10 scariest rides in the world

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

In order to get your adrenaline rush, it is not at all necessary to engage in some kind of extreme or life-threatening recreational activities like bungee jumping and flying in a wing suit. Just go to a suitable amusement park! Many of them are really scary, impressive and awakening the desire to live.

But where to go for these impressions is a separate question. For tourists who want to tickle their nerves, we have compiled a rating of the 10 scariest attractions in the world. It includes a variety of parks and devices, since each has its own source of adrenaline – someone is afraid of heights, and someone is afraid of speed …

Rating of the scariest rides in the world

Nomination	a place	Attraction	rating
Rating of the scariest rides in the world	10	Formula Rossa (Abu Dhabi, UAE)	4.1
	9	Kingda Ka (New Jersey, USA)	4.2
	8	X Scream (Las Vegas, USA)	4.3
	7	The Big Shot (Las Vegas, USA)	4.4
	6	Insanity the ride (Las Vegas, USA)	4.5
	5	The smiler (Staffordshire, England)	4.6
	4	Tower of Terror II (Queensland, Australia)	4.7
	3	Giant Canyon Swing (Glenwood, USA)	4.8
	2	'Catapult' (St. Petersburg, Russia)	4.9
	1	Sky Tower (Aarhus, Denmark)	5.0

10th place: Formula Rossa (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

Rating: 4.1

Formula Rossa is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest roller coaster in the world. The wagons on them reach a shocking speed of 240 kilometers per hour – and they do it in just 4.9 seconds. So, vivid impressions begin almost immediately after boarding the attraction.

Formula Rossa is located in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, and is part of the Ferrari World amusement park. It's literally everything about speed, and the Formula Rossa roller coaster is its quintessence. Passengers who dare to travel even wear special glasses so that dust and small insects do not damage their eyes.

The total length of the roller coaster is 2.2 km. The trolleys cover this distance in just under 1.5 minutes. The maximum height of the slide is 52 meters, which is only slightly less than that of the Statue of Liberty.

Ferrari World has 2 dozen more attractions, including racing simulators, space shots and 3D shows. A ticket that opens the entrance to the park and allows you to use everything presented will cost (at the time of this writing) $ 82. True, most of the rides will appeal only to fans of the Ferrari brand.

9th place: Kingda Ka (New Jersey, USA)

Rating: 4.2

In the city of New Jersey, there is an amusement park with the complex name Six Flags Great Adventure. And there is another Guinness book holder – the tallest roller coaster in the world, called Kingda Ka. This is where people with acrophobia should definitely not meddle. The trolleys in them rise to an impressive mark of 139 meters!

The 139-meter slide, however, is impressive not only in height. The shape of the rail is such that when lifting and lowering, the trolleys also turn over. In addition, rolling down from the top, you can reach an enchanting speed of 206 km / h! This is even faster than free fall, because the descent from the 139-meter height takes only 3.5 seconds.

If suddenly after Kingda Ka you still have strength, you should not leave the park. Six Flags Great Adventure has some more impressive, intimidating and adrenaline-pumping rides. Zumanjaro throws passengers from a height of 126 meters, and the Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth pendulum swing won the title of 'Cry of the World' for a reason. A ticket to all venues will cost $ 41.5.

8th place: X Scream (Las Vegas, USA)

Rating: 4.3

Oh, this ride cunningly exploits the fear of falling. It is located in the Stratosphere amusement park in Las Vegas, on the highest of the observation towers. The X Scream is a short track and a small trolley with only 4 passengers on it.

After the passengers board the trolley, it begins to roll to the very edge of the observation deck, accelerating. Ahead – nothing but a 350-meter abyss. And already at the very edge, the trolley pauses and dives down. Because of this, there is a feeling that it has fallen off, and passengers are falling from a great height. And even the most desperate daredevils cannot hold back a cry – it's not for nothing that the attraction is called X Scream, or 'screech'.

The X Scream often runs half empty. Still, there are few tourists who dare to ride this attraction. But if you've already arrived in Las Vegas, why not try a couple more sites with Stratosphere? They were awarded separate places in the ranking.

7th place: The Big Shot (Las Vegas, USA)

Rating: 4.4

Another scary attraction from the Stratosphere amusement park in Las Vegas. Only this time it's like a 'catapult'. Located at the very top of the observation deck, The Big Rest lifts passengers to a height of 329 meters.

But not only the height is scary, but the type of climb itself. It's sharp and fast. Passengers literally take off at speeds up to 70 km / h, including accelerating. And then, hovering at the highest point, they suddenly plunge down.

From The Big Shot, you can admire the panorama of both Las Vegas and the surrounding Nevada deserts. If, of course, there is a desire for this. Usually passengers are not up to the yellow-red landscape – they want to survive! However, you should not worry about safety. The attraction was launched in 1996 and since then there has not been a single accident. Carousels from some district parks of Gorky are even more dangerous.

By the way, The Big Shot is currently the highest attraction in the world.

6th place: Insanity the ride (Las Vegas, USA)

Rating: 4.5

If after X Scream and The Big Shot you still have strength and your legs don't buckle, it's time to look at the next attraction of the Las Vegas Stratosphere Park (by the way, there is a hotel, casino and restaurant in this tower). Insanity the Ride is an outrigger carousel 274 meters above the ground.

Passengers board this 'carousel', after which it unfolds and moves out of the tower. Under the feet of tourists – nothing but a 274-meter abyss. And it's better to hold on tight. And then the carousel starts spinning …

Insanity the Ride is not only high up, but also fast. It spins up to 65 kilometers per hour! When you have nothing under your feet, it's fast. Very fast. Too. And, spinning up, the carousel tilts the cabins – so that the passengers, in fact, find themselves facing the ground.

As passengers say, Insanity the Ride is worthy of the title of the creepiest carousel in the world. And not everyone dares to open their eyes to admire Vegas from a bird's eye view.

5th place: The smiler (Staffordshire, England)

Rating: 4.6

Great Britain is associated with stiffness, strict adherence to traditions and aristocracy. However, tourists who find themselves in Staffordshire on an attraction with the cute name The Smiler can only dream of a cup of tea and an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

The Smiler is literally made to scare. Psychologists were involved in the construction and design of this roller coaster and helped increase the 'fear factor'. The trolley on the attraction accelerates to an impressive 85 kilometers per hour and goes through 14 turns, turning over.

And at the same time, the passengers finally lose the sense of reality. Around the slides, a large number of contrasting decorative elements are installed, created to deceive the eyes. And so, rushing through them, not understanding where is the top and where is the bottom, 'choking' with adrenaline, there is only one thing left – to scream.

4th place: Tower of Terror II (Queensland, Australia)

Rating: 4.7

'Tower of Terror' is the translation of the Tower of Terror II attraction located in Queensland, Australia – a place where you can experience zero gravity. And also monstrous overload and a little real horror.

The attraction is a vertical tower with rails fixed on it. Carts with passengers literally take off to a height of 115 meters at high speed. So they freeze for a while – and then abruptly fall down. They cover this distance in 6.9 seconds, as a result of which real weightlessness arises on the slide.

But even after such a trip, the 'ride of fear' does not end. The trailers rise again, once again break down – and only after that the gray-haired passengers on wadded feet are allowed to get off.

Residents of neighboring hotels and houses recall Tower of Terror II negatively. They just got tired of the constant screams.

3rd place: Giant Canyon Swing (Glenwood, USA)

Rating: 4.8

Another scary attraction that can tangle the nerves of people with a fear of heights a lot. And passengers without it, the 'swing' Giant Canyon Swing is quite capable of scaring. Why, they offer an almost free fall over a 400-meter-high cliff!

The Giant Canyon Swing is located on the edge of the canyon of the American Colorado River. The principle of their operation is simple and straightforward – passengers sit down and swing. It's better not to look down – the 400-meter height is still heaps of sharp red stones. The swing accelerates to 80 km / h and rises an impressive 112 degrees above the horizon.

A 'bonus' for those who are not afraid of heights are the beautiful views of mountain America. If, of course, the passenger dares to open his eyes, he will see beautiful valleys with dark green pine forests and red stones characteristic of this territory of the United States.

2nd place: 'Catapult' (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Rating: 4.9

The Russian attraction “Catapult” located in the amusement park “Divo Ostrov” is one of the scariest, most dangerous in the world. And this is not an exaggeration. In 2016, a passenger died a few minutes after riding in it. In the reviews, the 'Catapult' is referred to as a 'hellish machine'.

'Catapult' lives up to its name. The passenger is placed in a special metal sphere, securely fixed … for a moment – and he is already at the level of the 20th floor. It's like a flight, like a visitor being shot from a cannon. And then the capsule-sphere, right in the air, also turns over.

The screams of the Catapult passengers can be heard throughout the amusement park. 80 meters in 4 seconds, huge G-forces and a coup at a great height – all this is really impressive. Even hardened extreme lovers may refuse to try this attraction.

In principle, the St. Petersburg park 'Divo Ostrov' offers a huge number of extreme attractions. Some are shocking by their name alone (for example, 'Velikie Luki meat-packing plant'). So fans of extreme sports do not have to travel to the USA or Australia any – impressive 'roller coasters' and other things are right next door.

1st place: Sky Tower (Aarhus, Denmark)

Rating: 5.0

And the top of our rating is a terrible attraction, on which … there is no insurance. No reliable, tested minecarts. There are no special designs designed for safety. No belts or cables. There are only 40 meters of completely free fall.

As visitors to the Sky Tower ride at Danish amusement park Tivoli Frihenden say, 'This is not a ride. This is a giant death trap '; 'My friend took a chance. And I ran away like a chicken '; 'I jumped yesterday. But I will never again '; 'I want to leave!'.

The essence of the Sky Tower attraction is very simple. The visitor rises to a 40-meter height, there he is tied, placed so that there is nothing under him, and released. No insurance, no rope, no nothing. Downstairs, a stretched net awaits him, after landing on which he wants to live, enjoy every day and never again, never visit the Danish amusement park Tivoli Frihenden.

Free fall, although it lasts very little, but for people who have tried it – in these seconds a whole life flies. Sky Tower is far more risky than meets the eye. Especially scary is the understanding that there is no insurance, and the fall is exactly a fall, not a flight. We can only hope that the grid below will accept you.

At the same time, Tivoli Frihenden is a family run amusement park. Therefore, there are few extreme attractions in it. Sky Tower is the most impressive of these. In addition, there is also the usual roller coaster – for those who did not dare to try free fall, but still want extreme.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.