Vanuatu
Pentecost Island
Vine-lashed men plunge headfirst from wooden towers, hair brushing earth — the ritual that inspired bungee.
The tower rises from a jungle clearing, rough-hewn logs lashed together with vines, 20 to 30 metres of handmade structure swaying in the trade winds. One by one, men climb to their chosen height, tie freshly cut liana vines to their ankles, and dive headfirst toward the earth. Pentecost Island in Vanuatu is where the naghol — the original land dive — has been performed for centuries, long before the word bungee existed.
The naghol ceremony takes place between April and June, timed to the yam harvest rather than any tourist calendar. Each tower is built fresh from jungle timber each season, assembled without nails, bolts, or any metal. Divers choose their own height based on experience and courage — the most senior jump from the top, their hair brushing the softened earth below. The vines are measured and selected by hand; too long and the diver hits the ground, too short and the force on the ankles becomes dangerous. AJ Hackett has credited watching Pentecost land diving as the direct inspiration for commercial bungee jumping. Outside the diving season, the island offers waterfall tracks through dense rainforest with almost no other visitors.
Solo
Witnessing the naghol alone lets you absorb the ritual without distraction — the sound of the crowd, the crack of the vines, the silence before each jump. Outside diving season, Pentecost's jungle trails are yours entirely.
Couple
The ceremony and the earth-oven feast that follows it create a shared experience unlike anything else in the Pacific. Village bungalows are basic, but sharing meals with the families who built the tower adds a layer no resort stay can match.
Friends
The collective adrenaline of watching men dive from a 30-metre tower bonds a group fast. The post-ceremony feast — whole yams, taro, and pork wrapped in banana leaves — is communal in every sense.
- The naghol towers are built fresh from jungle timber each season — 20 to 30 metres high, assembled without nails or metal.
- The ceremony is tied to the yam harvest, not tourism — the ritual continues whether outsiders come or not.
- Village bungalows are the only accommodation; you share meals with the families who built the tower you just watched.
- Outside diving season, the island's jungle trails and waterfall tracks are yours entirely — no infrastructure, no other tourists.
Earth-oven feasts after the naghol ceremony — whole yams, taro, and pork wrapped in banana leaves, slow-cooked on hot stones.
Fresh coconut water cracked open with a machete, the juice still warm from the midday sun.
Trollskogen (Öland)
Sweden
A forest of wind-warped oaks so twisted they look like a witch's spell gone wrong.
Maryang-ri
South Korea
A five-hundred-year-old forest of camellia trees bleeding red flowers against the grey winter sea.
Phong Nha
Vietnam
Hidden jungle portals opening into subterranean river systems and limestone caverns.
Cuc Phuong National Park
Vietnam
Millennium-old trees rising above a jungle floor swarming with millions of white butterflies each spring.
Hideaway Island
Vanuatu
Post a waterproof postcard from the world's only underwater post office, then snorkel its coral reef.
Gaua
Vanuatu
A volcanic lake drains into the ocean via a waterfall that plunges through untouched jungle.
Ureparapara
Vanuatu
Sail into the flooded crater of a horseshoe-shaped volcanic island where fewer than 500 people remain.
Millennium Cave
Vanuatu
Scramble through jungle and wade chest-deep rivers to a cave you enter walking and exit floating.