World’s most dangerous travel experiences

By Paul Hansford —

IF recent reports are to be believed, travellers are getting a little bored about what they can experience on this planet.

First, the fantastically titled associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administrations Office of Commercial Space Transportation, George Nield, stated that space travel will be a $10 billion industry within the next decade.

Both XCOR Aerospace and Virgin Galactic have sold seats on sub-orbital space flights, with Ashton Kutcher announced as the 500th person to sign up for Richard Bransons $200,000-a- pop flight (let’s hope it’s a one-way ticket.).

Back on terra firma (well kinda) and no sooner had filmmaker James Cameron returned from a trip to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific – a seven mile-deep jaunt to hell and back – than experts are selling it as the newest adventure travel experience.

No doubt trips to the deepest part of the ocean will sell like hot cakes, despite the fact you’re in a pokey submersible in complete darkness 35,000ft from help.

You see travellers like nothing more than a little bit of organised danger on their trip, be it a bungy jump, skydive or Bangkok tuk-tuk ride.

It’s all part of the “you’re only here once” mantra that makes people do things they wouldn’t normally do.

But now that everyone and their parents has bungyed some waterfall or solo skydived, travellers with a thirst for adventure are looking for the next big thing to get their adrenal gland pumping.

So until you can blast off to space or head to the bottom of the ocean in a tiny tomb sorry, “sub”, you’ll just have to content yourself with these dangerous travel experiences from around the globe.

Cycle the Road of Death, Bolivia

This 60km stretch of road from the capital La Paz to the town of Coroico has been known as the world’s most dangerous road since 1995. A treacherous, winding mountain pass, it’s virtually all single lane and impassable when it rains.

While most drivers now avoid it due to fear of ending upside at the bottom of a valley, fearless travellers can take a cycle down the El Camino de la Muerte – The Road of Death. En route, bikers will see the lush Amazonian rainforest, amazing mountain scenery and 1000ft sheer drops in equal measure. Make sure you check your brakes before heading off.

Organise your own kidnapping, Paris

For those of you bored of the museums and nightlife of the French capital, you can always organise your own kidnapping. Yep, that’s right – you can purchase your very own kidnap package where you will be stolen away at random, bound and gagged and held for up to 11 hours in captivity.

It’s not cheap (900 euros for the basics) so be careful it doesn’t leave much for a ransom if real kidnappers get you first.

Run the Mt Everest Marathon, Nepal

If scaling the heights of the world’s most famous peak is either out of your price range or just too damn scary, you can always try the next best thing by entering the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon.

Run on the anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzings summit of Everest on May 29 each year, hardy fitness freaks take on the 42km course from base camp, which features monuments, monasteries and suspension bridges.

With the elevation at 5,000m above sea level, this one is dominated by locals – consider it an achievement if you merely finish upright.

Surf the Jaws break, Maui

Ever seen footage of surfers taking on waves so big that they need to be pulled by a jet ski just to get enough speed to take it on? Well chances are that you’re watching dudes pit their skills against Jaws, the world-famous surf break on the island of Maui in Hawaii.

Needless to say, this one isn’t for beginners but if you’re a bit bored by the average barrels you’ve been riding while travelling, 36m waves travelling 45kph might be more of a challenge for you.

Shoot an AK47, Cambodia

Live out all your Scarface/Terminator/Boyz ‘N’ The Hood fantasies by heading to the Phnom Penh Shooting Range in Cambodia. With a vast array of heavy artillery, including AK47s, M-16s, Uzis and even a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, you can pop off a few rounds with no experience necessary.

One online reviewer said that you can even negotiate for a live target such as a duck and if you want a cow to aim at, I’m sure they could accommodate you.

Walk the plank on Mt Huashan, China

There’s two things I can recommend for anyone thinking of taking on the plank walk on Mount Huashan:

1) make sure you have a head for heights, and 2) make sure your hostel has a washing machine as you’ll need a change of underpants at the end.

With only a safety harness to save you from a fall thousands of feet into oblivion, climbers traverse a mountain face by balancing on very thin, very rickety planks attached to the rock face.

Chernobyl Tour, Ukraine

As the site of the world’s most devastating nuclear disaster, Chernobyl stirs up images of a stark, obliterated landscape in the heart of the old Russia.

Although certain areas are still too dangerous to enter, you can take a tour around the area taking in a couple of the reactors and the eerie ghost town featuring an abandoned school, hotel and theme park.

The tour offers photo opps a plenty, the chance to chat to some locals and a packed lunch although its recommended to avoid the three-eyed fish sandwiches.-news.com.au