Hit the trail. Photo by Anna Poltorak and Mateusz Emeschajmer / Courtesy of Sidetracked.
We're tipping our hat and holding our breath in celebration of memorable, heart-racing vacation. Interrupt your nine-to-five with a dose of mountain biking, hot-air balloon riding, and waterfall diving on one of these twelve adrenaline-spiking adventures.
"The three of us were springing off rocks like mountain goats, pausing to absorb the prehistoric landscape — a true oasis in the desert filled with date palms and cool running water." – Paul Jebara
Read It: Waterfall Diving at Wadi Shab
"From then on out the region was only accessible by foot or bike. Some narrow parts of the track ran parallel to a cliff, with a wild and raging river directly below us." – Mateusz Emeschajmer and Anna Poltorak
Read It: Bikepacking the Annapurna Circuit
"The falling snow and suddenly terrible visibility didn't help matters, but we made it to the other side thanks to Rich's mad driving skills and, I suspect, help from Icelandic elves and fairies." – Sherri Rifkin
Read It: Road Tripping the Ring Road
"Then I considered all the explaining I'd have to do to get the sword through airport security in three countries. There must be plenty of Champagne-appropriate sabers in Morocco. Haven't I seen pictures of Berbers racing in the desert wielding swords?" – Becky Sue Epstein
Read It: The Hunt For a Champagne Sword
"As I stand looking at it in person, I think it is the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Then my tour guide tells me that we were going to climb it, and it becomes the scariest." – Alison Weissbrot
Read It: Looking Down from Machu Picchu
"At every point of the compass, Norway's landscape is arresting; a lush, undulating conduit for friluftsliv that craves no less than pure abandonment to its mysteries." – Jody Daunton and Rachel Maria Taylor
Read It: Escape to the Norwegian Fjords
"We don special suits and giant boots as if we are preparing to walk on the moon. Thermal underwear is a man's best friend here, believe me." – Debbie Pappyn and David De Vleeschauwer
Read It: Dog Sledding in Swedish Lapland
"The mystical topography has inspired a sunrise tradition: Each morning, 80 to 100 balloons soar through the sky, putting on a display of airborne beauty." – Alison Weissbrot
Read It: Air Ballon Adventure in Cappadocia
"It wasn't just about the thrill of seeing sharks up close for the first time. It was about changing attitudes and replacing fear with respect." – Mille Vardheim
"Half laughing, half crying, I wiped the blood streaming from my legs. 'Well, that'll leave a mark,' I thought to myself." – Jordan Siskind-Weiss
Read It: Overboard on the Zambezi River
"It is the first time I had ever seen lions in the wild — and so close! — and nothing could have prepared me for the sight or its power to silence." – Nina Kokotas Hahn
Read It: My Place on the Safari Food Chain
"I'm not talking about getting caught up in the flow of a stream or the ripples of a lake. I'm talking about standing in awe of a waterfall that physically divides nations." – Joyelle West
Read It: Standing in Awe of Iguazu
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.
