25

Best Adventure Sports in Chennai

Trekking in Chennai is blessed by the charming elevations of the Eastern Ghats meeting with the beauty of the Bay of Bengal. The lush and green jungles coupled with the challenging elevations, makes up for an offbeat experience of adventure sports in Chennai. IF you are talking about trekking, then very few places can boast of the diversity of the terrain that Chennai has. Whenever you want to catch a break from the city, embark on a trekking adventure to any of the beautiful places in and around Chennai.

The Eastern Ghats are characterized by smaller heights (as compared to the Western Ghats), but more splendid and untouched beauties of nature. Pristine rock cut natural pools, gushing falls, gurgling streams and peaks overlooking the sea are all the wonders that you will be able to experience only in Chennai.

Want to combine the thrill of mountain climbing and camping? Then try your hand at mountain camping, that is a combination of mountaineering and camping and one of the most fun types of  adventure in Chennai . There are many spots in and around Chennai where you can relax and set up your camp.

Choose the relatively colder months for mountain camping so that you can enjoy the outdoors. The surroundings in most of the places are very scenic and you can soak in the beauty of nature while you’re at it. Imagine climbing atop a mountain and setting up a camp right in Chennai. Sounds unbelievable, but it is true! Try this out in Yelagiri.

Do not be mistaken for thinking of Chennai to be the city of temples and beaches only. This city has a provision of letting you sail through the sea and fly in the sky. If you have the courage and daring, then get yourself tied to a harness, hold your breath and jump from a mountain. Yes, we are talking about paragliding.

You will be tied to a parachute of course. Fly like an eagle in the skies with paragliding, which is one of the most sought after adventure sports in Chennai. You can try your hand at paragliding at Adventure Aerosports in Palavakkam where there are experienced trainers who know their job very well.

Chennai, the 'Gateway to South India' is blessed with a gracious coastline and abundant of greeneries. Though most of the city comprises of plain or flat lands, the outskirts does offer an ample of rugged and uneven terrains that make this city an ideal cycling destination. And in case, you are not in the mood of pedalling in the outskirts, you can ride within the city and make it to some of the adventurous places in Chennai.

Offering a tropical wet and dry climate, the city offers several adventurous places to the cycling enthusiasts. During your visit to this metropolis that is steeped with history, culture and traditions, you can pedal around its scenic riversides, lakes and beachfronts, and explore its bountiful nature.

Some of the parts of the Old City are also often thronged by the cyclists who come here to take a delightful ride and discover the quaint charm and appeal of the city. To add here, the East Coast Road (or ECR) is one of the most wonderful cycling destinations in the entire of Chennai.

Paramotoring or powered paragliding is a form of adventure where a back-mounted motor is attached to you which will give you enough thrust to paraglide your way through the skies. Your thirst for flying high can be satiated right in Chennai when you embark on this amazing journey amidst the clouds.

Feel the wind in your face with one of the most exciting yet relaxing adventure sports in Chennai. But, unlike other sports, this one’s not for the faint-hearted. You can try out this activity at Adventure Aerosports and Fly2Day.

Located off the Coromandel Coast adjoining the Bay of Bengal, Chennai has a huge and uninterrupted shoreline which allows you to explore all the beauties of the under water world. This vast and charismatic coastline with its serene and clear water entices the scuba diving enthusiasts to take a dive and discover the captivating beauty of Chennai’s magical marine life!

Among all the scuba diving destinations, the Covelong Beach is known for its clean and serene waters that offer a perfect environment to indulge in shallow sea diving. The sea shore is relatively shallow with a relatively even floor. The diver in the mode of scuba diving is usually in the wet suit with fins and oxygen masks attached to his body  This is probably the only adventure activities in Chennai that allow you to experience marine life at its best!

While some people love water sports, others find their muse in the mountains. A challenging adventure in Chennai that one should definitely try out is rock climbing. You all must have seen adrenaline junkies suspended by a rope trying to climb mountains in movies. What if we told you that you could do the same in Chennai? There are many places in the city where you can ascend or descend on vertical rocks and hillocks and defy gravity.

All you need is physical strength and mental grit. Once you reach the top, you are going to applaud yourself and feel so accomplished! Try out this exciting activity at Adventure Zone or Fit Rock Arena if you want to try it indoors.

For those of you who think that Chennai is only about ancient temples and historical monuments, think again as the city is also the home to several adventurists and adventure activities. Being on the coastal region of India, this metropolis offers awesome possibilities of water sports particularly parasailing to its gutsy travellers.

Not everyone’s cup of tea, parasailing involves sailing in the air while being harnessed to a safety parachute and pulled by a high-powered speed boat. As the boat makes its way forward, it pulls the parachute high in the sky allowing the participant to embark on a steady flight over the azure sea. Take this flight of your dreams; witness and enjoy the mesmeric views of Chennai while having a tryst with the air!

Without proper training and required skills, no one would like to step into a battlefield! However, when it comes to participating in an exciting laser tag battle, almost every fun lover would hop into the arena and shoot down their enemies with their laser gun! A new trend among all the different adventure sports in Chennai, laser tag is grabbing plenty of attention in recent time. A multiplayer activity, it requires no hard fast training nor any certain level of fitness and can be enjoyed by almost all the age groups.

In this the fun-frolic game, teams are usually divided into different groups and are led into an arena while dressed up with laser sensor vests. Once both the teams are on, the battle begins with each of the teams targeting the laser sensors of the other. Revelry with the laser gun continues until a certain period of time or till the last person in the opponent team gets shot. Fun, safety, excitement and thrill are guaranteed in this fun-battle!

Chennai might be the melting point of cultures and traditions; but when it comes to fun and adventure, this city never stands back! And for those who love to challenge all types of terrains, this ethnic metropolis offers plenitude of options for ATV rides.

Bestowed with rugged and exhilarating terrains, lush and dense forests, ATV rides are indeed the best way to explore the adventurous phase of Chennai. The city has an ample of adventure camps that offers these rides; expert instructors, utmost safety measures and the fascinating terrains will surely add an extra amount of fun and thrill to your ATV rides. To add here, East Coast Road (or ECR) is among the most popular destinations for these enthralling rides.

The lush and untouched greeneries around Chennai serves as an ideal home to a range of exotic flora and fauna. For the wildlife lovers, this city offers an ample of opportunities to witness and spot several rare and endangered wildlife species. From the ferocious tigers to the cold blooded crocodiles, a range of colourful birds to other charismatic reptiles, this metropolitan city offers several enthralling destinations that makes it for an amazing wildlife experience.

A visit to the Madras Crocodile Bank in Mamallapuram will give you an insight about these lazy predators along with the opportunity to feed them. Guindy National Park and Guindy Snake Park also serves as a wonderful destination for the wildlife enthusiasts. While the national park has a significant population of blackbuck, hyena, spotted deer and others, the snake park houses around 23 different species of snakes, crocodiles, tortoises, turtles and lizards.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park with its dwellers like tigers, jaguars, lions, panthers, elephants, giraffes and others, is also one of the best sanctuaries to visit near Chennai. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is also one of the ideal spot for bird watching among the wildlife lovers.

For the adventure freaks, there is always a road; even in the extreme conditions, they always find a way to quench their thirst for adrenaline kicks! And in accomplishing this milestone, they even make their ways through the roughest of the terrains. To be precise here, when all the roads are closed, they always opt for off-roading options to find out their ways.

Chennai being a central part of Tamil Nadu is connected to several other parts of the state. While most of the city’s surrounding are well accessible, some of its outskirt areas offers extreme challenges in traversing. Well, these are the areas that are often thronged by the adrenaline junkies who yearns for a high dose of thrill and adventure!

The rough terrains of Eastern Ghat, its surrounding valleys and ranges serve as the hotspot for the off-roading junkies. Terrains here offers extreme challenges with the sand, gravel, muddy and rocky terrains. The off-roaders usually opt for an ATV and cruise through these roads and get their required dose of adrenaline!

Are you a water baby? Love everything related to water? Then Canyoning or Canyoneering is the activity for you. It is a physically strenuous activity that requires good stamina and strength. Canyoning is a thrilling adventure sport where a person climbs down a waterfall while being harnessed to the ropes for safety.

You can swim, dive, climb, cross the steep valleys and rappel down the huge boulders amidst the waterfall to reach your destination. As for children who want to experience this activity in Chennai, there are smaller and easier courses available. You can Canyon in the jungles near Chennai to experience this in the wild. IROC Adventures is where you should head for this activity.

Well, if laser tag battle is not enough and you desire for a more realistic experience of a battlefield, paintball is something that you must try! One of the most sought after adventure sports in Chennai, paintball is the next best thing to experience in this metropolis.

The rules of the game are very simple: get ready with the safety gears, step into the battlefield, load your guns with coloured pellets and start shooting down your enemies. Like laser tag, paintball also requires no ardent training or prior experience; fitness level is also not a concern till you are able to spot your opponents.

Mostly conducted in the outdoors, this thrilling activity is something that will keep you engrossed in unlimited fun and excitement. Next time you visit the city, make it to a paintball arena, camouflage a battlefield and have unlimited adventure in Chennai with family and friends!

Yes, you can experience the thrill of kayaking in the sea, right in the city of Chennai. If the heat is getting too taxing and you feel like taking a dip in water, why not add some fun to it. Head to Bay of Life in Kovalam on ECR to experience Kayaking through various courses. The activities organised by them are safe for kids and adults alike.

Hop on to a single-seater or two-seater kayak and take a joy ride in the backwaters. Gobananas also holds hour-long kayaking lessons in Covelong beach. This is one of the most exciting adventure sports in Chennai that one should not miss.

As the name suggests, micro flying is a fun activity where you sit in a two-seater plane and fly above a place at about 1,000 feet height. Wonder what Chennai looks like from the top, where you can actually see the city? Then hop on to a micro plane and take a trip of a lifetime. This is one of the most fun kinds of adventure in Chennai.

It does not require any physical strength or expertise. You have a pilot, you just to sit back and relax. Head to Madras Flying Club which organises these joy rides above the Bay of Bengal with mesmerising views of the coastline.

Ziplining has got to be one of the most rewarding types of adventure in Chennai. You are harnessed and then hooked to the zipline before you can sashay your way down the zipline. You are bound to feel like Tarzan while you make your way forward. This is very similar to flying down like a hawk just that you are harnessed and suspended on a rope.

In Chennai, you can zip your way across the lush greenery and lakes and enjoy the view completely while you feel the adrenaline rush through your body. You can try this out at The Wild Tribe Ranch or the Well Wishers Adventure Club.

Push your boundaries with this amazing activity called hang gliding. This is one of the most unique adventure sports in Chennai that you should try if you want to fly down the mountains and cliffs. Even though it sounds scary, this adventure sport is actually really fun. You are attached to a light-weight hang glider and all you have to do is jump over and fly like a bird.

Do not worry, all the centres across the city have trained staff who will take you through the entire process and at the end, you are not going to regret your decision. You can try this at Adventure Aerosports.

Have you grown up watching Takeshi’s Castle or other maze challenges on television? Then you must have always wanted to try it, right? Obstacle courses are pretty famous in Chennai, where one has to overcome various tricky obstacles to reach their goal.

At Adventure Zone, they have laid numerous challenges that make you feel accomplished once you cross them. Imagine climbing walls, sliding in slush, hanging on ropes, tyre crawling and much more, all under one roof. You will have so much fun overcoming each one of them!