The first skydiving program in the Himalayas, Skydive Everest, is making plans for the world's highest drop zone and is scheduled for October 2008. You can be part of skydive history for $36,500 (partly benefiting the children's charity, Global Angels). Even amateurs can jump in front of Mt. Everest's 29,035-foot frozen crests from an even higher altitude of 29,500 feet—with the help of supplemental oxygen and thermal protection.

Eco-lovers looking for a secluded area will love this paradise from above. The view includes still water, two ancient volcanoes, farmland and mountains enveloped in tropical forests. With Jakarta only 90 minutes away, it's a quick stopover on the way to Bali. Tandem jumps cost between $150 and $175. On occasion, a Hercules C-130 helicopter is called into service to carry divers into the sky.

Descend onto untouched, windswept desert dunes outside the temperate coastal city of Swakopmund, Namibia, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Namib Desert. While in the area, hop on an ATV, a sand board (for desert surfing), or a seal and dolphin cruise, complete with champagne-and-oyster buffet. Nearby Rossmund Golf Course is one of the world's five all-grass desert golfing grounds. Tandem jumps start at $220.

The Blue Sky Ranch played host to Sex and the City's Kristin Davis and The Today Show's Ann Curry for their first dives. An hour and a half by car from Manhattan, this Hudson Valley school offers views of the impressive, sheer rock Shawangunk Ridge, part of the Appalachian Mountain chain, with the city skyline in the distance on clear days. Blue Sky will coordinate scenic flights (best during autumn foliage), local wine valley tours and private jumps on request. First-time tandem jumps cost $195.

The drop zone with perhaps the most varied terrain. Here, some of the world's most majestic landscapes collide: craggy mountains, sleek glaciers, dark waters and ancient rainforests. At Skydive New Zealand, each jump lands in Fox Glacier after a scenic flight around Mount Cook, the country's highest mountain, over Lake Matheson and the Tasman Sea, and above the snowy Southern Alps. Tandem jumps from 9,000 feet cost $185; or, $225 from 12,000 feet.

The southern coast of the Crete is less developed than the northern, and features an endlessly sunny, North African climate that renders the crystal-clear Mediterranean waters and background of rugged, mountainous terrain even more magical. Olive groves speckle storybook Messara Plain, and Bronze Age ruins, like the palace of Knossos and city of Phaistos, still stand strong. History is alive here, and its juxtaposition with the very modern sport of skydiving makes for a doubly memorable experience. Tandem jumps cost approximately $330.

The strongest adrenaline rush a novice skydiver can achieve is from a high-altitude, low-opening ("HALO") jump, which the military developed to surreptitiously drop soldiers behind enemy lines from above cloud cover. West Tennessee Skydiving in Lumberton, Miss., outside Memphis, Tenn., drops everyday civilians—even those who've never skydived—at a commercial airline-cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. Prepare for a two-day training which, for $3,495, will get you two minutes of freefall. And don't forget to shave—your thermal gear and oxygen systems need to be snug.

Hawaii is picturesque from any vantage point, but an aerial view, with the sandy islands silhouetted below, may be the most dramatic. It's certainly the most exciting way to whale watch: on clear days, spot marine life, along with Pearl Harbor, Kaena Point and massive waves off North Shore. Skydiving Hawaii offers all that at an airport just outside Waikiki. Tandem jumps cost $225.

A must-stop for travelers to Melbourne, Australia, is the nearby verdant Yarra Valley. Juice up the trip with a jump right onto a vineyard. The two-person package—that's a tandem jump for you and a friend—starts at approximately $1,170 and includes safety instruction, a jump from 10,000 feet and a glass of wine with lunch once you've reached terra firma.

Though Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world's highest free-falling waterfall—and something of a holy grail for death-defying BASE jumpers—more cautious skydivers should consider a nice view of Niagara Falls instead. The closest drop zone is Skydive Burnaby in southern Ontario, two hours outside Toronto. They're also on Lake Erie's freshwater beaches, giving you a fantastic view that includes two of the Great Lakes and the Falls, plus the Toronto and Buffalo skylines. Tandem jumps cost approximately $290 on weekends, $280 on weekdays.