World's 10 best treetop walks with unbeatable views

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This was published 5 years ago

World's 10 best treetop walks with unbeatable views

By Brian Johnston
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SUNGAI SEDIM TREETOP WALK, MALAYSIA

Running for almost a kilometre through the tropical rainforest of Sedim River Recreation Park in Malaysia's north-west, this open-mesh, 50-metre-high walk sways with wind and pedestrian movement and is only for those with a good head for heights. The monkey's eye view allows you to spot colourful birds, with wider viewing platforms along the way allowing visitors to linger. The walkway crosses a river twice. See treetopwalk.com.my

BAUMWIPFELPFAD, GERMANY

This treetop walk in the Bavarian Forest National Park is the world's longest at 1300 metres. It culminates at a 44-metre-high, egg-shaped tower for views across Bavaria, the Czech Republic and the distant Alps. The tower's winding spiral staircase wraps around three giant firs, allowing an inspection from roots to crown. Occasional detours to rope and wooden bridges provide adventure for the young and restless. See baumwipfelpfad.bayern

IWOKRAMA CANOPY WALKWAY, GUYANA

This walkway in a rainforest nature reserve in central Guyana features a series of suspension bridges linking tree-nestled platforms. Although short at just 154 metres, it allows you to spot some of the South American country's 800-something bird species including macaws and toucans, as well as reptiles, four types of monkey and perhaps sloths. There are views over the rainforest to the Maipa Mountains. See iwokramacanopywalkway.com

VALLEY OF THE GIANTS, AUSTRALIA

Stunning eucalyptus trees 90 metres tall are famed in the south-west corner of Western Australia. Walpole-Nornalup National Park near Denmark is the only other place in the world you'll find soaring red tingle trees, many 400 years old. The treetop walk takes you 40 metres into the tree canopy for a different perspective on this spectacular environment, and links to a contrasting walk at ground level. See treetopwalk.com.au

KEW TREETOP WALKWAY, BRITAIN

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Head to London suburb Kew and the Royal Botanic Gardens for this walkway, designed by the London Eye architects. Climb 108 steps and you arrive in a canopy of sweet chestnut, oak and lime trees, particularly pretty in autumn. Visitors can learn how trees grow and breathe, and about the lichen, insects and birds that depend upon them, and might well spot squirrels and woodpeckers. See kew.org

CENTENARY TREE CANOPY WALKWAY, SOUTH AFRICA

Designed in 2014 for the centenary of Cape Town's world-famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, this steel-and-timber, rather sculptural walkway undulates and turns through the garden's arboretum, and provides gorgeous views of Table Mountain and its surroundings. Birds flit through indigenous hard pears and Cape saffron trees, with information boards providing details of the exotic plant and bird species that you're likely to spot. See sanbi.org

LIPNO TREETOP WALKWAY, CZECH REPUBLIC

Starting at ground level and eventually winding 24 metres high, this canopy walkway has a bold difference: it's open until midnight during summer, providing incredible sunset-watching opportunities and a spectacular night walk through the forest, with the walkway illuminated by 16 million LED lights. In daytime, you can admire alpine views from the 40-metre tower and ride back to ground level on a toboggan. See stezkakorunamistromu.cz

OCBC SKYWAY, SINGAPORE

The 50-metre-tall Supertrees on the Singapore waterfront at Marina Bay mightn't be real, but they support amazing vertical gardens supporting 200 plant species, including vines, ferns, orchids and bromeliads. Two of the two steel Supertrees are linked by an elevated, gracefully curving walkway providing great views down on the gardens and across to skyscrapers. At night, a sound-and-light show is an enchantment of pink and purple. See gardensbythebay.com.sg

CAPILANO TREETOP ADVENTURE, CANADA

This forest and gorge destination just outside Vancouver is most famous for its giant suspension bridge, but has a whole lot more attractions, including a walkway of seven smaller suspension bridges that allow you to lurch between giant Douglas firs. You can continue with a Clifftop Walk of cantilevered and suspended walkways above the Capilano River. Some glass-floored sections are an extra challenge to vertigo sufferers. See capbridge.com

KAKUM CANOPY WALK, GHANA

Kakum is Ghana's most-visited national park, preserving coastal rainforest especially noted for its arboreal species such as butterflies, birds, flying squirrels and monkeys, though it's also home to bongos and elephants, which you can sometimes spot from the walkway. The canopy walk has six platforms from which you can admire numerous parrot species, hornbills and sometimes black-and-white Diana monkeys. Gamekeepers conduct medicinal plant tours. See kakumnationalpark.ghana-net.com

Brian Johnston travelled both as a guest of tourism offices and at his own expense.

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