Lonely Planet: 20 Unmissable Extreme Sports

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I’ve always been a big sports fan although currently baseball is the only sport that I only follow  closely. While traveling I love to check out local sports. I’ve been to soccer games in Europe, Aussie Rules Football in Australia, Rugby in New Zealand and Muay Thai matches in Thailand.

I also like to add a bit of adventure to our travels just a little less now due to a certain little 18 month old named Lucas.

I recently came across a list of 20 Unmissable Extreme Sports (and where to try them) from Lonely Planet. The list was a fun read and I was curious to see if I had done any of these so-called extreme sports.

Here is the list: (with where to do them and my thoughts on each sport)

  1. Volcano Boarding– Leon, Nicaragua (I’ve never done this but I did climb up and run down parts of a volcano. I’ve also done a similar activity, sand boarding!)
  2. Downhill Mountain Biking– Bolivia (I used to mountain bike but downhill is dangerous and definitely not for me.)
  3. Freshwater Cave Diving– Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula (Diving isn’t one of my hobbies but this sounds pretty amazing.)
  4. Heli-Skiing or Boarding– North America and New Zealand (I don’t ski or snowboard)
  5. Bungee Jumping– Vanuatu (I briefly considered this in NZ but am afraid that I’d just get sick.)
  6. Extreme Ironing– All over ( This one really confuses me!)
  7. Zorbing– Rotorua, NZ (I saw this being done while in Rotorua. This isn’t for me)
  8. Ice Climbing– Colorado, Canada (This sounds like fun and is probably an intense workout.)
  9. Kite Surfing– Windy beaches all over (I tried this in Cancun on a badly sprained ankle. Let’s just say that I didn’t go very far.)
  10. Cheese Rolling– Gloucester, England (Sounds like a fun and hilarious event to watch in person.)
  11. Skydiving– Australia, Swiss Alps (Not something on my list but considered doing it while in Namibia.)
  12. Bouldering– North America, Europe (Sounds extremely extreme)
  13. White Water Rafting– Zambia, Nepal (I went rafting on the White Nile in Uganda. It was a really fun and exciting time. I definitely recommend it if you are a strong swimmer.)
  14. Ice Swimming– Finland, USA (I did the New Years Day swim with the Coney Island Polar Bears in 2012. Amazing experience that everyone should try once)
  15. Flowboarding– Bangkok, NJ, Yorkshire, England (I think I tried this out at a water park in Dubai with little success.)
  16. Zip-Lining– Costa Rica, South Africa (I did a small zip-lining course in Brazil. Lots of fun!)
  17. Slacklining– Vancouver (Looks like a fun but frustrating activity.)
  18. Snowmobiling– Michigan, US, Canada (I definitely plan to do this eventually.)
  19. Canyoning– Europe, South America (We did canyoning (abseiling) in NZ. It was amazing and I’d love to try it again.)
  20. Coasteering– Wales (Doesn’t sound like fun to me.)
Has anyone tried an extreme sport from the list? If so, let us know what you thought about your experience in the comments below.

Find out about each of these extreme sports on Lonely Planet HERE

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