15 Of The Most Extreme Trips in the World

15 Of The Most Extreme Trips in the World

Some people are seeking thrills and adventure on their vacation, and that is how the concept of extreme trips was born

For others just lying on a beach, soaking up the sun, sipping a drink, and simply relaxing, is their idea of the perfect holiday. Maybe just backpacking around the world is your thing.

But for those with a more adventurous spirit those are simply too boring.

Our Life Daily researchers have investigated the available options and have come up with a selection of some of the most extreme trips possible. How do you feel about hanging out with gorillas in an African forest? Maybe you’d prefer to jump from a helicopter onto a snow-covered mountain?

Some of our extreme trips are based purely on extremes of geography. We looked for the coldest, hottest, driest, highest, lowest and most extreme travel destinations on earth

Others include the extreme activities you’ll find when you get to your destination. One option means a lot of traveling, but minimum exertion after you arrive.

On the other hand, the second option involves both travel and additional energy.
You need to decide what appeals to you the most, and what will get your adrenaline pumping to the maximum.

Here are the possibilities that can take you from the infinity of space to the depths of the ocean.

The decision is yours:

1. Steepest peak on Earth: Mount Thor, Nunavut, Canada

Mount Thor is not the world’s highest peak at 5,495 feet (1,675 meters), but it is the steepest. The most famous summit in Canada is pure granite and it has a 4,101 foot vertical drop, at an average angle of about 105 degrees. It’s a popular destination for avid mountain climbers, but you can just visit the site and camp out instead.

2. Coldest inhabited place on Earth: Oymyakon, Russia

This is the coldest inhabited place on earth. In 1924 the temperature was recorded as -96.16 degrees F (-71.2 Celsius). The town has a population of 500 and was once only used as a location for political exiles. Winter temperatures average -58 degrees F (-50 degrees Celsius).
The ground is permanently frozen all year long and there is only one hotel. Popular sports include skiing, ice hockey and ice fishing.

3. Driest place on Earth: Atacama Desert, Chile

According to both NASA and National Geographic, the Atacama Desert in Chile has soil comparable to that of Mars. From October 1903 to January 1918, the Atacama Desert did not have even one drop of rain, making it the longest rainless period in the world’s recorded history. The Atacama Desert has several hotels to choose from that cater to tourists coming to explore the land.

4. Closest place to Outer Space: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador

Mount Chimborazo is 20,000 feet(6,560 meters) high and is an inactive volcano that last erupted in approximately 550 AD.
While Mount Everest is over 29,000 feet tall, due to the position of the mountain on the earth’s surface the peak of Mount Chimborazo is actually the furthest spot from the center of the earth. Standing on it will put you closest to outer space that man can ever reach on foot. There are several routes for climbers.

5. Hottest Place on Earth: Lut Desert, Iran

Here, temperatures can reach as high as 158 degrees F (70 degrees Celsius). According to a local legend, the name Dasht-e Lut means “toasted wheat” in Persian. This refers to a story about a load of wheat that burst info flames after being accidentally left out in the desert for a few days.
Due to the current situation in Iran, few tourists now visit. It’s really a destination only for those willing to take on the challenge of surviving the extreme heat and unbearably dry climate.

6. Most isolated place on Earth: Tristan da Cunha, United Kingdom

If you truly want to leave the real world, this is about as far away from it as you can get.
Though originally part of the British Overseas Territories, Tristan da Cunha is over 1,750 miles (2800 kilometers) away from the nearest land in Africa. Discovered by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha in 1506, fewer than 300 inhabitants live there, and it has no airport; it is accessible only by sea.

7. Coldest continent on Earth: Antarctica

This is the world’s fifth largest continent and is a land of extremes. It is the coldest and driest continent on the planet and has a population estimated at between 1,000 and 4,000 people.

It can only be reached by ice-strengthened vessels. Known for its breathtaking scenery, visitors must be well prepared or accompanied by a tour operator who knows the area well. Many Antarctic trips keep you on the Antarctic Peninsula, which has the mildest temperatures on the continent, but only a few allow you to travel south of the Antarctic Circle, the final place on Earth to be explored.

During this trip, the sun will never set. You may spot icebergs, penguins, and seals, and even glimpse some whales.

You could visit research stations on Adelaide Island, but the best part is that those who are brave enough can get off the ship and mountain-climb, cross-country ski, sea-kayak among the whales and even camp overnight.

8. Wettest place on Earth: Mawsynram, India

This Indian town receives an average of 467 inches(1186 centimeters) of rainfall every year. In 1985, the Guinness Book of World Records named it the Wettest Place on Earth after it saw 1,000 inches (2,540 centimeters) of rain in a single year.
It has a subtropical climate and many monsoons. Mawsynram is both a difficult place to live but an interesting trip for tourists.

9. Tallest waterfall in the world: Angel Falls, Venezuela

Angel Falls is located in an isolated jungle region and cannot be reached all that easily. However, it remains one of Venezuela’s top tourist attractions. The falls are approximately 3,212 feet (1517 meters) high and include a 2,648-foot (1250 meters) plunge and a quarter of a mile of sloped cascades and rapids.

10. Most treacherous waters on Earth: Gansbaai, South Africa

Since 1995, cage diving with Great White sharks has been a major tourist attraction in Gansbaai, South Africa as it has one of the densest populations of these sharks in the world.
Diving is done in heavy metal cages and there are often a few divers per cage. You’re safe in the metal cage but be prepared for the sharks to pass very close to you – as close as 12 inches (30 centimeters)

11. Stunt Experience

Believe it or not, you can take an organized trip to Hollywood and get a taste of what it feels like to be a stunt person.
You’ll be shown how to do a variety of common stunts and how to shoot heavy weapons. You will practice with Glocks, shotguns, sub-machine guns and more. If it’s your day to learn falls, you’ll simulate flying through the air from an explosion or gun blast using trampolines.
If you survive all that, then you’ll jump out of a tower into cushy air bags. You’ll learn to use the ratchet harness, which pulls a performer backwards to simulate the after-effects of a hard kick, punch or shotgun blast. And there’s more, but we have no space.

12. Dive to the Wreck of the Titanic

You travel about 400 miles (600 kilometers) south of Newfoundland to a point in the Atlantic Ocean.
About 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) below you is the wreck of one of the most famous ships ever to have sailed the seas, the RMS Titanic.
From the Russian research ship Akademik Keldyshe, you’ll board a submersible capable of withstanding the pressure of diving deep into the ocean. You will enjoy a safe and comfortable ride to the bottom of the ocean, where you’ll be one very few non-scientists to view the wreck of the Titanic

13. Gorilla Safari

In Uganda’s deep forests you’ll embark on a gorilla safari that will enable you to see Africa’s mountain gorillas up close. From Entebbe you fly to Kibale Forest National Park.
Then you’ll hike, trek and ride around Uganda’s forests and plains watching chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants and lions in their natural habitat. You’ll ride across the savannahs in four-wheel-drive vehicles and track gorillas on foot up to altitudes of 8,500 feet (2.,600 meters) in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

14. Heli-skiing

Ski-lifts can only take you so high up a mountain. But to ski the best powdery slopes you need heli-skiing. Some of the best places to try this are in Alaska, British Columbia and Italy.
A helicopter takes you to the top. You will be skiing at an altitude of anywhere between 6,500 feet (1,900 meters) and 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). Most companies rent equipment and offer the option to pay for a package deal including accommodation. Alternatively, you can pay for each lift to the top separately.

If none of the above extreme trips appeal to your sense of adventure, we can offer one other option, but you will need to raid the piggy-bank.

15. Space Travel

If you REALLY want to get away from it all, why not go into space? The reality of space tourism is growing ever closer. And why not? It’s a chance to free yourself from the grip of Earth’s gravity and feel the weightlessness of space as you circle the Earth hundreds of miles above its surface.
Options are a bit limited at the moment in respect of actual space travel, but several major companies are in the process of building ships that will take tourists on a suborbital flight.
Virgin Galactic has already built ships and hopes to begin flights by 2014. Unfortunately, space travel doesn’t come cheap! Tickets start at $200,000 (hopefully, that covers the return journey also)
Other companies are also looking into the possibility of larger public ships that will allow for longer flights deep into space.

So, what was your preference? Gorillas or Sharks? Heat or cold? You can tell us in the comments feed below.

If you have another suggestion for an extreme trip you can also use the feed to tell our readers.