Queenstown, New Zealand. This handsome lakeside town on New Zealand's South Island, flanked by the aptly named Remarkables mountains, is famous as the commercial birthplace of bungee jumping, the death-defying act of diving from a bridge, ledge or tower while attached to an elastic cord. A. J. Hackett, who garnered headlines when he leapt off the Eiffel Tower in 1987, started the first bungee operation here a decade ago.

But Queenstown offers extremists a choice of 75 other adventure sports, from the relatively tame (hiking, skiing and mountain biking) to the downright heart-pounding (careening off a peak with a partner who's attached to a paraglider).

The town is also known for rough-and-tumble jet

Ready to push the envelope in South Africa? One of the best sources for checking out who's offering what is Out There, a Johannesburg-based magazine devoted to "outdoor adventure for the wild at heart." The publication's Web site includes articles from both current and past issues as well as a classified section touting everything from ranger training schools to pony trekking in Lesotho. In Cape Town, considered ground zero for adrenaline junkies, booking centers include Abseil Africa and Adventure Village and Africa Travel Centre. Cape Town's Pure Thrill Adventures, meanwhile, promises a "classroom in nature offering all of us the chance to make contact with our true selves." The company's Ultimate Weekenders, about $334 per person, include kloofing, rappelling (called abseiling in South Africa), skydiving and ocean wave jumping in rubber boats -- along with gourmet meals and ample quantities of South African wines. Philadelphia-based Premier Tours is the U.S. representative for Drifters Adventure Tours, a Johannesburg company specializing in low-cost adventure trips throughout southern Africa.

boat rides on the nearby Shotover and Kawarau rivers.

Information, New Zealand Tourism Board, 800-388-5494 or www.nztb.govt.nz .

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Though Scottish missionary David Livingstone named them for the British queen in 1855, native Africans called the world's largest waterfalls "Mosi oa Tunya," the "smoke that thunders."

You can admire that thunderous mist from the confines of a motorized hang glider or ultralight aircraft -- or upside down after hurling yourself from a bridge toward the Zambezi River, 333 feet below. Downstream from the bungee-jumping operation, a 13-mile stretch of the Zambezi provides the wildest one-day whitewater run in the world. Most people experience the gut-wrenching tumble through rapids like the Devil's Toilet Bowl and Overland Truck Eater from the relatively safe confines of a commercial raft. But if you're feeling particularly frisky, you can tackle part of the maelstrom on a riverboard, the freshwater version of a boogie board. Assuming you emerge unscathed, you've still got to climb the equivalent of 75 stories to get out of the gorge.

Information, Zimbabwe Tourist Office, 212-332-1090, or Shearwater Adventures, http://africanadrenalin.co.za /shearwater/ .

Las Vegas. Granted, Glitter Gulch is better known for financial risk-taking than for physical challenges in the great outdoors. But nearby Red Rock National Conservation Area is a magnet for both beginning and expert rock climbers, while the region's dry lake beds attract sky divers, ATV and dune buggy tours and "land yachting," sailing at speeds that can top 100 mph.

Back in town, you can bungee jump from a crane overlooking the Strip or tackle some of the country's hairiest roller-coaster rides, including one atop a 112-story casino.

And then there's Thrillseekers Unlimited. The company's five-day, $1,500 package, led by extreme-sports veteran Rich Hopkins, includes a combination of in-line skating, firewalking, paintball, rock climbing, bungee jumping, snowboarding, Formula Three car racing, tandem skydiving and paragliding.

Information, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, www.lasvegas24hours.com , or Thrillseekers Unlimited, 702-699-5550.