Thrill Rides

Test your limits with adrenaline-fueled activities around the world.

- MARLENE GOLDMAN

“When I say get down, pull in your oars and crouch down in the middle of the raft,” our guide, Henri, shouted. “And if you do flip out, don’t panic. Just float and we will get you.”

The words resonated as we hit Overtime, the first Class V rapid along this 12-mile stretch of the Ugandan White Nile.

“Get down!” Henri screamed.

The current spun and twisted our raft like an agitator, tossing us side to side. As we hit the bottom of the rapid the force propelled me out into a warm, calm pool of fresh water. “Don’t panic,” I reminded myself. I found the edge of the raft and Henri pulled me back in.

The second spill was more terrifying. We portaged around the top of a Class VI rapid, Itanda Falls, but did attempt the bottom third, known as the Bad Place. This time I flew out and ended up under the raft. I panicked. My flailing hands finally found the edge of the raft as my endorphins kicked in.

Years later, the adventure stands out as one of my lifetime travel highlights. Today, companies like White Nile Rafting offer options for Class V day trips or multiday excursions.

Whitewater rafting draws thrillseekers to other river hot spots like the Zambezi River in Zambia, below Victoria Falls, where rapids sport descriptive names like Commercial Suicide and Gnashing Jaws of Death. In the United States, multiday rafting trips along the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon remain a bucket-list item, led by companies like Arizona’s Wilderness River Adventures.

Other aquatic thrills include swimming with dangerous critters. In Australia, humans are the ones caged for close encounters with crocodiles at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin City. Divers are secured in the Cage of Death and can watch crocodiles feeding for a 15-minute controlled encounter.