Top 10 Scary Things To Do For Halloween

No ghosts, zombies, or witches here but only real outdoor activities, accessible to everybody. From diving with sharks to survival training, discover the scariest things to do for Halloween that will target your scary bones...

Halloween is a well-known special day that everyone, young and old, looks forward to. Known for its spooky costumes, all kinds of sweets, and scary atmosphere, this celebration isn't just synonymous with haunted houses and pumpkins!

For all you adventurers out there, it's a chance to take action and get your adrenaline pumping. Get ready to immerse yourself in the spellbinding atmosphere of Halloween in the world's best destinations for celebrating this special day. Let us guide you through this chilling selection of activities to scare you, which will leave you with goosebumps...

1. Shark Cage Diving

Shark cage diving, Gansbaai
Cape Xtreme Adventure Tours - Gansbaai

How about entering unannounced into the territory of an apex predator to kick off our list of scary things to do for Halloween? For thrill-seekers, looking to add a spine-tingling twist to their festivities, shark diving in South Africa offers an adventure unlike any other! Diving with sharks in Gansbaai, Cape Town, and Durban are considered to be the best spots in the world. You can also encounter sharks in the warm waters of Cancun and Playa del Carmen in Mexico as well as in the cold waters of South Australia.

During this activity you will plunge into the depths of the ocean's- calm, coming face to face with incredible predators... You will suit up in a way that allows you to breathe underwater before entering a metal cage, you will have a wetsuit, mask, regulator, and oxygen bottle with you. The metal cage is then descended into the ocean… you have now entered the lair of the beast! Soon enough you will be surrounded by sharks. The possibility of taking pictures underwater allows you to back up your thrilling Halloween tales with amazing photographs. Did you know that sharks have been around for around 455 million years?

2. Jump from one of the World's highest bridge

Bloukrans bridge in south africa
Face Adrenaline

A heart-pounding adventure for Halloween? Try bungee jumping in Plettenberg Bay in South Africa, from one of the world's highest bridges! Since the most common fear that people have is acrophobia or the fear of heights, this activity is the perfect thing to do during the spooky season... This 216 m high jump in the Western Cape region will give you a thrill. To let you know, the Bloukran’s Bridge is the highest commercial natural bungee jump in the world, so it gives you an idea of how scary it can be! One thing’s for sure: if you can do this jump, there are very few skyscrapers that will strike fear in you.

The meeting point for this activity is at the border between the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape in the Tsitsikamma area of South Africa’s Garden Route. You’ll walk along the specially designed catwalk suspended beneath the road surface. This catwalk leads to the launch site at the top of the arch: the walk alone can be terrifying for some! Did you know that Prince Harry, Jack Osbourne, and many more celebrities have tested this activity at the Bridge?

3. White Water Rafting

rafting in zimbabwe
Adventure Zone Victoria Falls

Whitewater river rafting doesn’t sound like a scary activity on paper but minds you, when the forces of nature take control, even the bravest souls shiver in their boots. Rafting in Victoria Falls is extremely exciting and dangerous at the same time but don’t take our word for it. Embarking on a white-water rafting expedition here means plunging into heart-stopping rapids, battling through swirling currents, and being engulfed by towering waves beneath the thunderous roar of the falls.

So how does one prepare for such an unpredictable and scary activity to do for Halloween? First things first, one must know how to swim before considering rafting down. The activity demands a certain level of physical fitness from participants as the distance between rapids varies from 100 meters to 2 km. Other than an adrenaline-fueled experience, the frightening activity down the Victoria Waterfalls can also be gorgeous as it allows you to explore the wildlife of the gorge! If you’ve never been rafting before, we encourage you to read our guide on rafting, so you can be ready to try it!

4. Crocodile Cage Diving

crocodile diving Zimbabwe
Adventure Zone Victoria Falls

Crocodile cage diving in Zimbabwe presents a thrilling activity that perfectly suits Halloween, for those like you who seek a unique experience. This activity combines the thrill of being up close with one of nature's most fearsome predators with a spooky atmosphere underwater... The fact that these crocodiles are animals rescued from the Nile will add an even more special dimension to your experience! Crocodile diving in Cape Town and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, belong to the few places in the world where you can go and try this crazy activity. Every dive includes 25 to 30 minutes in the enclosure with regular feeding by the crocodile handlers. The face-to-face encounter allows you to view the unbelievable power of a crocodile's jaws snapping shut!

The purpose of this activity is also to ease the interaction between humans and wildlife while promoting the importance of biodiversity. Even if it's a terrifying experience, perfect for a day of horror, it's important to understand that these species are vital to how nature works and that it's crucial to respect them. This adventure is the perfect mix of excitement and an educational experience. Did you know that crocodiles are one of the only animals to have survived the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs?

5. Take a survival course

Survival Camp near Toulouse, France
Immersion Break Nature

Among all the scary things to do for Halloween, is there anything scarier than the prospect of being stranded on a desert or an island and having to survive against all odds? Yeah, that one sends a shiver down everyone’s spine. Watching Bear Grylls on "Man vs Wild" makes us feel so uneasy, so imagine what it would be like to live in his shoes for a day. In many ways, survival training is the most frightening activity out of all the ones mentioned. That’s because the fear is not inflicted by an external source like crocodiles, heights, or sharks but from within – the fear of survival!

So what does survival training involve? Well you’re basically out in the wild with an instructor, who will teach you the basics of survival, including:

  • The contents of a backpack and survival kits
  • Find water and purify it
  • Food: wild plants, insects, making and setting traps
  • Shelters: building, principles, where and how to set up your bivouac
  • Thermal regulation: isolate yourself from cold or heat, start a fire in degraded conditions
  • Travel: learn knots, find your bearings with or without equipment
  • First aid: emergency stretcher

Please note that survival training in Jura, France can be very different from survival training in Marrakech, but the basic idea is the same. And don’t forget to share your photos of toasted ants or root soup with your friends at dinner time!

6. Whizz with the World’s Longest and Fastest Zipline

The World's Longest Zipline near Rome
Flying In The Sky - Il Volo del Falco Pellegrino

Trying the world's longest ziplining near Rome is one of the best scary activities to do for Halloween! Discover the quiet, medieval village of Rocca Massima in Italy. The town which is close to Rome and 730 m above sea level, is also home to the world’s fastest and longest zip line! To put things into perspective, an average zip line is 50-60 km/h fast whereas the Velocity Zipline reaches speeds of 160 km/h! The flight that lasts around 4 minutes is essentially you plummeting towards the land spot, covering a distance of 2 km. Don’t be vexed, it’s not all scary.

As you descend you will see the Alban hills, the mountains of Abruzzo, and the route that passes through vast olive groves and karst areas gliding up the slopes of Monte S. Angelo Cradle of Falco Pellegrino. We also understand that going to Rome might not be an option for everyone, so we have curated a list of 13 of the best zip lines in the world. With activities such as zip-lining, skydiving, or even bungee jumping, the scariest part is getting out there! Then, the fear is quickly replaced by an adrenaline rush of memories for life.

7. Caving in the 2004 Lava Tube, Reunion Islands

Lava tubes of the volcano of Piton de la Fournaise
Réunion mer et montagne

There are thousands of caves around the world but in this article, we will talk about one of the scariest caves in the world – the 2004 Lava Tube in the Reunion Islands! During the excursion in the narrow labyrinth, which can last around 6 hours, you will be 3.5 km under the earth! Going through curved passages, walking on all fours, and walking in pitch-dark conditions with no sound, can get pretty intimidating and requires good physical conditions! Formed during the volcanic eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in 2004, this lava tube presents a captivating labyrinth of winding passages, dramatic chambers, and otherworldly formations.

How scary can it be to roam around in a dark cave, with no sound and complicated escape routes? The answer is – very! As you go down in the darkness, caving can be inherently scary for Halloween due to its immersive environment and the unknown. The jagged walls and rugged terrain create a sense of claustrophobia amplified by the knowledge that you are exploring the aftermath of a volcanic event. The occasional drip of water and the echoes serve as a constant reminder of the unpredictable power of nature. The confined spaces and jagged rock formations give a feeling of being trapped in a haunted underworld...

8. Ice Diving

Ice diving
Evolution 2 Tignes

Experiencing an ice diving excursion in Tignes sends a chill down the spine! Extreme activities are not only scary on a mental level but also physically. Ice diving, as the name suggests, is a type of penetration diving where the activity takes place under the ice! The pioneers of the activity were divers – Jim Thorne, a photographer from New York City, and Donald Johnson, a project engineer from Skokie, Illinois. Together, these fearless men attempted a single open-circuit scuba dive under the ice in Antarctica on 5 January 1961.

The most common risks are, getting lost under the ice, hypothermia, and regulatory failure due to freezing. The activity, however, is a lot about putting your mind before your body. Once you overcome the fear mentally, your body can cope with the frigid water, with the help of the appropriate equipment, of course. Needless to say, you must know how to swim for an activity like ice diving. Furthermore, you get the rare opportunity to explore the underwater arctic world at 1 or 2 meters, who knows? Maybe you will have the chance to see seals and other exotic animals.

9. Skydiving

skydiving in Ardeche
Dragon Fly Parachutisme

Choosing a skydiving experience is a crazy choice, but a good one! Especially for Halloween... What's more scary than jumping into the void and realizing you are in a free fall? Well, if you try skydiving in Ardeche, you will be flying from an altitude of 4,000 meters and about 200km per hour for almost 50 seconds! If you want to jump even higher, try the skydiving jump on the Almafi coast from an altitude of 4,500 meters! It's enough to drive you mad (in a good way)!

While most people hope for a safe landing before exiting an aerial vehicle, André-Jacques Garnerin decided to do otherwise. The brave Frenchman was way ahead of his time as he jumped off a hydrogen balloon 3,200 feet above Paris, way back in 1797! We’ve come a long way in terms of technology and can safely skydive from an aircraft, from even higher.
One thing hasn’t changed yet – the gripping fear before jumping off into the void – and understandably so.

There are plenty of skydiving spots all over the world but here are some of the best skydiving spots in the world. You could also go ahead and book a skydiving activity to live this lifetime moment!

10. Rock Climbing

Rock climbing
Algarve Sea Adventures

Do not look down! That phrase is heard by beginners of rock climbing quite often and pretty much sums up the fear it induces. As you may know, rock climbing is the outdoor activity of climbing up and down a natural rock formation. You may think the presence of a harness takes away all the fear. That’s not true – it only takes away the possibility of a horrific accident, but fear finds ways to creep in, and that’s why climbing belongs to the scary things to do for Halloween.

Going on a rock climbing excursion in Portugal for example can be very exciting! Even though you don’t require expertise to go rock climbing with a guide, being physically fit for this activity is very important. A tired mind and body aren’t the best hosts for fear, which is why rock climbing requires your complete focus!

The adventure is not over...

Now it's your turn to face and overcome your fears by choosing one of Manawa's many adventures to make your heart beat faster!

And if you'd like a bit more peace after all those scary experiences on the day of horror, don't hesitate to discover the best via ferrata to do in autumn in France, to recharge your batteries in the middle of nature, but also to experience some unique emotions! For those of you who prefer to be indoors to avoid the windy autumn weather, why not try activities like indoor skydiving or the escape game? These are also perfect activities that will make you shiver in your boots... Perfect for the season.