8 of Asia’s most thrilling zip lines, from Macau to Japan’s Godzilla

ZipCity’s five zip lines include a 388-metre (424-yard) long ride that reaches speeds of 55km/h (34mph) – the distance was chosen for its auspicious significance and symbolises the generation of wealth and abundance.

Time your take-off for dusk and prepare for your senses to be stimulated by an audiovisual experience featuring custom-made soundtracks and more than 100,000 LED lights.

For a double shot of adrenaline, book a stay at Shinta Mani Wild. The high-end camping retreat lies at the edge of Cambodia’s Southern Cardamom National Park, one of the largest tropical rainforest ecosystems in Southeast Asia.

After dusting down and freshening up, guests can join an anti-poaching patrol. These are daily ranger and armed police-led expeditions to remove snares, confront loggers and confiscate home-made guns and chainsaws. And you thought the zip line was the dangerous part!

Dubbed the world’s most extreme mountain zip line, Zip-Flyer, near Pokhara, Nepal, is one of the longest, fastest and steepest. Riders reach speeds approaching 120km/h as they plummet 600 metres during the two-minute descent.

If that isn’t thrilling enough, the snow-capped Himalayas provide an awe-inspiring backdrop. Mount Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) and Mount Annapurna (8,091 metres) are both visible on clear days – if you dare open your eyes.

The vistas on the drive from Pokhara to the launch platform at Sarangkot Hill are almost as stunning as those zip-liners enjoy on the plunge downwards.

Continuing with the natural wonder and zip line combination, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, in Vietnam, is renowned for its unique geological formations, diverse array of wildlife and Son Doong, the largest cave in the world.

But for adrenaline junkies, Hang Toi, aka Dark Cave, is the hole to head for. At 400 metres, Vietnam’s longest zip line transports visitors above the turquoise Chay River to the entrance of the cave.

The interior of the cavern is unlit and the rocky walls are dark grey and black, hence the name (kudos to the authorities for resisting the temptation to decorate their star sightseeing attraction with a Christmas-like concoction of fairy lights and neon).

It’s a short swim to get inside, followed by a guided walk (helmet with a headlamp provided), a mud bath and a kayak ride back to the starting point.

If you think being handed a gin and tonic after zip-lining into a rainforest bar is surreal, head to Awaji Island, near Osaka, Japan.

Guests arriving at the Nijigen no Mori theme park begin their visit by zip-lining 162 metres into the mouth of a full-size model of Godzilla. They then complete a set of missions “to defeat the monster and save the planet”.

The facility is also home to the world’s only Godzilla museum and can be reached by road via Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges.

Sticking with the surreal, visitors to the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park in Bohol, the Philippines, have the option of zip-lining by bicycle.

Thrill seekers pedal a modified two-wheeler along a 225-metre-long, 2cm thick wire fixed to an overhead cable suspended almost 50 metres above the ground.

Legwork is required, rather than gravity, and although bike riding experience isn’t needed, a head for heights definitely is. Look down if you dare but be sure not to miss aerial views of the otherworldly, cone-shaped mounds that stretch away to the horizon.

The Gibbon Experience Treetop zip line is a Laotian conservation project that has created livelihoods for hundreds and protects the habitat of the planet’s smallest ape species.

In all, 15km of zip lines transport guests from hill to hill and into the heart of Nam Kan National Park. Tree houses hidden high in the rainforest provide perfect nature observatories and the chance to wake up surrounded by gibbons.

Unlike many zip-line operations, the focus here is as much about helping visitors connect with and learn about forest and wildlife stewardship as whizzing around on white-knuckle jungle rides.

Supporting a worthy cause can be just as exhilarating as flying through the trees on a steel wire.

The Mega Adventure theme park, on Sentosa Island, Singapore, offers a number of challenging activities. Besides the Mega Climb obstacle course and free-fall Mega Jump simulator, the main draw is the three-lane, 450-metre long Mega Zip.

The route – the only one in this list to glide above a beach and the sea – takes riders over a jungle canopy at 60kmh and deposits them 45 seconds later on an islet next to man-made Siloso Beach. Choose to go solo, race friends or hang upside down for a real rush of blood to the head.