VIAFERRATA,MÜRREN,
SWITZERLAND
Beforerulingrockclimbingout
entirely,considera viaferrata
(fixedroperoute)– giving
youtheintrepidbuzzand
sensationalviewswithoutthe
risk,thanksto a clipped-on
carabiner.Headto the
viaferratain Mürren,in central
Switzerland’slovelyJungfrau
region.FromJuneto October,
the1.4-miletrailoffers
head-spinninghighsoncables,
laddersanda suspension
bridgewitharrestingviews
oftheglacier-streaked
Eiger’snorthface.
FKlettersteigMürrencan
arrangetheactivity(£110ppas
partof a groupof fourto eight;
klettersteig-muerren.ch).HOT-AIRBALLOONING,
SERENGETI,TANZANIA
A pilotguidesthehot-air
ballooneverupward,andthe
height barely registers asFSTANDINGONTHEEDGE
ofa sheerprecipiceand
peeringdownintothevoid
chillsyourblood,ormakes
youbreakoutintoa coldsweat,you
arenotalone.Thatrazor-sharp
edgeandgapingspacebelowmay
giveusanadrenalinerush,justnot
anenjoyableone.Thetrembling
knees,thedizziness,theskip-a-beat
heart,therelentlessgut-churning,
thesweatypalms– it’sallvery,very
real,andit’snotgoingawayuntilyou
makeit backdownalive,inonepiece.
Butit’spossibletogetthe‘height
buzz’thatothersraveaboutwithout
riskinglifeandlimb.Youmightnever
makeit tothetopofEverest,butwith
a ropeandwell-securedcarabiner
oranexperiencedguide,youcould
perhapsflirt withmountaineering
ona viaferrata,orcanyondowna
waterfall.Ifthatsoundstoointrepid,
thereareotherchallengestohaul
youthatbithigher:fromtreetop
walkwaysandsuspensionbridges
spanninggorgestocityskyscraper
lookouts,cable-carridesintheAlps,
greatglasselevatorsandhigh-level
hikesthatstickwellawayfromthe
edge.Scenicflightsare another
waytogettheviewswithoutallthe
brow-wipingphews.Challenge
yourselfonyourtravelsbybeginning
at the rightlevel,buildup confidence
gradually,andyou’ll soon look down,
but never back.Do lookdownAfearof heightsneedn’tholdyoubackonyourtravels.Choosetherightchallengeandstartsmallto enjoy thrills and viewsyoufocusonthelandscape
unfolding(pictured).Throwin
a littlewildlifeona rideover
theSerengetiandyou’llbeso
absorbedbytheviewbelow,
you’llhaveforgottenanyfear.
Hoponat dawnfora glimpse
of zebra,elephants,giraffes,
lionsandcheetahs.Flights
areyear-round,butaremost
spectacularduringthe
wildebeestmigration.
Theprecisetimingof the
annualwildebeestmigration
dependsontherains.It is
a veryunpredictableand
spontaneousnaturalevent,
withcalvingseasontaking
placein theSerengeti
betweenJanuaryand
mid-March.Thewildebeest
migrationstartsto head
towardsthewesternSerengeti
in Mayor June.
FIt’snotcheapbut,hey,
youarefloatingoverthe
Serengeti(from£360;
balloonsafaris.com).BURJKHALIFA,
DUBAI,UAE
Manmadestructures(with
solidgroundbeneathyour
feet)canbea non-nail-biting
wayto gethigh-upenoughto
confrontyourfear.High-rise
observationdeckspokeout
abovesomeof theworld’s
metropolisesandafford
dizzyingviewsof thecityscape
throughglasswallsor,in
somecases,floors.Whynot
gostraightuptheworld’s
tallestbuilding?Dubai’s
needle-thinBurjKhalifa
piercestheskyat 828m.
FRiseto BurjKhalifa’slevels
124 and 125 ona self-guided
visit.Bookin advanceonline
(from£33;burjkhalifa.ae).SKYWALK,GRAND
CANYON,USA
Withsomethingto clingto
firmly,anabove-the-treetops
suspensionbridge,a glass
walkwayor a hangingbridge
canallbefunwaysto confront
nervousnessaboutheights
withoutanydanger.Fora true
senseof themonstrousscaleof
theGrandCanyon’sWestRim,
youcanwalkonglass1,200m
aboveit ontheSkywalkat
EaglePoint.Anddorest
assured,thisglass-floored,
horseshoe-shapedwalkway
canwithstandtheweightof
70 Boeing 747 passengerjets.
FBookticketsfrom£52
at grandcanyonwest.com.PHOTOGRAPH: JONATHAN GREGSON