Looking for something unique or exciting to do somewhere around the world? I got you! Many of my friends already know me for being an adrenaline junkie and thrill seeker. I want to share with you some of the most epic adventures that I have done myself or is on my bucket list… and you should put it on yours. As a warning, these are not necessarily the safest activities. There is definitely a potential to get hurt or even die. That’s part of the thrill for me though. That’s probably why I thrive working in the Emergency Room also. Love that high-intensity stressful environment. I apologize for the quality of some of these videos. Some of this is a few years old and video quality on phones have improved since then.
1. Run with the Bulls in Spain
This was the dumbest and most dangerous activity I have ever done… TWICE. Why? Well, the first day I ran, I thought I was going to die. I would not have done this the second day but my GoPro was out of memory and it didn’t record! Noooooo!!!!! Ugh… I could not believe this! This experience was so damn scary that I did not want to do it again. But to my friends and I, “must see a video it or it didn’t happen.” So I ran again.
You definitely risk your life in this run. The bulls can be unpredictable, but worse, the PEOPLE are unpredictable! Before the run, they announce the bulls over the screen in the arena and list their weights and they weigh tons! Literally! If one of these bulls fall, they can crush you. If it gets up and is no longer with the herd, it becomes defensive and scared and can charge you. This is where they often where the stupid American who gets gored. People try taunting the bulls, especially in the arena. People die or get seriously injured during this event. So it’s definitely not an experience to take lightly.
But! If you do decide to do it, all you have to do is show up in the morning before they blow the horns to open the gates for the bulls. There’s no sign-up and no fee. That’s right, you get to risk your life for free. You can run every morning during the week of San Fermin if you’d like and there’s a huge party in the city of Pamplona every day during this time.
2. Take a Safari tour in Africa
Ohhhh South Africa, how you have stolen my heart… I am a big animal lover. Ok, so many people might like this, but some might have a weak stomach and be disturbed by animals eating other animals. But I’m telling you, this is a
There are quite a few options for enjoying a safari depending on your budget. There are various types of accommodations to choose from including tents, treehouses, and lodges, and then there is Sabi Sands Private Reserve… You can do a combination of budget lodging and luxury lodging like we did. There are several places to do Safari; we went to Kruger National Park. With commercial tours, you often have to stay on the paved roads. With private reserves, they can drive into the brush and get very close to the animals. The beautiful thing about Africa is how accommodating they are. You can fly to the reserves and they will pick you up or you can fly into Johannesburg and they will pick you up from the airport or hotel there.
3. Volcano Board in Nicaragua
Nicaragua has is known to have tons of volcanos, many still active. You can hike or take tours on these volcanoes where you can see active lava flow. You can even board down them! Cerro Negro is an active volcano outside of the city Leon that is known for this. You can join a tour and hike to the top of this volcano and race down it! Make sure your tour provides you with protection, those volcanic rocks are no joke!
4. Scuba dive with sharks… even if you’re not certified
You can potentially do this anywhere in the world, but there isn’t a guarantee to see sharks in the ocean as they are wild animals. There are some dive spots that you have a higher chance of seeing them as the Blue Hole in Belize (which is AMAZING). But if you want that guarantee, there is a way to scuba dive (or snorkel) in an aquarium with several sharks. Yup, an aquarium! Does this make it safe? Well, definitely saf-ER. These sharks won’t be starving as they have a feeding schedule unlike in the ocean and they are used to swimming with divers. In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has everything, including a ski slope in the mall and a huge aquarium in another mall where you can dive with several sharks and fish. If you are not certified, you can easily get intro-certificate and still dive there.
5. Spend a few nights in the middle of the Amazon Jungle
Anacondas? Tarantulas? Mosquitos? Piranhas? Poisonous frogs? What isn’t trying to kill you? Brazil is another country I love! I highly, HIGHLY…did I say “highly’?… recommend this adventure. In just 3 nights, we saw saltwater dolphins, caught cayman, fished for piranhas (and ate them!), got to hold sloths, seek out tarantulas, trek through the jungle (and get stung by wasps!), use ants as mosquito protection, and swim in the Amazon River. We slept in hammocks which made it cheap but they have nicer accommodations if you wish.
6. Skydive Dubai
Because I couldn’t get tickets to the Burj Khalif to see Dubai from the tallest building, the next best idea was to jump out of a plane and see the view from above that! Just kidding… I couldn’t pass this up regardless. I have skydived a few times and its quite an amazing view and thrill. I’m not a skydiving enthusiast but this was an epic view. Just look at that!
7. Whitewater rafting
This is exciting and definitely scary. You can whitewater raft in many places in the world. Costa Rica was my first time and was pretty amazing though. The waters are often cold and you will get wet so you should probably choose somewhere warm if you’re a wimp to the cold like me.
This is potentially dangerous if you fall off especially if you are in level 4 rapids! This happened to my friend and it was pretty scary to witness but the tour guides were pretty on top of things in trying to help and make it as safe as possible. A word of advice: j
8. Cliff Jump in North Shore Oahu
Cliff jumping is quite common for locals in Hawaii. Lots of kids do this on bridges also. That doesn’t make this any less dangerous or scary. The common cliff to jump off in Oahu, Hawaii is in Waimea Bay and is about 10 meters high. There are warnings when the water is rough and I highly recommend against doing it if you do not see the locals doing it! I made that mistake and almost died. No joke.
But I admit, I would totally do this again. Every time, it is pretty scary to look down and just go! There are places all over the world to cliff jump. This is just one of the ones I have a picture of doing.
9. Swing on the Devil’s Swing in Ecuador
This is on my bucket list but I have yet to do it still! This is where you are on the edge of a cliff and swing off. Looks like you would be swinging to your death. When I try this out myself, I’ll let you know how it goes.
10. Shark Cage dive with Great Whites
You can do this in multiple places like South Africa, Hawaii, Australia, etc. Each place might give you different options of an experience. I have seen some options where you are wearing scuba gear or sitting in a glass tank. In South Africa, we stood in a cage in the freezing ocean as the tour guides lured these huge sharks close to the cage. You definitely didn’t want your arms and legs sticking out of the cage!
11. Sandboarding
Sandboarding can be done in many countries including South Africa, Egypt, Australia, the UAE, etc. I tried this in Abu Dhabi and let me tell you… it is not for the
12. Jump into the “Cage of Death” to see HUGE Crocodiles in Australia
Only one place in the world like this. It’s fairly safe as you’re in a glass tank but the crocodile looks huge! This is in Darwin, Nothern Territory, Australia. Crocosaurus Cove in the center of Darwin city gets you up close and personal with these huge reptiles. The largest one, Axel, when I visited weighed 900 kg. I learned a lot about crocodiles from this experience. They are very intelligent creatures so don’t underestimate the warning signs in the city about going in the ocean or be misconceived that “Saltwater crocs” only live in saltwater. Beautiful
13. Hang glide off a cliff in Brazil to land on Ipanema Beach
This would have been scarier had I been sober. Don’t judge me! It was Carnival and the parties continue until 5 AM! It is such an amazing view though. If you’ve never been hang gliding before, it’s amazing. A bit less scary than skydiving I’d say. There are plenty of places to skydive though.
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