Worldwide Sky-High Travel Thrills
While you can peer down from a plane or helicopter or via skydiving, bungee jumping, zip-lining and the like, there are also many sky walks and observation decks around the world which will help you take in the magnificence below and see things from a different perspective. Read on for some of the most cleverly-constructed, visitor-friendly viewing platforms you can add to your bucket list today.
Arenal Sky Walk in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, you don’t want to miss a walk along the Sky Walk hanging bridges, created by Sky Adventures, the pioneers in building these types of constructions. The bridges span across canyons and allow visitors to admire the “cloud forest” from the upper level of the canopy.
Head to the Sky Walk in Arenal if you’re in the area to check out the famous Arenal volcano, a big part of Costa Rican tourism that draws many visitors each year. The over two-mile-long Arenal Sky Walk trail takes participants over five suspension bridges, to two observation decks and past two stunning waterfalls during the approximately three-hour walk.
Because 90 percent of forest organisms live at the top of trees, you’ll get to see some of Costa Rica’s amazing biodiversity. Local guides accompany tours too, so you’ll learn about native plant and animal species as you walk.
Glacier Skywalk in Canada
If you’re someone who loves to be high up and who enjoys feeling like you’re walking on air, take yourself to the Glacier Skywalk, located along the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park, Canada. The attraction opened in 2014 and features an observation platform that is more than 900 feet above the Valley below.
The biggest test for walkers, though, is that the deck has a glass floor! This construction choice means visitors get amazing views to glacier-carved landscapes and ice-capped mountains.On top of the observation deck, the Glacier Skywalk experience includes the Discovery Trail. This is a cliff-edge (accessible) walkway that extends along the Sunwapta Valley. It boasts numerous interpretative signs along the way to help travelers learn about the area and what they’re looking at.
If you have never had the chance to see the iconic Grand Canyon before, it’s no doubt on your bucket list. However, when you do visit this world-famous natural landmark, make sure you go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a transparent, horseshoe-shaped platform built in 2007.
From the platform, you get to see the Colorado River and the Canyon from more than 650 feet up. With its cantilever design and glass floor (they’re popular!), this attraction provides one of the best views of the Grand Canyon you could ever hope to find.
Tianmen Mountain Skywalk in China
If you’re after a remote sky walk, book a ticket to China. Here you will find the Skywalk on Tianmen Mountain. This out-of-the-way viewing platform is located around 600 miles from Guangzhou and is one of China’s most spectacular tourist attractions.
The Skywalk path reaches up high, sitting at over 4,500 feet high. It provides travelers with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains in the Hunan Province and features a glass walkway that may make you feel a little dizzy. Visitors are asked to remove their shoes before heading on to the path (they’re provided with sock booties to wear) because it’s too hard to find cleaners who are comfortable polishing the less than 40-inches-wide walkway!
Suspended Platform at Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil
Millions of visitors head to the border of Argentina and Brazil each year to admire the roaring Iguazu Falls. These UNESCO World Heritage-listed waterfalls are over 1.8 miles wide and drop vertically over 260 feet.
The subtropical rainforests which surround the natural phenomenon are also a feast for the senses and are home to more than 2,000 species of plants and a wide variety of animals. As such, you’ll want to walk out onto the suspended platform at the Falls to take in the power of the waterfalls below, so you can be on the lookout for birds and other creatures nearby.
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