The Langkawi Rainforest Canopy Adventure

Attention adrenaline junkies:

"You've gotta hold on tightly - like this – for a comfortable ride. You’ll be flying fast and possibly spinning as you zoom towards a huge tree. No, you can’t see it – it’s out there, though. Helmet on, karabiner clipped? That's pretty much it. Ready for some serious fun?!"

Hold on. Flying fast. Zoom. Huge tree. Serious fun. Got it.

We’re talking about Langkawi’s amazing new jungle canopy tour – one of only two in the world. “It’s an extreme way to explore the virgin jungle around here, without ever setting foot on the jungle floor,” explains Jurgen Zimmerer, the transplanted German who designed and runs this award-winning extreme eco-experience.

Jurgen has set up a series of cables running from treetop to treetop in some of the oldest, tallest rainforest in Malaysia. His base of operations is just 20 minutes’ hike from the carpark up the jungle-clad slopes of Gunung Raya, the highest mountain in Langkawi.

During a 4-hour outing, you fly Tarzan-like from tree to tree on a ‘flying fox’, landing on sturdy but environmentally considerate platforms some 30 metres above the jungle floor. Perched high in the lush green crown of the jungle, you get a unique perspective – and appreciation for Malaysia’s unspoilt rainforests, while at the same time giving your adrenalin glands a squeeze.

Launching out of a massive tree into the leafy nothingness (often, you can’t see your ‘destination tree’ due to the dense foliage). It starts off as a Near Death Experience, but soon becomes a confidence-building thrill ride.

Just as you’re settling in and getting bold, you are faced with ‘The Leap of Faith’. At 140 metres, it’s the longest ‘flying fox’ in Malaysia. It is nothing less than gut-wrenching. You pick up speeds of 60km/h as you hurtle through the rainforest 30 metres off the jungle floor. The jungle becomes a green blur. And you’re spinning. Trust me, the ride lasts longer than you can scream.