5 Awesome Skydiving Destinations

When was the last time you left your comfort zone? When was the last time you jumped clear of your bubble and went into freefall?

If you really want to shake things up and see the world from a different perspective, quite literally, then skydiving is for you.

If you’ve decided you’d love to give a tandem jump a try or want to learn to skydive solo, you can pretty much do it anywhere. There are skydiving spots the world over.

If you’re going to do it, however, you may as well go all out, and pick somewhere outstandingly beautiful so you’ve got an amazing view to drink in on the way down.

Here are 5 of the best skydiving destinations in the world for you to try.

 

1. Mission Beach, Australia

This is where I took the plunge and is perfect for anyone who wants to be nice and warm on the way down. Mission Beach is in tropical Queensland, which means the air temperature is beautifully balmy and you don’t have to be wrapped up in a jumpsuit. Feel the warm air rushing past you as you gaze at the view.

It’s not just the temperature that sells this spot. Australia, the Pacific Ocean and the world famous Great Barrier Reef stretch out below you. You land on Mission Beach itself, a stretch of dreamy, tropical, palm-fringed beach that goes on for miles and miles. Then kick back on the beach with a cold beer, you’ve earned it.

Fancy the water more than the sky? Check out some: awesome places for shark cage diving. 

 

2. Queenstown, New Zealand

If you’d rather have a dramatic, mountainous landscape to look at, then New Zealand is probably the best place in the world for you. It’s long been a hub for adventure tourism, and Queenstown sells itself as the adventure capital of the country.

If you take off from Queenstown then you’ll be skydiving over the Remarkables mountain range. Any Lord of the Rings fans will find that especially thrilling.

Even if it’s cloudy on the day you jump, you’ll still see the blue skies above the clouds. The sensation of falling through a rain cloud and emerging the other side to see an endless range of snow-capped mountains won’t be one you’ll forget in a hurry.

 

3. Palm Jumeirah, UAE

If you’d rather marvel at a man-made spectacle than a natural one, then nowhere is more designed to be seen from above than the palm tree that has been built out into the sea in Dubai. Quite the photo opportunity!

This drop zone has become so popular that it isn’t something you can just plan to do on the spur of the moment. You need to book a dive here at least one month in advance, or two during peak seasons.

 

4. Livingstone, Zambia

Head to Africa if it’s not tropical reefs, dramatic mountain ranges or man-made marvels that you want a bird’s eye view of when you jump out of a plane but the largest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls.

The majestic river thunders over the top of this mighty waterfall and you’ll have the ultimate view of it, with the rest of the stunning landscape stretching away into the distance. This waterfall is one of the wonders of the world, so what better way to see it than skydiving?

 

5. Mount Everest, Nepal

We had to end the list with this, as skydives don’t get much more awesome, but they also don’t get much more expensive. This is a jump with a difference, as you’ll be hurling yourself out of a helicopter rather than a plane, and at 23,000 feet.

The time you skydived with a view of Mount Everest will be etched in your memory until your dying day. You can either land at the Ama Dablam Base Camp (15,000ft) or Syangboche Airport (12,340ft). That’s higher than most people start their dive.

The other jumps on this list are a total bargain next to this one, with tandem jumps starting at $20,000. This isn’t just an afternoon activity, however, like the others, I’ve mentioned. It’s an 11-day itinerary with plenty of serious trekking involved.

If you win the lottery or have a large chunk of cash saved up that you want to spend on the adventure of a lifetime, go right ahead and tick Mount Everest and skydiving off your bucket list at the same time. Two birds with one stone, and all that.

If not, which will be the case for the vast majority of us, then a skydive anywhere in the world is always going to be a simultaneously awesome and terrifying experience. Just be warned, you might think this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience, but once you’ve done it once you’ll be hooked!

 

Img Source: Queenstown Skydive by Rob Chandler cc by sa2.0,