Where better to get up close to the forest-dwelling creatures of Laos' Nam Kan National Park than a treehouse? With eight soaring structures reaching up to 130 feet (40m), the Gibbon Experience, a tourism-based conservation project, is said to have the tallest treehouses in the world. After you wake up among the trees, it’s highly likely the first face you’ll see is that of a black-crested gibbon – they live in the forests of northwestern Laos. And if that isn’t thrilling enough, the only way to reach them and bed down for the night is via a network of ziplines.

This knee-trembling structure in the Aldeia das Águas Park Resort, in Barra do Piraí, holds the title for the tallest drop on a free-fall body water slide. The aptly-named Kilimanjaro opened in 2002 and rises to 164 feet (49.9m). Thrill-seekers reach speeds of around 56-60 miles per hour (82-91km/h) as they plummet down its slippery 60-degree incline.

Copenhagen’s innovative recreational site CopenHill, which was built on the roof of a clean power plant, has become quite the playground for urban adventurers, with people skiing and sledding on its artificial ski slopes, or hiking and running along tree-lined trails. The urban mountain sports centre also now has the tallest climbing wall in the world. At 279 feet (85m) high, it's designed to resemble a mountain, complete with overhangs and numerous challenging routes to the top.

Six Flags Great Adventure is home to a record-breaking drop tower, which is attached to the soaring Kingda Ka coaster. The Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom features a trio of free-fall drop attractions and is tipped as both the tallest and fastest drop ride in the world. Riders shoot up to heights of 415 feet (126m) before rushing back down again at 90 miles per hour (145km/h) in less than 10 seconds. Fast but furious indeed.

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Dubbed the “land of the giants”, Orlando’s ICON Park not only has the world’s tallest stand-alone swing ride – the Orlando StarFlyer at 450 feet (137m) – but it's also home to the world's tallest slingshot and free-standing drop. The 300-foot (91m) two-tower Orlando Slingshot launches two riders out of an “exploding volcano” up into the sky at speeds of 100 miles per hour (160km/h). Meanwhile, the Orlando Free Fall (430 feet/131m) sees 30 riders rotate up and around the tower before free-falling nearly 400 feet at 75 miles per hour (120km/h). 

Serious squeals are guaranteed for anyone brave enough to take on the world’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster. Six Flags Great Adventure lays claim to this world record with its coaster Kingda Ka, which reaches heights of up to 456 feet (139m) at an angle of 90 degrees. On launch from the station, riders go from zero to 128 miles per hour (206km/h) in just 3.5 seconds. After reaching the top, they're launched back down in a terrifying 270-degree spiral followed by a 129-foot (39m) camel hump for good measure. 

If you grew up loving swings in adventure parks, this one will blow you away (almost literally). The SkyFlyer in Dubai’s Bollywood Park defies gravity, reaching a terrifying height of 460 feet (140m). Those brave enough to ride it will have exceptional views of the Dubai skyline, but will also have to endure rotation at varying speeds. Made with 450 tonnes of steel and higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, SkyFlyer is the world’s tallest free-standing swing ride. Board it at your own peril.

Rising 530 feet (161.5m) above Ulm, a historic city in Baden-Württemberg, the Ulm Minster has the highest church spire in the world. The church’s first foundation stone was laid in 1377, but it wasn’t completed until 1890 when the main steeple was finally finished. Clamber up the huge Gothic structure’s 768 steps to reach its observation platform and absorb the dizzying views.

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Located on South Africa's ravishing Garden Route, Bloukrans Bridge’s bungee jump platform is widely regarded as the highest commercial bridge bungee jump in the world. It has become a magnet for the extreme sport, luring people from all corners of the globe to leap from 708 feet (216m) on its highest arch. You'll plunge down into the craggy gorge below and swing above the wilderness for incredible (upside-down) views, before being winched back up. Don’t fancy the bungee? Operated by Face Adrenalin, there’s also a bridge walking tour.

The highest and biggest observation wheel in the world is the latest addition to Dubai’s record-breaking skyline. It opened on Bluewaters Island, an artificial island just off the coast at the Jumeirah Beach Residence and the Dubai Marina, and takes the mantle off the High Roller in Las Vegas. At 820 feet (250m), it is 270 feet (82m) taller than Sin City's giant Ferris wheel and contains 11,200 tonnes of steel. Ain Dubai has 48 capsules and each can accommodate up to 40 people.

Located on the 77th floor of Address Beach Resort, this glamorous rooftop infinity pool is officially the world’s highest at 964 feet (294m). The huge pool is 311 feet (95m) long too, so there’s plenty of room for laps as swimmers drink in views of Ain Dubai and the glittering Gulf. It’s only open to hotel guests, but non-residents can sneak a peek by dining in rooftop restaurant Zeta Seventy Seven.

China has many vertigo-inducing bridges, but arguably none more so than the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in Sanguansixiang, Hunan. With its highest point rising to 980 feet (299m) above the canyon, it was both the highest and longest in the world when it opened in 2016. It connects soaring cliffs within the stunning Wulingyuan wilderness and two bungee platforms also opened beneath the pedestrian bridge in 2020. The east platform now lays claim to the world’s highest bungee jump from a footbridge, where daredevils can leap from a height of 853 feet (260m). The other has a decelerator drop ride.

Towering over Manhattan, Hudson Yards has the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere on its 100th floor – the Edge. If peering down at the Big Apple through a glass-bottomed deck from 1,131 feet (345m) wasn't hardcore enough, there’s a new thrill in town. City Climb will suit anyone with Spiderman fantasies, as participants scale the outside of the super-tall skyscraper before leaning right out and looking down from the edge. It's the highest open-air building ascent in the world.

The highest restaurant in the world from ground level, At.mosphere sits at 1,447 feet (441m) on the 122nd floor of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. The food is seriously high-end (think caviar, oysters and Wagyu beef), but the real draw is unparalleled views across the glittering desert city, which you can drink in from your table. Dubai has some of the planet's most vertiginous architecture and where better to view it than from the top of the world’s highest building?

Hong Kong has plenty of heady and hedonistic spots for sipping high-end cocktails accompanied with soaring skyline views, but Ozone is its highest rooftop bar. At 1,607 feet (490m) above sea level, it's also the highest in the world, located within the towering International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon. From their perch on the 118th floor of the Ritz Carlton hotel, bar-goers have dizzying views over the city and Victoria Harbour.

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Opened in June 2021 within the 1,841-foot (561m) Shanghai Tower, J Hotel is dubbed the world's highest hotel. Located across floors 84 to 105 and the 120th floor, its luxurious 165 rooms offer a stunning vantage point over the high-rise city, including the Yangtze River and Shanghai's financial hub Lujiazui . The views on cloudy days are no less breathtaking as guests awake surrounded by billowing clouds.

Constructed between Xuanwei in Yunnan province and Liupanshui in Guizhou province in 2016, this mighty mountain overpass soars over the Beipan river in a remote and rugged part of southwestern China. Sitting at 1,854 feet (565m) above ground, the impressive cableway structure is the world's highest bridge. It is also pretty long at 2,363 feet (720m).

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Plummeting 3,212 feet (979m) over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain and into the Churún River, the awe-inspiring Angel Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall. Equally dramatic is its remote location in southeastern Venezuela's Canaima National Park, with its striking flat-topped mountains and mist-shrouded forests. There are only two ways to see the falls – from above on a scenic flight in a light aircraft or on an arduous journey by boat and on foot through the dense jungle.

Edge of the world feelings are guaranteed on the northern cliffs of Molokai, Hawaii. The island has the tallest sea cliffs in the world, reaching heights of between 3,600 and 3,900 feet (1,097-1,188m) with an average inclination of 55 degrees. They're located on the remote north side of Molokai, and you can get a bird’s-eye view of their majesty on a helicopter tour from Maui, or along the narrow 2.9-mile (4.7km) trail to the Kalaupapa Peninsula.

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Linking Val Thorens ski resort with its neighbouring resort Orelle in the French Alps, La Tyrolienne zip wire is the highest in the world. It’s 4,265 feet (1,300m) long and reaches an altitude of 10,597 feet (3,230m) as passengers dangle from a steel wire strung 820 feet (250m) above the spectacular winter wonderland. Those brave enough to take it on arrive at their destination in just one minute and 45 seconds. Anyone fancying company can take a ride on the resort's newest zip line, La BEE, a double line (pictured).

Asia’s first via ferrata and the highest “iron path” in the world is located on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Constructed and operated by Mountain Torq on the mountain’s Panalaban rock face, the route starts at 10,498 feet (3,200m) and ends at 12,388 feet (3,776m) above sea level. Accompanied by experienced guides, climbers on the two routes – Walk the Torq and Low’s Peak Circuit – are rewarded with unbeatable views of the mountain as they clamber above the clouds on the series of rungs, rails, cables and bridges.

Originally built in the 1960s, the world’s highest and second-longest cable car reopened in 2016 after being closed for major modernisations due to safety concerns. Known as the Mukumbarí, the vertiginous ride once again whisks passengers from Mérida and up 15,603 feet (4,756m) to the snow-capped summit of Pico Espejo (Mirror Peak). It’s a thrilling journey as passengers dangle above the city and valleys before the steep climb up into the Andes, where they step out into the clouds.

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The highest passenger railway journey in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet line began in 2006, connecting Xining, capital of Qinghai province, with Lhasa, capital of Tibet. A staggering 596 miles (960km) of the track sits at 13,123 feet (4,000m) above sea level and it reaches 17,162 feet (5,231m) at its highest point when it climbs up to the Tanggula Pass. As the trains roll across frozen landscape and up into the Tibetan plateau, passengers are protected from the effects of altitude by oxygen that's pumped into the carriages, regulated temperatures and UV-coated windows.

Snaking around a dormant volcano, the Uturuncu road in southwest Bolivia is the highest drivable road on Earth. The old miner’s road makes for a gruelling and dangerous journey thanks to high altitude and poor conditions. The road stops short of the volcano’s summit, at a height of around 18,799 feet (5,730m), but it can be reached on foot.

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