While ziplining is recognized worldwide today as an adventurous form of recreation, the earliest ziplines were all about practicality. The first known ziplines were used in ancient China to cross rivers. Later, Australians used ziplines during wars for transportation and to deliver food, mail, and ammunition. In the 1970s, a wildlife biologist named Donald Perry began creating primitive canopy ziplines to study the jungles of Costa Rica. Perry was the first to patent zipline technology.
Now, zipline outfitters around the world compete to have the best course. This list includes standouts, whether they claim superlatives like fastest, longest, or steepest, or just take advantage of incredible scenery.