong Bay Forest Park at the island of Hainan, known as the ‘Hawaii of China’, offers a long wooden bridge that stretches from one mountain-top to the other. After the first few hesitant steps, clutching on to the thick ropes that support the bridge, you will soon start enjoying the bounties of nature as the bridge sways to the diktats of tropical breeze. Another fun-filled experience lies ahead where you slip plastic covers on your shoes (lest your footwear be slippery) and start walking on a 400m long glass. Platform areas let you savour the stunning locales all across, even right under your feet. There’s also a ferry ride that takes you to the Wuzhizhou Island nestled in the Haitang Bay. Here you can either walk or opt for a ride in battery-operated carts that go past huge boulders and the rocky mountainous terrain. The place also offers activities such as parasailing, jet-skiing, snorkelling and banana-boat rides.
Good time to visit: March to May & October to November
Vegetarian food could be difficult to find.
Date with speed (Abu Dhabi)
Good time to visit: April to May and September to October
Not for the faint-hearted (Macau)
Good time to visit: October to December
Slice of Greek mythology (Taiwan)
One of the highlights here is the ‘Fly Over Taiwan’ show. Complete with 4D effects, this flying-simulator experience offers a bird’s-eye view of all that this small island country has to offer — from its buzzing cities to the rugged landscape, water bodies and sports, etc.
Good time to visit: April to June & September to November
Views & hues of earth (Mauritius)
Adrenaline junkies must also not miss out on the seakarting experience in which you captain your own seakart. Once familiar with the basics, you can speed it up to 70 kmph. There’s flyboarding, too, in which once you step on to a skate-like board, the force of the waterjet below sends you soaring in the air.
Good time to visit: November to May
Under the Mangrove Trees (Nusa Lambongan)
Among the many islands of Indonesia, Nusa Lambongan, also referred to as Bali’s younger sister, is indeed special. After enjoying a dramatic display of mighty waves at Devil’s Tears, and trying your hand at water activities like snorkelling and cliff jumping in the quieter part of the island, a special experience awaits you — a mangrove tour. Canoe-like boats manoeuvred by the locals take you along the silent canals under the shades of tall, several hundred-year-old mangrove trees. You move past thick roots of the trees where the only sounds you hear are those of crickets and a few birds — an experience that can be counted among the most ‘silent’ ones of your life.
Good time to visit: April to October; Vegetarian food could be difficult to find
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