You’ve heard of abseiling, you know what bungee jumping is, and you’ve at least watched a video or two of someone throw themselves off of a vertical precipice before hang-gliding above a pristine forest to the safety of the valley below. You’ve heard of all these extreme sports and activities that involve some kind of falling (whether it be elegant or not), but have you heard of Kobe’s “Speed Hawk” and “Sky Eagle”?

Probably not.

Based on traditional ziplining, although incorporating a design that aligns the body horizontally as it descends the wire, “Speed Hawk” and “Sky Eagle” enable thrillseekers to experience the fast paced point of view of the worlds most agile types of birds.
The two adrenaline filled activities belong in the Big Nature Adventure Themepark at Nesta Resort Kobe.

Having been recently expanded, the resort offers visitors a chance to get close to nature as well as get the blood pumping through a range of fun activities spread out across the grounds. Amongst some of the new attractions available at the resort’s theme park is the Canyon Drop and Canyon Slide, both involve descending a hill in (un-)style.

This year the park has also implemented a number of measures in order to ensure safety to the customers and staff.
Firstly, customers are temperature checked with a non-contact thermometer before entering the park. Anyone with a temperature above 37.5 degrees will not be able to enter. Secondly, distances of 2 meters have been marked up at waiting lines for activities. And finally, the park has reduced the limit on the number of people who can enter at one time, the limit has now been set to 3,000 but may change at the discretion of the resort.

Speed Hawk

One of the longest and fastest zip lining gliding courses in Japan, the Speed Hawk sees participants hurtle along 415 meters of open sky at up to 50km per hour. Designed to resemble the flight of a falcon, riders can swivel at high speeds as they glide through the sky and forest. Up to two people can enjoy the experience at the same time.

Length: 415 meters
Maximum speed: 50km per hour
Height: 32 meters
Maximum inclination: 30 degrees

Sky Eagle

Another exciting gliding zip wire activity, the Sky Eagle takes riders across 560 meters of sky at a height of 57 meters, giving a birds eye view of the forests and lakes below. The Sky Eagle can allow up to 4 people to enjoy the flight at the same time, creating a fun and one of a kind adventure for the whole family.

Length: 560 meters
Maximum speed: 75km per hour
Height: 57 meters
Maximum inclination: 0 degrees (horizontal)

Canyon Drop

A free falling activity, the Canyon Drop allows visitors to roll down the park’s Adventure Canyon in a zorb (inflatable human-sized transparent sphere). There are three courses for the Canyon Drop; a jumping course with a range of small bumps and hills, a speed course to fill the riders adrenaline rush and a winding course that challenges the body as the rider attempts to control the direction in which the ball rolls.

Speed Course length: 160 meters
Jump Course length: 190 meters
Winding Course length: 200 meters

Canyon Slide

Like the Canyon Drop the Canyon Slide involves sliding down the hills in the theme park’s vast Adventure Canyon. Take up a sledge and feel the speed build up as you soar down the canyon. The Canyon slide has 4 different courses to choose from, 2 exciting courses and 2 challenging courses

Excite course 1: 65 meters
Excite course 2: 39 meters
Challenge course 1: 36 meters
Excite course 2: 39 meters

At Nesta Resort Kobe the range of activities allows visitors to fully reconnect with nature.
Through fun, thrilling and adrenaline filled extreme activities, families and individuals can get to know a different side to the natural world. Nesta Resort Kobe will open its doors to the public on Friday 17 July, 2020.


By - Connie Sceaphierde.