It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s a flying restaurant? Acclaimed Dutch Chef Angélique Schmeinck has created quite a stir with her popular CuliAir Skydining, the world’s first hot air balloon restaurant, where lucky diners enjoy a three-course meal while floating in the skies above Holland.
9 of the world’s best whitewater rafting spots
21.07.2023 - 08:23 / roughguides.com / Helen Abramson
Rough Guides' adventure sports expert Helen Abramson gives us her top tips on some of the world’s best adrenalin-pumping whitewater rafting. Rapids are classified from I–VI, where grade VI is “un-runnable”, so the Grade V rivers listed here are essentially as thrilling as it gets.
Africa’s most exhilarating rafting is found on a 24km stretch between the narrow walls of Batoka Gorge, via 23 terrifying Grade IV and V rapids such as the “Gnashing Jaws of Death”, plus some huge drops. The put-in point on the Zambezi River is at Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall by volume, making this among the most dramatic surroundings you can get while sitting in an inflatable raft. Just to add to the excitement, you might also get to see crocodiles and hippos up close. Trips run from half-a-day to eight days.
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You can take in unique perspectives of the Grand Canyon from the wild Colorado River, which runs for 226 miles (363km) through Utah and Arizona, on this hair-raising rafting trip down class IV–V rapids in the world’s deepest gorge. You can mix things up with visits to ancient Navajo ruins and side grottos, or with hikes to spectacular waterfalls. If you don’t feel up to a full-on eighteen-day belter, three days is usually the minimum to really get to grips with the river, though some companies run half-day or day excursions too. Vessels vary from motorized, oared or paddle rafts to little wooden dories, and the season lasts from May to September.
Rafting down the Magpie in eastern Québec offers the chance to see more than just stunning secluded forests, intriguing wildlife and the impressive Magpie Falls – you might also catch a glimpse of the wonders of the aurora borealis. As if that’s not enough, the rafting begins after an epic seaplane trip onto Magpie Lake. The rapids get increasingly more aggressive and difficult to navigate as the eight-day trip downriver progresses, climaxing in Grade V rapids on the last day at Magpie Falls.
Easily one of the top rafting destinations in Europe, fed by the melting glaciers of the Brenta Dolomites, the Noce River churns out Grade III–V rapids throughout the summer. Astounding views of sheer cliffs and distant snowcapped summits abound, as the river thunders through the gorges of Mostizzolo and across the remote Val di Sole (Sun Valley). The navigable 28km of the river can be done in one adrenalin-pumped day.
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One of the world’s best rafting rivers, the Río Pacuaré snakes its way through the untouched wilderness of Costa Rica's Cabecar Indian Reservation rainforest, where tropical birds, monkeys, jaguars and dwarf leopards reside. Day-trips on the Lower Pacuaré, where waterfalls flow into the river, cover 29km through Grade III
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