The sky is your limit, so you better reach out to it. - Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Each one of us has once stared broodingly at the sky and wanted to be a bird. I had always wanted to be Icarus (minus the melting waxed wings, of course). As a student, I was often caught staring out of the window while doing an assignment at the sky. All I wanted was to sail along with the clouds in the empyrean blue of the sky and longed to touch the sun. My implausible dream finally found its footing when I got my skydiving license 6 years back, and I dived into the sky with a bird's eye view of the port city of Cape Town in South Africa. And ever since, there has been no stopping.
Once you get the taste of the sky, you cannot really resist the call of the clouds. So, if you are an adventurer like me, then skydiving can be a life-altering experience for you too. There is no substitute of the free fall, the feeling you get when it's just you in the bright blue skies. Every time you dive, it is like the best experience, isn't it? If skydiving has been in your bucket list for a long time now, it is time to check the box.
World's Best Skydiving Holiday Destinations
I have got several requests to list the best destinations with the most spectacular views from up above. In answer to all your queries, I have come up with a complete list of the best spots across the world that you must visit if you want to experience the bliss of adrenaline rush. Go ahead and check these amazing spots for skydiving and fall in love with the sky.
Mount Everest - the highest peak in the world! Since our very schooldays, we have been introduced do the tallest peak through our General Knowledge textbook. Imagine taking a dive over the skies of the towering Mt. Everest and coming down on one of the snowcapped lower mountains. The very thought gets your adrenaline pumping, doesn't it? Although the life-changing experience can cost you a fortune for a skydiving trip (read $1200), yet I can assure you that it will worth every penny of your savings.
There are four skydiving trips every year, and you will have to pay $100 as a security deposit six months prior tee trip and then the lump sum of $1200 three months before the date of the trip. If you want to fall from the clouds to the most exhilarating place, then visit this link for all the details.
How can I not include the destination where I had started my journey as a skydiver from! Cape Town is a haven when it comes to adventure sports. Of late, South Africa has become quite a popularity wanderlust magnet, and Cape Town is especially famous among the adventure sports lovers. And if you are a thalassophile, then it is a bonus for you. You get to dive in the brilliant blue skies and enjoy the sight of the skyline reflected on the beautiful sea beneath.
The jumps range from 9000 to 13000 ft. Depending on your experience and physical fitness, you will be given the ideal range you should dive from. The experience is even more satisfying since it doesn't pinch a big hole in your pocket. The charges start from just $200 and go higher, depending on the altitude and the spot you choose. Check here for more details.
Brazil is already a vacationer's paradise. Visiting the Rio De Janeiro Carnival is in itself an experience of a lifetime. This place should definitely be in your bucket list. Basically, you get to tick off two items from the list when in Brazil. Not many people know, but Brazil offers a splendid skydiving experience. If you are a sucker for beaches, then you get to dive through the skies overlooking the cacophonic beaches in Copacabana.
The freefalls are generally from a height of 13000 ft above sea level, and the cost starts at $210 and depends on the height and spot you choose. You can also take a dive from Mt. Corcovado, home to the looming effigy of Christ the Redeemer. But of course, that is going to cost you more. Here is everything you need to know before you take the free fall in Brazil.
Interlaken, Switzerland
Personally, I feel that skydiving is amazing wherever you do it. And yet I think that the Swiss Alps is one of the BEST PLACES on the Earth for your first skydiving vacation. If you are looking for a snowy panorama, then the second best option (after the Himalayan Range in Nepal) has to be Switzerland. While you can visit the valleys of the Alpine region for tobogganing and ski jumping, Interlaken is THE place to be in if you want to skydive in Switzerland. You can get the taste of the snowy mountain peaks, icy blue lakes, and a quagmire of spruce trees all at once.
I guarantee this: one dive and you will never forget it. You can choose between static line, bungee and accelerated free fall from a maximum range of 14,000 ft. The dives start from $380 and go up to $1000. Make sure you check all the essentials before you invest.
The land of the Bull Fight, Spain has endless opportunities when it comes to adventurous sports. You can squash each other tomato red at the La Tomatina festival, go rock climbing in Pico De Europa, and heliskiing in the Pyrenees. But when it comes to sky sports, then Seville is hands down the best place to head to.
Indulge in a skydiving experience while falling into the abyss of city lights. One of the best skydiving holiday destinations while on a Europe trip, you can take a colossal drop from 15,000 feet above the sea level in both tandems and accelerated free fall. The cost starts from $225 and can go as high as $600 depending on the view you are looking for.
Fox Glacier, New Zealand
New Zealand is known as the adventure capital of the world and rightly so. From bungee jumping to sky gliding to skydiving - you get it all. You can stay assured that the facilities and the security are top-notch. The best part is that Fox Glacier is a crazy combination of a gleaming glacier with stunning rainforests and the beautiful Tasman Sea. You get to see how all the pieces of nature fit in like a puzzle to make one ethereally spellbinding picture.
Another exotic place to skydive when in New Zealand would be Queenstown. You can experience the thrill of descending on the residential line of the town in the South Island. The jumps are generally tandem dominated, and you can dive from a maximum altitude of 15000 ft and the charges for the same start from $220. Click here for more details.
When it comes to Hawaii, skydiving isn't the first thing that comes to your mind (snorkelling with sharks topping your list). Not known are privy to the fact that Hawaii offers one of the best skydiving experiences in the world. Moreover, if you are an environmentally conscious person, then Hawaii is the paradise of skydiving for you. The skydiving operations are carried out using energy efficient planes to reduce skydiving carbon footprint by almost 40%.
You can try tandem free falling from a height of 12000 ft above the sea level and come down to a crow-fly view of the entire group of islands. You can even dive from the top of the most famous destinations such as the Pearl Harbour, the Diamond Head and the Kaena Point. The cost is a little higher (being a tourists' favorite) and starts from USD 250. Check this link for more details.
The emotion of taking a free fall remains unparalleled. If you ask me to describe my first fall, I would be at a loss of words trying to come up with the right words to explain how I felt. It is almost like a punch drunk feeling - high on courage, craziness, excitement, adrenaline and so much more. If you want to experience the best views on the planet while taking a fall, then start saving now so that you can check these 7 destinations off your list.
I am looking forward to seeing you gushing about your tryst with the sky and the clouds. Till then, fill your pockets with a job and your heart with travel.
Shirley Brown is a professor of English Literature and an CPM Homework Helper associated with the assignment writing service. She is also a certified skydiver and a tandem trainer.