Looking for an adventure? Try these five spots all over the globe.

To many people, lying on a beach while drinking a rum cocktail sounds like a nice vacation. But let's be honest—it’s not for everyone. Some of us are looking for less relaxation and more adrenaline-pumping action!

If you’re looking to swim with great white sharks, zip-line through the jungles of Southeast Asia, or try other heart-pumping getaways, just take a look at these top five best vacation spots for adventure travel and check your inhibitions at the door.

Swimming with great whites in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa and one of the more popular tourist destinations in Africa. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, its ample mountains (like Table Mt.) provide challenging routes for the most experienced bikers. But for true adventure travel, head to Gansbaai, a nearby fishing village, and go swim with some great whites. The sharks come to the area in droves and they’re not shy about approaching humans. Just be sure to keep your hands and feet inside the cage! Tip: Pack your swimsuit with a Clean Dirty Half Cube, so if it's damp, it won't get the rest of your belongings wet. Best time to visit: October to April for summer temperatures.

Horseback riding in The Outback, Southern Australia

You’ve probably heard of the vast sand dunes, aboriginal villages, and roaming kangaroos and dingoes of Australia’s Outback, but have you ever experienced them first-hand? If you haven’t, take a five-day horseback ride on the Oodnadatta Track. You’ll camp out under the desert skies, pass through some of the world’s largest cattle stations, and see a bygone world. Don't forget to bring your spurs and a cowboy hat. Best time to visit: May to September to avoid extreme heat and too many flies.

Zip-lining through the jungles of Northern Laos

Does sleeping in a canopy-level tree house and zip-lining through South East Asian jungles to get your dinner sound appealing to you? Welcome to the Gibbon Experience in Bokeo, Laos. Conservationists have built small dwellings high in the treetops and have created a network of zip-lines to keep poachers from infiltrating and destroying the black gibbon population (endangered primates). Forty full-time guides will lead you on backpacking trips and help you “fly” from the ground up to your sky-lit home at night. Make sure you take along some Eagle Creek earplugs, because the jungle can get very loud, and put your important information (passport, wallet, etc) in a neck wallet under your shirt, since you don't want anything flying out of your pockets. Best time to visit: November to February to avoid extreme heat and rain.

Dog-sledding in Llulissat, Greenland

If you can handle the cold, Llulissat is the ultimate adventure travel destination. Try out one of their guided northern light tours. Spend the morning dog sledding through icy Greenlandic scenery, hike over giant glaciers in the afternoon, and take in the majestic aurora borealis by night. The famed Disko Bay provides experienced divers with a chance to see giant icebergs from below the surface and illustrates why Greenland is one of the best vacation spots in the world. But be wary of polar bears! Best time to visit: Spring, when it's not crazy cold but you can still dog sled and see the northern lights.

Canyon-jumping in Interlaken, Switzerland

When bungee jumping, experts generally have you dive down into a wide open space. But where’s the risk in that? Go to Interlaken, Switzerland and free-fall through narrow ravines and canyons for a more extreme type of adventure travel. The Grindewald glacier provides thrill-seekers with more than 85 meters (about 280 feet) of space to jump. Guests can also go mountain biking, paragliding, and heli-skiing (yep, that’s off-trail skiing from a helicopter). Best time to visit: summer.

Did you get excited just reading about the best vacation spots for adventure travel? Then it sounds like it's time to book a trip!

While Eagle Creek is here to provide tips and insights on travel, we cannot accept any responsibility for any potential consequences arising from the use of this information. Always conduct your own research, talk to local guides, and use your best judgment.

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