Wingsuit flying, kitesurfing and other daring adventures in Asia

Sometimes described as the closest humans come to true flight, Wingsuit flying is not for the faint-hearted, and to enrol in a training course a novice must already be an accomplished skydiver. Wearing fabric wings stretched between their arms and legs, these thrill-seekers steer with subtle shifts in body position like dive-bombing flying squirrels. One of the most dramatic locations in which the activity takes place is Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. Its near-vertical cliffs and the Tianmen Cave, a massive natural arch, create a GoPro-ready setting for daring descents. The World Wingsuit League holds annual championships here (usually in September), with athletes launching from helicopters and threading through narrow valleys at speeds of up to 200km/h. Combining cinematic scenery with extreme risk, Tianmen Mountain is considered one of the ultimate challenges, and dedicated viewing areas are set up for spectators when competitions take place.

This form of scuba diving takes place in submerged caves, often with no direct access to the surface. Explorers navigate flooded tunnels, tight passages and vast chambers, requiring advanced potholing skills and careful planning. The Philippines is considered a premier destination for this extreme sport, where the nation’s underwater cave systems twist and turn, creating a submerged maze that challenges even seasoned divers. These sites vary in difficulty, from entry-level caverns such as those in Marigondon Cave, in Cebu, to deep, technical dives. A stand-out is Cathedral Cave in Coron, Palawan. Reached through a six-metre-deep tunnel, the cave opens into a huge chamber lit by sunlight filtering through a collapsed ceiling. Inside, explorers surface into an air pocket hidden in the cave.