Five glass bridges for the most daring

Five glass bridges for the most daring

Although it is early to travel, it is time to dream of that unforgettable getaway with which to turn the page to the nightmare of a pandemic year. Beyond classic destinations or essential tourist resources to know, there are other unique alternatives to live groundbreaking experiences. Along these lines, the Indie Camper platform, specialized in motorhome and camper van rental in Spain and Europe, has selected five tourist wonders that have one point in common: they are glass bridges only suitable for the most daring. If throughout history bridges have always been the best solution to shorten the route and get from one point to another in the shortest possible time. In recent years, these buildings that fly over ravines and cross rivers have also become interesting tourist attractions in their own right, especially if the bridges are made of glass. The sensation that they generate to those who pass through them is pure adrenaline. Five are the alternatives for the most daring.

The first stop is in Madrid, where the Riu Plaza de España hotel inaugurated, in August 2019, a glass walkway located 28 stories high, or what is the same, 117 meters from the ground. The bridge is just above the hotel's 'sky bar' and its outdoor pool and, from it, you can see the areas of Malasaña, Conde Duque or the Cuatro Torres.

Thousands of kilometers from the Spanish capital, China has become one of the enclaves with the most constructions of this type, up to 2,000 glass bridges. Of them, the chosen one is Huangchuan for being the longest glass bridge in the world. To visit it, you have to travel to the Lianzhiu region where it was inaugurated in 2020, which measures 526 meters long and is suspended 100 meters above the Three Gorges of Huangchuan. ?Its three layers of laminated glass support up to 2,000 people simultaneously and the weight of vehicles. In fact, at the opening ceremony, two cars from a local company, which together weighed around four tons, crossed the catwalk ?, they point out.

Also in China, in the town of Zhangjiajie there is another impressive glass bridge that with its 430 meters long and 360 meters high is another of the tallest and widest in the world. It is estimated that 8,000 people can pass through it a day and it is capable of supporting 800 people simultaneously. This glass bridge, which crosses the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, was inaugurated in 2016 and has an amusement center with three long swings and a bungee jumping area at its bottom.

Making the leap to the American continent, the obligatory stop for lovers of heights is at The Glacier Skywalk, in Jasper National Park in Canada. The U-shape of this suspension bridge at 280 meters high, with impressive views of the Canadian Rockies, is surprising. It was built in 2014 and, since then, it has become an important attraction in the area as it allows you to observe the wildlife that is at its feet.

Further down in the United States, the proposal is the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which has a glass walkway located 1,300 meters above the ground. The bridge, inaugurated in 2007, offers unparalleled views of the area since, thanks to its horseshoe shape, it is inserted 22 meters horizontally over the Colorado River. ?The bridge can support up to 800 people, although for security reasons only 120 people are allowed access simultaneously. In addition, the walkway resists winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour and earthquakes that occur in a radius of 50 miles, "they specify from this platform.