Stomach-churning 853ft drop awaits willing jumpers from China bridge

Would YOU leap from the world’s highest bungee jump platform? Stomach-churning 853ft drop awaits those willing to fall from Chinese canyon-spanning bridge

• Visitors to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China can do a bungee jump from a height of 853ft
• The cost of the jump over the Wulingyuan wilderness, a UNSECO World Heritage site, was cut to about $306
• The pedestrian bridge, once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world, first opened in 2016 

Straddled between two cliffs in China’s Hunan province, a glass-bottomed suspension bridge offers the world’s highest bungee jump from a footbridge.

Visitors to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge can take a leap from a height of 853ft, a stomach-churning way to take in the views of the surrounding Wulingyuan wilderness, a UNSECO World Heritage site.

The area, a popular international tourist attraction, is famous for its quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks extending into the clouds, along with deep ravines and gorges.

Bungee jumpers enjoy an aerial view of the Wulingyuan wilderness, a popular international tourist attraction, famous for its quartzite sandstone pillars and peaks extending into the clouds, along with deep ravines and gorges

The pedestrian bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world

Tourists stand on the edge of the platform, helped by an instructor, ahead of their 853ft bungee jump over the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Hunan province, China

Cameras capture the 853ft bungee jump from all angles, including upwards shots showing the bottom of the glass-suspension bridge in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

The bungee jumping operation opened at the end of 2020, delayed by restrictions imposed by the Chinese government because of the coronavirus pandemic, which included some of the world’s toughest border restrictions.

Operator Jonni Deaker said business had been building slowly as domestic tourists began to return to the region.

‘We are probably averaging twenty jumps a day at the moment, which is pretty good for a jump this size,’ Deaker said, adding he was confident of a solid July-August holiday season.

To compensate for the lack of foreign tourists, the cost of a jump has been cut by around 40 per cent to RMB 1998 (roughly US$306).

A participant jumps during a freestyle bungee competition from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China in May 2018, before the site was open to the public

Jumpers from different countries joined a freestyle bungee competition from a 853ft platform looking down on the Wulingyuan wilderness, a UNSECO World Heritage site 

A tourist jumps from the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge in China on July 12, 2021, after the site opened to the public following the Covid-19 pandemic

A freestyle bungee jumping competitor takes the leap while holding a miniature bike on May 26, 2018 in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, China

Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but operator Jonni Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps

A tourist takes the leap from the bungee jumping platform at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in July 2021, only months after the operation opened amid the pandemic in 2020

A participant in a freestyle bungee jumping competition looks calm as they take a leap off the 853ft platform ahead of its public opening in May 2018

The pedestrian bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world.

Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps.

‘Because it’s so high, it actually makes it easier’, Deaker said. ‘When you’re this high, it’s kind of like skydiving.’

Operators prepare tourists for the 853ft bungee jump from Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon’s glass-bottomed suspension bridge

 Jumping into the abyss below might be terrifying for some, but operator Jonni Deaker believes the sheer height makes it less intimidating than smaller jumps

The glass-bottomed suspension bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest in the world

Tourists can walk along the 1410ft long glass-bottomed suspension bridge above Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, looking down at the Wulingyuan wilderness below

 The pedestrian bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan and opened in August 2016, was once the longest glass-bottomed suspension bridge in the world

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