WHETHER working out at the gym or at home, running or cycling around the neighbourhood or flexing muscles at an indoor facility, most of us follow an exercise routine. Why not step out of your ordinary workout and add some thrilling outdoor adventures to your physical activities?
Step up your game a little bit – on top of your typical workout, get your adrenaline fix and test your physical and mental strength with rock climbing, hiking, downhill mountain biking or push your limit and go for something extreme like ziplining, zorbing, water rafting, flyboarding or skydiving.
Here are some of the country’s popular spots for outdoor adventures.
SKYTREX ADVENTURE
LOCATION: Inside the rainforest of Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam, Selangor (40 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur city centre)
BEST FOR: A thrilling, rainforest adventure
DESCRIPTION: Skytrex Adventure parks are situated in Shah Alam in Selangor, Burau Bay, Langkawi in Kedah and Taman Botani Ayer Keroh in Melaka. Set in the rainforest, Skytrex provides various tree-to-tree forest adventures and challenges including flying fox, cable walk and sky crawl.
In Shah Alam, the challenges are divided into three levels of difficulty: Little Adventure (two hours), Big Thrill (2.5 to three hours) and Extreme Challenge (2.5 to three hours).
OPENING HOURS: 8.30am to 6pm, closed on Mondays except during school holidays and select public holidays.
FEE: Entrance to Taman Botani (RM1 for children age 6-11 and RM3 for adults) and fees for challenges from RM35 person, depending on level of difficulty.
NOTE: Online ticket purchase is required to ensure you secure a space for activity.
CONTACT DETAILS:
SKYTREX SDN BHD (SHAH ALAM)
Management & Administration Office
C33-2-7, Block C, Jaya One
No. 72A, Jalan Universiti
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 013-276 9841
Fax: 037-960 8290
Email: skytrex@skytrex-adventure.com
SKYTREX LANGKAWI SDN BHD
Tel: 019-280 5679
Email: langkawi@skytrex-adventure.com
SKYTREX MELAKA SDN BHD
Tel: 018-909 5679
Email: melaka@skytrex-adventure.com
Website: www.skytrex-adventure.com
FLYBOARD MALAYSIA
LOCATION: Marina Putrajaya
BEST FOR: Flyboarding
DESCRIPTION: Ever wondered what it’s like to experience cool, rocket-style propulsion on water? Well, flyboarding offers you such an experience.
The flyboard was invented by French watercraft rider Franky Zapata in 2011. It is a type of water jetpack attached to a personal water craft which supplies propulsion to drive the flyboard through air and water – in other words, the device is able to climb out of the water and be stable in the air.
The person, who rides the flyboard, the pilot, is secured by bindings similar to a wakeboard. The pilot is in complete control of the navigation while the throttle is controlled by the person in charge of the craft. The duration for each flyboarding experience is between 20, 40 and 45 minutes per session, depending on the package.
OPENING HOURS: Daily from 9am to 7pm
FEE: RM370 single flight experience, RM690 twin flight experience and RM750 group flight experience (each package includes training).
NOTE: Advanced booking is required.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Flyboard Malaysia
Marina Putrajaya
No.1, Jalan P5/5, Precinct 5, Putrajaya
Tel: 012-287 1120
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flyboardmy
GUA DAMAI EXTREME PARK
LOCATION: Batu Caves, Selangor
BEST FOR: Rock climbing, abseiling, ziplining and base-jumping.
DESCRIPTION: Reputed as the best outdoor rock climbing site in Malaysia, the park boasts over 120 bolted rock climbing routes with grades ranging from five to seven, making it suitable for beginners.
The 250m zip line glides on a speed of 20 seconds/40km per hour, offering a fantastic view of the forest and limestones, and Kuala Lumpur’s city landscape. The park also provides eco-recreational cum educational outdoor activities like jungle-trekking, cave tours and hiking.
OPENING HOURS: 9am to 6pm
FEE: RM180 for one-day course sport climbing course, RM100 for a half-day fun-climbing, RM100 for a half-day abseiling (minimum six people), RM130 for climbing and abseiling (minimum 10 people) and RM50 for ziplining.
NOTE: A permit is required before climbing and activities here. (Other popular spots for rock climbing: X Camp X Park in Ipoh, Perak, Taman Etnobotani in Gua Musang, Kelantan and Bukit Keteri in Perlis).
CONTACT DETAILS
Telephone: 012-481 2005
E-mail: guadamaixpark@gmail.com
Website: www.guadamai.com
THE CORAL FLYER
LOCATION: Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Sabah
BEST FOR: Ziplining
DESCRIPTION: Ziplining is a like a giant flying fox that consists of a pulley suspended on a cable (usually made of stainless steel) and mounted on a slope. At 250m-long, the Coral Flyer is said to be the world’s longest island to island zipline. It glides (with speeds of up to 65km per hour) from Gaya Island to Sapi Island, flying across the scenic Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
OPENING HOURS: Daily from 10am to 3.30pm
FEE: RM68 per person
CONTACT DETAILS:
E-mail: info@ropeskills.com.my
Website: www.coralflyer.com
BESU RAPIDS
LOCATION: At Sungai Lipis which is6km from Benta town in Lipis district, Pahang.
BEST FOR: Whitewater rafting
DESCRIPTION: Jeram Besu or Besu Rapids is increasingly growing in popularity among rafters, kayakers and canoeists as one of the thrilling whitewater rafting areas in the country (its rapid ranges from class one to three). The area is easily accessible, with plenty of accommodation and loads of outdoor adventures including caving and trekking.
AVAILABILITY: All year round
CONTACT DETAILS: Several agencies offergreat deals and packages of Besu Rapids. Check out:
www.countryviewadventure.com whoaadventures.com
www.tamannegara.my and www.pahangoutdoor.com
ATV ADVENTURE PARK
LOCATION: Kampung Kemensah in Hulu Kelang, Selangor.
BEST FOR: All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) adventures
DESCRIPTION: ATV Adventure Park is the place for those who like off-road rides via jungle trails on ATVs and enjoy nature.
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Sunday 9am to 6pm, closed from 11am to 3pm on Friday
FEE: From RM100 (depending on package)
NOTE: Advanced booking is required.
CONTACT DETAILS:
TIPS
Before participating in outdoor/extreme sports:
1. Do your research – get as much information as possible on everything about the activity.
2. Pay extra attention to safety measures and requirements (e.g insurance, permit etc)
3. Make sure you are in good health on the activity day.
4. Wear proper clothes.
5. Take the required lessons.
6. Warm up before starting the activity to prevent injury.
7. Get friends to join the challenge if you are not confident of trying it on your own.
8. The “No pain, No gain” notion does not apply when it comes to extreme sports and most outdoor activities. Although they are meant to test your agility, stop when you are injured or don’t see the point of going.