A mid-air adrenalin rush

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: by step in terms of what and how much they desire. The idea here is founded on the location’s ecological opportunities, calling in people like scientists, professional and amateur photographers and film teams who aim to discover the world from a different perspective. In Europe, the emphasis though is more on the adventure,” he says.

At the Langkawi Canopy Rainforest, one can trek up to 800 metres, beginning with a brief on how to handle the gears given to make you stay. From here one is hooked on to safety lines and starts flying across the forest and finally will be abseiling down from a 40-metre tall tree. “The cables are high, making it imperative to hold on to them really tight while moving. If you let go, the same cable can take you back to the middle and you could be hanging mid air — at times at a height of 40 to 60 feet. In fact, I had to land on a very tall and dense tree,” recalls Patel.

George Deeb, CEO of adventure travel site www.iExplore.com thinks air trekking was originally designed as a way for wildlife lovers to get a closer look at animals that only live high up in tree canopies. “But over time, the concept evolved to attract hikers and thrill seekers. This is particularly so when the rope systems are now including zip lines to get from platform to platform, which one never used to see,” he says.

Air trekking, though not so expensive, can have other costs like getting to the destination and touring surrounding areas. A trip to Costa Rica could range anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000, depending on the trip length, excursions and level of comfort. At Langkawi, the sport can cost you somewhere around $100 per head. Besides, there are added costs like commuting from the hotel, etc. “More taxing than the expenses is the booking. Sometimes you don’t get the air-trekking booking at all,” says Patel. Currently, being promoted by tour operators within their itineraries, air trekking still needs to be promoted as a standalone adventure sport. “But with adventure travel being the fastest-growing category within the overall travel industry (growing 10-12% per year, versus 5-6% in the general industry growth globally), one is sure to see much action in air trekking soon,” says Deeb.