Bucket List / Adventure Travel Goals
Zip Down The World’s Longest Zipline
Ticked off in August 2014
Lie face down in a harness and fly nearly three kilometres over desert mountains at motorway speeds.
The adventure
On Jebel Jais, the highest mountain in the UAE, you're clipped into a harness lying face down like a superhero, dangling over a rocky gorge more than 1,600 metres above sea level. Then the gate drops. Jebel Jais Flight, which opened in 2018, was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's longest zipline at more than 2.8 kilometres, and riders reach speeds of up to around 150 kilometres an hour.
For about three minutes you skim over jagged ridges and red-brown canyons, the wind tugging at your face and the cable humming above you. Other contenders have their own charms, like the ZipRider at Icy Strait Point in Alaska, which drops through spruce forest towards the sea with a chance of spotting whales in the bay. The title keeps moving as bigger lines are built, which means there's always another record-breaker waiting somewhere.
Why it’s epic
- Riding Jebel Jais Flight, certified by Guinness World Records in 2018 as the longest zipline in the world at over 2.8 kilometres.
- Flying face down in a superhero position at up to around 150 kilometres an hour.
- Views across the Hajar Mountains of Ras Al Khaimah from more than 1,600 metres up.
- Closer to home, Zip World Velocity in north Wales bills itself as the fastest zip line in the world.
What it is
The title of world's longest zipline changes as new ones are built. Jebel Jais in the UAE has held the record.
How to do it
Book online with the operator; there are weight and age limits.
Top tip
Check the latest Guinness World Record before you go.
Need to know
- Riders must meet weight and height limits, and the line closes in high winds.
- Jebel Jais is around two hours' drive from Dubai, so plan a full day or stay in Ras Al Khaimah.
- October to April is the most comfortable time to visit the UAE, as summer heat is fierce even in the mountains.
- Records change, so check the latest Guinness World Record if the title matters to you.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- Under £750 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Best time to go
- All year
- Fly into
- DXB airport
The ride itself is reasonably priced; flights and a stay in the UAE are the bigger costs.
Do it yourself
Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.
My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Zip Down The World’s Longest Zipline” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.