Bungy jumping is a rite of passage for today’s travellers. The height of the bungy jump, is effectively your travel penis: Mine’s bigger than yours. Mine was more beautiful. Mine went wrong. Mine splashed me. However, such mighty adventure sports can come at extremely high prices, and bruise even the tightest budget. Take your phallus in hand, and discover where the cheapest bungy jump in the world is.
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Bungy Jumping Price Wars
I was filled with perky joy, as I tottered off with my giddy fingers to the bushy fringes of Googleland to fill this page with bungee jumping facts. Unfortunately I was thwarted at every turn. I had thought to bring you the ridiculous precursor to bungee jumping, and explain exactly how land diving works. I then thought to bring you a break down of the Five Highest Bungee Jumps on Earth. Seemed someone had beaten me to it. Seemed I had to find a new angle. (Seemed everyone spelled bungy differently.)
Then it hit me in the face, like the barren wasteland below an urban crane. We buy vegetables by the weight. We buy beer by the pint. We book hostels by the night. So, lets look at the price of bungy jumping around the world, by the metre. Lay your eyes upon this tangerine-tanned table, and marvel at the excel-lent break down of the real cost of bungee jumping.
| Bungy Jump Locations | Height (m) | Cost (£) | Cost (£)/ Height (m) |
|---|
| Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa | 216 | £59 | £0.27 |
| Longqing Gorge Bungee, China | 50 | £15 | £0.30 |
| The Last Resort, Nepal | 160 | £55 | £0.35 |
| Victoria Falls Bungy, South Africa | 211 | £81 | £0.39 |
| Ponte Colossus, Veglio, Italy | 152 | £77 | £0.51 |
| Colorado River, Costa Rica | 81 | £45 | £0.55 |
| Macau Tower, Hong Kong | 233 | £145 | £0.62 |
| Corinth Canal, Greece | 79 | £52 | £0.66 |
| Niouc, Switzerland | 190 | £126 | £0.66 |
| Jungle Bungy, Pataya, Thailand | 50 | £35 | £0.69 |
| Verzasca Dam, Switzerland | 220 | £152 | £0.69 |
| Victoria Falls Bridge, Zambia | 111 | £79 | £0.71 |
| Stockhorn, Interlaken, Switzerland | 134 | £101 | £0.76 |
| The Nevis Bungy, Queenstown, New Zealand | 134 | £117 | £0.88 |
| Morrison’s Quarry, Ottawa, Canada | 61 | £72 | £1.19 |
| Auckland Bridge Bungy, New Zealand | 40 | £55 | £1.38 |
| Viaduc de la Souleuvre, Normandy, France | 61 | £86 | £1.40 |
| Bali, Indonesia | 45 | £68 | £1.52 |
| Cairns, Australia | 50 | £79 | £1.59 |
| The Ledge Bungy, Queenstown, New Zealand | 47 | £77 | £1.63 |
| Kawarau Bridge Bungy, Queenstown, New Zealand | 43 | £83 | £1.93 |
The cheapest bungy jump…
This threw up some interesting facts about bungy jumping. When you consider the price as a cost per metre, the Bloukrans Bridge jump in South Africa — the third highest bungy jump in the world — worked out to be the world’s cheapest commercial bungy jump.
I’m getting my travel penis out here; I’ve jumped the Stockhorn. Having done that 134m bungy jump, I can say with confidence I wouldn’t do another one. I actually believe it gave me a small fear for heights, which I didn’t previously have. This was enhanced by the feeling that my loose trainers were slipping off my heels, as I dangled upside down, 200ft above an Alpine lake.
The research also proved my most obvious assumption: That New Zealand exploits the fact that people associate bungy jumping with the island nation. I doubt whether the major operators are solely to blame (the Father of Bungee Jumping is Kiwi, AJ Hackett who now operates bungy jumping sites in seven countries). I dare say the government are fearful of more bungy jumping accidents, and thus crank up the insurance premiums, sending the price of the popular adventure sport higher and higher.
… or, the best bungy jump?
It’s also obvious, that the more off-the-beaten-track you venture, the cheaper your leap shalt be. However, this all begs the question: what is it that attracts us to skim the surface of death so freely, and pay so handsomely for the ‘pleasure’? It seems to be one of the biggest paradoxes of today’s backpacking culture: Lie on nice beaches; Enjoy local cuisine; Hike in beautiful countryside; Learn a new language; Visit endless cathedrals, galleries and museums; Get hurled off a bridge by someone you just met.
Have you done any of these bungy jumps? Was the risk, worth the price? Did you tell your mum beforehand? How much would be too much to pay?
[image credits: marlonius]
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Buying a bungee jump by the meter, I love it! What could you measure scube diving in? That would be too expensive by the metre, how about per fish? Thanks for making me smile this morning, I’ll be back!
)
Fish, bubbles, minutes — the possibilities are endless. Great comment, looking forward to welcoming you back Tom.