Why hike around the mountains when you could fly above them? Ogle the Austrian Alps from up high with a ride on one of the fastest and longest steel rope slides in the world. The Flying Fox XXL in Leogang whisks riders 459 feet (140m) above the Salzburg region’s scenic mountains, valleys and forests at speeds of up to 81 miles per hour (130km/h). The line extends for 5,249 feet (1,600m) – plenty of time for admiring the views.

Swoop like a falcon across Jebel Jais, the highest peak in the UAE, on the gripping Jais Flight. The longest zipline in the world, it extends for just under two miles (2.83km), which is the equivalent of 28 football pitches, over the stark landscape of the Hajar Mountains. Over the course of a spectacular three minutes, you’ll get an epic bird’s-eye view of ravines, canyons and jagged peaks all while zooming along at knee-knocking speeds of up to 99 miles per hour (160km/h). If you can keep your eyes open, of course.

Start off the day in Spain and zip across to Portugal for the afternoon on Límite Zero, the world’s only cross-border zipline. You’ll also travel forward an hour as you cross a time zone on this ride. The zipline stretches 2,362 feet (720m) across the River Guadiana from Sanlúcar de Guadiana in Spain’s Huelva province to Alcoutim in Portugal’s Algarve at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80km/h). You can potter around this pretty part of Portugal for as long as you want before you head to the Alcoutim jetty to catch the ferry back to Spain.

If you’re going to fling yourself down a line surely you want to do it somewhere stunning and New Zealand’s Nelson Tasman region is the perfect place for it. Cable Bay Adventure Park has one of the longest flying foxes (another name for a zipline) in the world, spanning 5,249 feet (1,600m) across a forested valley. Riders on its Skywire get sweeping views of Cable and Delaware bays, the western ranges and D’Urville Island. You might even spy snow-capped Mount Taranaki over on the North Island. After experiencing 3,281 feet (1,000m) of gravity-assisted free-wheeling, where you’ll whip up speeds of 62 miles per hour (100km/h), your last stretch will slow to a more leisurely pace. That’s not it though, you’ll do it all over again – in reverse.

Whether you go in summer or winter, you’ll be in for glorious views of the mighty Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks in the Bernese Alps as you fling yourself down the First Flyer, a 2,625-foot-long (800m) zipline on Jungfrau. You’ll reach a max speed of 52 miles per hour (84km/h) and dangle around 164 feet (50m) above alpine meadows. If that’s not dramatic enough, sign up for the First Glider zipline instead. Strapped into a giant eagle glider, you’ll be carried backwards face down from the Schreckfeld cable car station to Grindelwald First at 45 miles per hour (72km/h), then swoop back to Schreckfeld facing forward at 52 miles per hour (83km/h).

Is Niagara Falls on your bucket list? Once you’ve ticked it off, sign up for the Zipline to the Falls to see the world’s most famous waterfall from an altogether more exhilarating angle. Located at the Grand View Marketplace, the zipline takes riders right across and into the gorge. You’ll zoom down 2,200 feet (670m), gliding past the American Falls, before coming in to land on an observation deck at the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. It’s a stunning sight whatever the season, but winter is arguably the most dramatic with snowy landscapes and ice adding to the adventure.

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As its name suggests, this is a big old beast of a zipline. The Sasquatch is the longest zipline in North America at 7,000 feet (2,134m). Not just that but you’ll travel at over 62 miles per hour (100km/h) at 600 feet (183m) above the ground as you whizz between Blackcomb and Whistler mountains. Needless to say, the scenery as you glide over Fitzsimmons Valley and the rushing waters of its namesake creek is eye-popping.

Uplifting mountain views are also part of the thrill of Long-ZIP Slide in Forest Adventure at Mishima Skywalk, a hub of thrilling aerial activities in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. The three-wire zipline swoops towards Mount Fuji, next to the Mishima Skywalk, with soul-stirring vistas of the country’s most sacred peak and the stunning Suruga Bay as far as the eye can see. Up for more? Take a walk along the skywalk, it’s the longest suspension bridge in Japan at 1,312 feet (400m).

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Strung high in the treetops of southern Sweden’s Småland region, a thrilling woodland aerial adventure awaits – nearly three miles (4.5km) of vertigo-inducing fun, in fact. Before embarking on Little Rock Lake’s eight different ziplines, which have a combined length of 8,563 feet (2,610m), riders must cross a suspension bridge that sits 59 feet (18m) above the ground. Launching into the forest, riders get up to 47 miles per hour (75km/h) with the highest point being 171 feet (52m). You’ll also learn about the woodlands, as two guides give nature tours along the way on this three-hour elevated expedition.

Want to take on the world’s fastest zipline? Then zip over to North Wales and Zip World Penrhyn Quarry. An adrenaline junkie’s paradise, the old slate quarry is now abuzz with an array of thrilling activities but it’s the Velocity 2 that holds the world title. Swooping across the quarry with views over Snowdonia, the line takes riders to speeds of over 100 miles per hour (161km/h) along its almost mile-long (1.5km) length. You can enjoy the experience next to mates too as there are four parallel lines over two separate ziplines. You might even glimpse coastal beauty Anglesey while you’re up there.

Sister adventure centre Zip World Tower, located in the former Tower Colliery site in South Wales, lays claim to the world’s fastest seated zipline. The Phoenix is also the steepest of all of the Zip World group’s ziplines. With four parallel lines, so you enjoy the thrill with friends, it zooms down Rhigos Mountain and across the Llyn Fawr reservoir at 70 miles per hour (113km/h). A second line takes riders back up to the Tower Colliery, making it almost one mile long (1.5km) in total. As well as views of the old coal mine, you’ll see the glorious green landscapes of the Brecon Beacons all around.

Race a mile (1.5km) over the captivating desert and mountains of northwest Saudi Arabia on the AlUla Zipline at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour (120km/h). This ancient landscape is one of the oldest on the Arabian Peninsula and one-time capital of the North Arabian Lihyanites, followed by the Nabataeans. It’s famed for its spectacular monumental tombs. An extension has just been added to the dual ride, which is open from May to August, that now makes it the longest and fastest in the country.

Queensland’s adventure-packed Mount Tamborine is where you’ll find the country’s longest, fastest and highest zipline tour. Over the course of three hours at Treetop Challenge’s adventure park in Thunderbird Park, you’ll glide across, cannon ball down and fly backwards around seven ziplines that together stretch for just under a mile (1.4km). As you climb to heights of more than 230 feet (70m) you’ll gaze down over ancient rainforests and Cedar Creek Canyon. You might not take much in though as you reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour (70km/h).

Expect thrills aplenty at Niseko Hanazono Resort's brand new Hanazono Zip World. Three graded ziplines covering 8,500 feet (2,591m) offer the longest zipline tour in Japan with sprawling views across the Annupuri ranges and Mount Yotei. After riding a gondola up to the launch platform, riders are accompanied by a dedicated guide as they take on the three stages of the mega zipline. There are two shorter and lower stretches before the pièce de résistance, the Black Diamond Superfly. At 5,577 feet (1,700m) it is the longest single zipline in Asia and reaches a speed of 68 miles per hour (110km/h). The experience takes around two hours and is open from July until the end of October

Take on the second longest zipline in the world (and the longest in the US) head first – literally. Located in Puerto Rico’s Toro Verde Adventure Park in the Central Mountain Range, the aptly named Monster involves a head-first horizontal ride along a 8,300-foot-long (2,530m) cable, which is around 28 football fields. It goes up to a cheek-wobbling 95 miles per hour (153km/h) and sits at a height of 1,247 feet (380m). After that, the park’s second longest zipline, the Beast, will barely get your heart racing...

Glide over Perth’s Swan River from Matagarup Bridge at 47 miles per hour (75km/h) – getting a bird’s-eye view of the city’s scenic waterway while you’re at it – before landing on the Burswood Park foreshore. After climbing around 150 steps up the bridge to the launch platform, which sits 115 feet (35m) over the water, riders embark on the 1,312-foot-long (400m) Matagarup Bridge Zipline. The attraction opened in 2021 and twilight rides are also available. Dual cables allow for two riders and anyone over eight years old can give the zipline a go.

Dangle over the prehistoric native forest that used to cover this part of North Island on Rotorua Canopy Tour’s aerial adventure experience. As well as ziplines you also have to negotiate your way along swing bridges, cliff walks and tree-top platforms. Go for the three-hour Original Canopy Tour or up the ante on the higher and longer Ultimate Canopy Tour. Over three and a half hours, you’ll travel along six ziplines that stretch for 3,937 feet (1,200m), walk along a 164-foot-high (50m) cliff walkway, three suspended swing bridges and tackle a 59-foot-high (18m) controlled descent.

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With the foothills of Alberta’s Canadian Rockies as a backdrop, you know you’re going to be in for some awe-inspiring views on Alternative Adventures’ zipline. Especially as you’ll be flying head first over the rugged landscape in a hang-gliding harness, which is suspended 33 feet (10m) below the cable. You can also choose just how fast you want to go, as the tension of the cable is adjustable. Just tell the operators your bravery levels and they can control the speed of your descent, angle of your launch and the amount of freefall you want. Plus, you can use your body, arms and legs to control your direction and rate of swing. The zipline is open from April to early September.

Another of the world’s mega ziplines, this whopper in northern Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park zooms thrill-seekers 3,445 feet (1,050m) across the world's second deepest canyon, the Tara River Canyon. Over a length of half a mile (1km) and speeds of up to 75 miles per hour (120km/h), riders can marvel at the chasm and gushing river 4,300 feet (1,300m) below. You’ll also get to see the architecture of the impressive Durdevica-Tara bridge from another angle. The zipline is open from May to the end of November.

What better way to end a high-octane aerial adventure over Belize’s dense jungle than with a soak in a waterfall? Adventurous types will adore Angel Falls Xtreme Adventures on the edge of the Sibun Forest Reserve in southeast Belize. Its zipline experience is made up of eight different lines and 15 platforms, which are dotted around the wildlife-filled jungle. You can add an extra challenge by rappelling down the side of Angel Falls, a series of cascades that drop more than 400 feet (122m), before taking a dip in its pool.

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Got a head for heights? You’ll need one to ride Verbier’s Mont 4 Zipline, the highest in the world at an altitude of 10,925 feet (3,330m) above sea level. Getting to the launch platform is part of the fun – it involves taking two cable cars and one chair lift before you launch down the line for just under a mile (1.4km). Riders will reach speeds of more than 62 miles per hour (100km/h) as they swoop across the Tortin glacier. If you can manage it, take a moment to mountain spot before your descent: you should be able to see the Matterhorn, Dent d'Hérens, Grand Combin, Mont-Blanc and 100 other summits from the launch platform. The zipline is open in summer and winter.

An 18th-century cocoa and coffee plantation in St Lucia has become a hub for adventures on the picturesque island. Chief among Morne Coubaril Historical Adventure Park’s attractions are its eight ziplines. The views are extraordinary as riders glide over this lush part of the island and under the magnetic Petit Piton – one of the area's famous twin forested volcanic plugs – and ogle uninterrupted views over Soufriere and the Caribbean Sea.

Get a new perspective on one of the world’s seven natural wonders by buckling into the Grand Canyon West zipline. Located in the Hualapai Reservation at the West Rim of the Canyon, the zipline course measures 3,200 feet (975m) and soars 500 feet (152m) above the canyon’s floor, propelling riders to speeds of 40 miles per hour (64km/h). With two quad ziplines, up to four people can take the leap together. Up for more? Step out onto the see-through Skywalk for more knee-buckling views of the chasm. 

Conquer America’s highest zipline, the Cloudscraper ZipRider, at the Royal Gorge Bridge. The ride departs from the South Rim of the Royal Gorge and sees daredevils glide 1,200 feet (366m) above the rushing Arkansas River in a hands-free seated harness. The zipline runs parallel to the historic (and America’s highest) suspension bridge and its Aerial Gondolas – which you will also need to brave to reach the launch pad. 

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Canada’s Bay of Fundy is famous for having the world’s highest tides. Get a unique view of this phenomenon and dramatic stretch of the wild Atlantic coast from Cape Enrage which, along with towering cliffs and a historic lighthouse, has a 600 feet (183m) zipline. You can combine the zipline with another heart-pumping adventure – rappelling 142 feet (43m) down the cliffs that overlook the Bay of Fundy's colossal tides.

Somewhere between a zipline and roller coaster, Treetops Adventure’s Zipcoaster Xpress will leave you both shaken and stirred after an unlimited hour-long session in the swing harness on the twisty-turny ride. You can take as many flights as you want on the 1,640-foot-long (500m) track that features aerial obstacles, drops and 360-degree loops around trees as you dangle high above the forest floor.

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Ziplining through cloud forests is one of Costa Rica’s must-dos and 100% Aventura Adventure Park’s Canopy Tour is the ultimate treetop thrill. It includes nine ziplines and two 'superman' ziplines, including the longest in the country at over 5,220 feet (1,590m). You’re not done there, though – there's also a mega swing, rappelling and a hammock bridge to balance across.

It’s not just the views that take your breath away in the gorgeous green mountains of Dahilayan in the Philippines’ province of Bukidnon. The area is also home to one of Asia’s best activity centres, Dahilayan Adventure Park. One of its best squeal-inducing rides is in its Zipzone – Asia’s longest dual zipline. Riders are strapped into a 'superman' harness to fly at speeds of up to 56 miles per hour (90km/h) from the launch point which sits at 4,700 feet (1,433m) above sea level. After that, the free-fall pendulum swing will be a breeze.

You’ve soared over forests, canyons and quarries, but have you ziplined far out at sea? Take a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas and you can take on its zipline, which is suspended nine decks above the ship’s boardwalk. The zipline is free for passengers on the cruise. After that, test your nerve on Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea which plummets down 10 decks. 

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From record-breaking sky-high infinity pools to the world's biggest Ferris wheel, Dubai tends to think big. Its XLine zipline, which sees riders zooming in a 'superman' harness through the skyscrapers of Dubai Marina, is the world’s longest urban zipline. It is just over half a mile (1km) long, 558 feet (170m) high and steep too, with riders descending at an incline of 16 degrees at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80km/h). The take-off platform is at the top of one of the Amwaj Towers and riders land at the Dubai Marina Mall terrace.

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