Volcano Boarding, Cerro Negro National Park, NicaraguaAfter an arduous hike to the 2,388-foot (728-meter) peak of the Cerro Negro volcano, coast back down across striking deposits of pitch-black ash. [Check out our travel guide to Nicaragua.]

Photograph by Scott B. Rosen, The New York Time/Redux

These Wild Rides Let Gravity Take Control

Test your mettle on heart-pounding adventures, from hang-gliding over Rio to racing down China's Great Wall.

ByNathan Strauss

September 26, 2018

2 min read

Few sensations are as invigorating as the rush you get when stepping into the unknown. For new places or experiences, many a traveler has trekked across the globe seeking out the tallest, fastest, and most adrenaline-pumping adventures they can aim to tame.

Here are five of the wildest rides anywhere on the planet. Whether it’s speeding down an alpine slide or taking a daring leap over a sweeping valley, each of these experiences promises to take even the most intrepid adventurers out of their comfort zones–and keep coming back for more. Are you up to the challenge?

Nathan Strauss is a social media associate producer at National Geographic, focused on travel and adventure. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.