Africa's most deluxe safaris

Nicolas Sarkozy, Bono and Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen have all stayed at the luxurious Royal Malewane safari camp in Kruger National Park.

All 12 "tents" at Richard Branson's Mahali Mzuri camp come with canopied verandas replete with roll-top bath tubs and infinity pools.

At night, Four Seasons staff armed with flashlights are posted along the hotel's elevated walkways in case guests accidentally stumble into the bush.

Bushmans Kloof Nature Reserve makes no pretense of being under canvas -- its 16 luxurious rooms and suites are located within a main lodge or individual cottages.

Cottars harks back to a "golden age" of safari by kitting out staff in vintage livery and furnishing quarters with antiques.

There are no mini-bars at the Ivory Lodge, only maxi-bars rammed with cured meats, chocolate, nougat and fruit.

Lake Manyara is the only permanent lodge within Lake Manyara National Park. It comprises 10 stilted tree house suites.

Tswalu Kalahar is modeled on a traditional Tswana village -- albeit one that has clearly won the lottery.

Chinzombo's six villas each have private dining areas, lounges, libraries and tree-shaded pools with viewing decks. The camp is surrounded by 60 acres of private land.

• Africa's "super safari" camps and hotels bring luxury to the bush


• Bono, Richard Branson and Nicolas Sarkozy are some of the guests at these "camps"


• Kenya's Cottars 1920s Camp Cottars kits out staff in vintage livery

(CNN) -- African safaris have upped their game.

We're not talking about the "Big Five" beasts -- lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo -- that people pay top dollar to see.

We're talking about the accommodations.

For those with budgets as grand as the sweeping plains of southern and eastern Africa, exploring the wilderness needn't come at the expense of luxury.

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge (Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania)

Lake Manyara is the only permanent lodge within Lake Manyara National Park -- it comprises 10 stilted tree house suites in the boughs of ancient mahogany trees.

The words "tree house" might be misleading -- there's not a splintered plank in sight.

Instead, there are free-standing bath tubs (complete with a nightly sprinkling of rose petals) and enormous bathrooms with twin sinks and split-level living areas.

After dusty safaris, guests are welcomed back with gin and tonics and cold, scented towels.

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania; +27 11 809 4300; from $555 per person per night

Cottars 1920s Camp (Masai Mara, Kenya)

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge comprises 10 stilted tree house suites.

As revealed by the date in its name, Cottars harks back to a "golden age" of safari by kitting out staff in vintage livery and furnishing quarters with antiques.

On the outskirts of the Masai Mara, the camp has 10 tents in total -- five doubles, four family-sized and one for honeymooners.

The latter have fireplaces and separate living rooms.

Guests can eat in the well appointed communal dining area or opt for a candlelit meal within the privacy of their own tent.

Cottars 1920s Camp , Masai Mara, Kenya; +254 7337 73377; From $520 per person per night

Mahali Mzuri (Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya)

The 12 suites at Richard Branson's safari camp are tents in name only.

The units all have enormous canopied verandas replete with roll-top bath tub and infinity pool.

MORE: In search of Namibia's elusive black rhino

After a day of lion spotting, guests retreat to the Nasaro spa tent where the signature treatment is a "healing journey" involving rose quartz and amethyst.

Dinner is served in a communal area but staff can arrange champagne barbecues in the bush.

Mahali Mzuri , Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya; +44 208 600 0430; from $800 per room per night

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Retreat (Western Cape, South Africa)

Bushmans Kloof Nature Reserve makes no pretense of being under canvas, housing its 16 luxurious rooms and suites within a main lodge or individual cottages.

Although the Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve isn't a Big Five reserve, it does contain bushman's rock paintings and is home to the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra.

Those staying in the main lodge get their own private chef and ranger along with a private pool and library.

The spa is enormous, with a pool, crystal steam room, health bar and gym.

Bushmans Kloof, Western Cape, South Africa; +27 27 482 8200; from $230 per person per night

Royal Malewane (Kruger National Park, South Africa)

Nicolas Sarkozy, Bono and Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen have all stayed at this luxurious safari camp, where highlights include private infinity pools, enormous, window-side baths and personal butlers, rangers and trackers.

Even the safari guides are classy -- one of them is Wilson Masiya, one of only two "master trackers" (the highest rank a wildlife tracker can achieve) working in southern Africa.

Royal Malawene , Kruger National Park, South Africa; +27 15 793 0150; from $1,197 per person per night

Ivory Lodge (Lion Sands Reserve, South Africa)

Chinzombo's six villas all have private dining areas, lounges, libraries and tree-shaded pools.

There are no mini-bars at the Ivory Lodge, only maxi-bars rammed with cured meats, chocolate, nougat and fruit.

There are six plush villas in total -- all come with private infinity pools and spacious decking areas rigged out with telescopes.

This area of Kruger National Park is unaffected by migration so the wildlife viewing is consistently good, and is especially popular with bird watchers.

Ivory Lodge, Lion Sands Reserve, South Africa; +27 13 735 5000; from $503 per person per night

Khwai River Lodge (Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Botswana)

A safari camp by the company that operates the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is never going to be too shabby.

MORE: Best places in Africa to sleep under the stars

Khwai River Lodge offers enormous private viewing platforms, complimentary Zeiss binoculars, and an intercom system to summon room service.

The private suite features an infinity pool in which guests can wallow while watching hippos on the riverbank overlooking the pool doing the same.

Khwai River Lodge , Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Botswana; +27 21 483 1600; from $875 per person per night

Tswalu Kalahari (South Africa)

Owned by De Beers diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer, Tswalu Kalahari is modeled on a traditional Tswana village -- albeit one that's clearly won the lottery.

Guests don't just get their very own enormous tent, complete with fireplace and mini-bar, they get their own ranger, guide and Land Rover.

This means itineraries are totally flexible.

The camp can accommodate a maximum of just 30 people who eat in the communal dining area or on their tent's private deck, with just a telescope and bottle of vintage wine for distractions.

Tswalu Kalahari, Kalahari, Kenya; +27 53 781 9331; from $933 per person per night

Chinzombo (South Luangwa National Park, Zambia)

Going on safari could seem like a nuisance for anyone ensconced in the luxury at Chinzombo.

MORE: 26 most stunning spots in Africa

The camp's six villas, which opened earlier this year, all have private dining areas, lounges, libraries and tree-shaded pools with viewing decks.

There's also a large yoga area and a spa.

Cottars harks back to a "golden age" of safari.

For those who do tear themselves away to spot some animals, the camp is surrounded by 60 acres of private land, and its position on the banks of the Luangwa River means there's no shortage of wildlife.

Guests also get direct access into one of the most game-rich areas of the South Luangwa National Park.

Chinzombo, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, +44 1980 849160; from $254 per person per night

Four Seasons Safari Lodge (Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

For those that want safari and the comfort of a hotel, there's the Four Seasons Safari Lodge.

There are 77 guestrooms, 12 suites (with private plunge pools) and five villas -- all of which come with rooms large enough to accommodate a herd of bison.

At night, hotel staff armed with flashlights are posted along the hotel's elevated walkways in case guests accidentally stumble into the bush.

The best feature is the hotel's most popular television channel.

Sadly, it's not CNN, but a live stream from a web cam positioned over the local watering hole.

Four Seasons Safari Lodge ; Serengeti National Park, Tanzania; +255 778 888 888; from around $990 per night

Next world's tallest building

It is expected that construction of the tower will require 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel.

For buildings of this stature, wind load could also put stress on the structure. To battle this, the design of the structure will change every few floors.

There are plans for a 98-foot sky terrace on the 157th floor. When completed, it will be the highest terrace in the world.

The structure will overlook the Red Sea, posing additional challenges to the building process. It's particularly important that the foundations -- 200 feet deep -- won't be affected by saltwater from the ocean.

Like the Burj Khalifa, the Kingdom Tower will have a flower-shaped footprint.

The project is expected to cost $1.2 billion.

Engineers will also need to design a pump to help deliver concrete to high levels.

According to Construction Weekly, construction will start on the Kingdom Tower -- slated to be the world's tallest at 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) tall -- next week.

• Saudi Arabia is set to start on Kingdom Tower, slated to be the world's tallest building


• The Kingdom Tower will reach 3,280 feet, have 200 floors and cost $1.2 billion


• It would require 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel


• The foundations would be 200 feet (60 meters) deep

(CNN) -- Dubai, long champion of all things biggest, longest and most expensive, will soon have some competition from neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, could be stripped of its Guinness title if Saudi Arabia succeeds in its plans to construct the even larger Kingdom Tower in Jeddah -- a prospect looking more likely as work begins next week, according to Construction Weekly.

Consultants Advanced Construction Technology Services have recently announced testing materials to build the 3,280-feet (1 kilometer) skyscraper (the Burj Khalifa, by comparison, stands at a meeker 2,716 feet, or 827 meters).

The Kingdom Tower, estimated to cost $1.23 billion, would have 200 floors and overlook the Red Sea. Building it will require about 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel, according to the Saudi Gazette.

Building a structure that tall, particularly on the coast, where saltwater could potentially damage it, is no easy feat. The foundations, which will be 200 feet (60 meters) deep, need to be able to withstand the saltwater of the nearby ocean. As a result, Advanced Construction Technology Services will test the strength of different concretes.

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Wind load is another issue for buildings of this magnitude. To counter this challenge, the tower will change shape regularly.

"Because it changes shape every few floors, the wind loads go round the building and won't be as extreme as on a really solid block," Gordon Gill explained to Construction Weekly. Gill is a partner at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the design architects for the project.

Delivering the concrete to higher floors will also be a challenge. Possibly, engineers could use similar methods to those employed when building the Burj Khalifa; 6 million cubic feet of concrete was pushed through a single pump, usually at night when temperatures were low enough to ensure that it would set.

Though ambitious, building the Kingdom Tower should be feasible, according to Sang Dae Kim, the director of the Council on Tall Buildings.

"At this point in time we can build a tower that is one kilometer, maybe two kilometers. Any higher than that and we will have to do a lot of homework," he told Construction Weekly.

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10 things about Vegas

The Bellagio is among the modern resorts that have replaced some of Las Vegas' earlier generations of casinos.

The Bellagio now occupies the site of the Dunes, which opened in 1955.

The city has plenty of unique-to-Vegas museums. The Burlesque Hall of Fame is one of them.

Outdated and discarded neon signs from now-closed casinos and hotels are displayed at the Neon Museum.

Conventions of all sizes and stripes (porn, electronics, etc.) do big business in Vegas.

The unfinished Fontainebleau resort has been languishing in the sun for five years. The recession halted construction on some major casino projects.

While the Tangiers was the setting for the movie "Casino," pictured, and often referenced in the TV drama "CSI," it's a fictional place.

Las Vegas has had a recent surge in development Downtown. Fremont Street Experience, a pedestrian mall and concert venue, is a mid-'90s precursor to the latest wave of investment.

It's not unusual to bump into an Elvis impersonator at the gas station or convenience store.

Not every old haunt of Vegas past has been torn down. Some gems are still around. The El Cortez inhabits a 1940s building decked out with vintage neon.

• Las Vegas is a museum city -- in its own way


• The revitalized Downtown is a fun alternative to the Strip


• Some of the old Las Vegas still exists

Editor's note: World-renowned chef, best-selling author and Emmy-winning television personality Anthony Bourdain has returned for the third season of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown." The series, shot entirely on location, airs on CNN on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Las Vegas (CNN) -- Not many cities evoke as many instant associations as Las Vegas.

Maybe you think of the Rat Pack, showgirls and mobsters sipping martinis. Or perhaps it's bachelorettes and bros on a bender that everyone hopes won't end up on Facebook.

It's a town whose story has been told thousands of times, in books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," movies such as "Casino" and televisions shows from "Vega$" to "Vegas."

But there's much more to the city than just sin.

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More than half a million people live here -- about 800,000 if you include the adjacent suburb of Henderson. Plenty of slots and cocktails still abound, but the arts and cultural scene is blossoming and a tech boom is building.

There's a lot about Vegas you might not know -- and we don't just mean magic tricks, personal secrets or those holes in the desert you see in gangster movies:

1. Down with the old, up with the new

No town turns over real estate like Las Vegas. The Wynn inhabits the site of the storied Desert Inn; the Bellagio has totally obliterated the Dunes. Planet Hollywood still has some of the Aladdin buried inside, while the Sahara is being gutted and repurposed as the SLS.

There's still a Flamingo, but Bugsy Siegel didn't run rampant there -- the final remnant of the original hotel was torn down in 1993.

A small plaque in the garden indicates the location of Siegel's personal suite, which had bulletproof glass, earthquake-proof walls and a trapdoor in the closet leading to escape tunnels.

2. City of culture

Las Vegas is a big museum town -- in its own way.

We have the Neon Museum, a dazzling pile of obsolete signage, from vast casinos such as the Stardust and Moulin Rouge to roadside motel dice or the smiling shirt advertising a dry cleaner.

At the Mob Museum, you can see Kefauver's courtroom, where mafiosos testified before senators, as well as the bullet-riddled brick wall from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

The National Atomic Testing Museum has history, science and bombs. At the Pinball Hall of Fame, you can admire (and play) hundreds of games.

Dream of driving the 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II at the Auto Collections or check out Gypsy Rose Lee's g-string at the Burlesque Hall of Fame or visit the brand new Polaroid Museum, which is set to open Thursday.

3. Downtown

When people think of Vegas, they think of the Strip, but recently, the older Downtown area has been pulling focus.

Online retailer Zappos moved in, and CEO Tony Hsieh started the Downtown Project, aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood through investing in real estate and small businesses (and a huge music festival).

A number of the older casinos are getting facelifts, while new bars and restaurants open at an ever-accelerating rate.

For entertainment, the Smith Center has high-end offerings -- ballet, Broadway shows, the recent world premiere of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," redone by Teller (of Penn & Teller) and Tom Waits.

Conversely, the Fremont Street Experience offers classic rock-themed light shows, concerts of cover bands (or the occasional original artist) and plenty of frozen drinks in souvenir cups.

Somewhere in between is the Inspire Theater's edgy variety shows and bar-with-a-view, as well as touring band venues like Beauty Bar and Backstage Bar & Billiards.

4. Conventioneers!

There are thousands of conventions in Vegas every year, from 150 people for the Nevada Court Reporters Association to almost 150,000 for the Auto Expo.

There are the well-known ones such as CES (premiering the newest technology, from smartphones to spoons that post your calorie count on the Internet) and the AVN (the porn convention).

We welcome the movie stars of Cinemacon and the messengers of Interbike, the Bar & Nightclub Expo and the National Hardware Show, the Renfaire fans and the Trekkies.

Even if you're not here on business, be aware that a major gathering can affect hotel availability, restaurant reservations and the security line at the airport.

5. Skeletons in our midst

The Las Vegas Strip runs glitter and overkill all the way through town, but at its center stand two enormous, unfinished structures, incongruous in rust and darkness.

There's the Fontainebleau, kin to the famous Miami hotel: 68 stories high, 70% completed, $3 billion spent, five years vacant and rotting in the sun.

Across the street was the legendary Stardust, busy until the day it was closed in 2006. Local casino corporation Boyd Gaming bought it up and tore it down, intending to build an ultraluxurious megaresort with Mondrian and Delano hotels, shopping, convention space, multiple theaters ...

They got as far as the girders before the recession hit in 2008. Eventually another gaming group purchased the property and plans to finally turn it into a megaresort.

6. The famous casino that isn't

The Tangiers was the setting of "Casino," perhaps the best movie made about Las Vegas; the Tangiers is also a recurring plot point/location on "CSI."

However, the Tangiers doesn't exist.

"Casino" was inspired by events at the Stardust but, for legal reasons, the name was changed in the film, a name that was then picked up for the TV show. Some folks assume it was torn down, when actually it never existed to begin with.

7. Everyone plays Vegas now

The Vegas headliner is no longer a crooner in a toupee and pinky ring, as an increasing number of more contemporary artists give Sin City the long run.

The pediment of Caesars Palace is adorned not with the visages of Jupiter, Apollo and Venus but Elton John, Rod Stewart and Celine Dion.

The Hard Rock works a similar format within its own theme, with intermittent extended stays by hair-metal lords Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Guns n' Roses.

Britney Spears bumps and grinds at Planet Hollywood, while Boyz II Men brings harmony to the Mirage. Even hipper venues such as the Brooklyn Bowl do extended runs, in this case funk/jam bands such as Galactic, Primus and String Cheese Incident.

8. More than slots and dice

Gambling is no longer the main motivator of a trip to Vegas.

The nightclub is one of the new draws, as lavish megaclubs seem to open every month with over-the-top decor, four-figure bottle service and a roster of superstar DJs. (Of course, dropping the price of a used car on a night out can make the rest of the trip a five-to-a-room event with Budweiser and Hot Pockets.)

A more mature crowd is lured by the city's status as a foodie destination.

The classic steakhouse and coffee shop offerings have expanded into a dazzling array of restaurants, from exquisitely prepared tasting menus with meticulously paired wines surrounded by museum-quality art to comfort food of all cultures, served under bright lights to finger-licking crowds.

Celebrity chefs from Thomas Keller to Gordon Ramsay have resort-property eateries (Wolfgang Puck has six and Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali each have four).

Even if big names above the door don't mean much to you, they have given many a local chef a career boost. Beloved local restaurants such as Honey Salt, Fat Choy, Eat and the soon-to-reopen Rosemary's were all created by chefs who got their training on the Strip.

9. Halloween every day

There are many people in Las Vegas who make their living pretending to be someone else, meaning you might see "Michael Jackson" in hat, glove and shades waiting at the bus stop.

Elvis impersonators work big showrooms, casino lounges and wedding chapels, so it is not uncommon to see a man in white jumpsuit and full sideburns buying kitty litter or pumping gas into his Honda.

Other fake famous folks do tribute shows, parties or just stand around hoping someone will tip for a photo with "Marilyn." Or "Tupac." Or Barney.

10. Where Vegas is still "Vegas"

There are still some spots that retain the mojo of when Dino was at the Sands and Dietrich was at the Sahara.

The Golden Steer Steakhouse has been velvet wallpaper and sirloin since 1958, and you can still sit in Elvis' booth, sipping a martini while the veteran waiter creates your tableside Caesar salad or cherries jubilee.

The Huntridge Tavern and the Hard Hat Lounge are both Kennedy-era dive bars, the first with an attached drugstore and lunch counter, the latter with glorious pulp-art murals.

Frankie's Tiki Room has a new interior, but the retro-Polynesian style is pure throwback.

A few casinos still retain their original style.

The El Cortez is in the original 1941 building, with vintage neon on the roof and an Elvis impersonator in the lounge; the Riviera may have go-go dancing dealers and a British pub, but it's still got the smoked mirrors and brass trim of its '70s prime.

10 of the world's longest bridges

The world's longest suspension bridge, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, spans the Akashi Strait that separates Kobe from Iwaya.

Krämerbrücke, the longest inhabited bridge, is located in Erfurt, Germany. It's a stone arch bridge dating back to 1325. Some 32 of the 62 houses added on top survive.

The longest continuous bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, runs 23.79 miles over open water.

The Taman Negara Canopy Walkway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is the world's longest canopy walkway.

Evergreen Point Bridge in Seattle, Washington, is the longest floating bridge.

The longest masonry arch bridge span is Pont de la Libération in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France.

The longest covered bridge is the Hartland Bridge in New Brunswick, Canada, a National Historic Site of Canada.

China takes the title for the longest rail bridge with the Danyang--Kunshan Grand Bridge, which connects Shanghai to Nanjing along the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

The longest ice bridge is the Beaufort Sea Road in Alaska. Yes, it's pure Arctic ice.

The Fairy Bridge in Guangxi, China has the longest natural bridge span. It's only accessible by a three-hour rafting trip.

• These 10 longest bridges range from suspension to ice bridges


• Every day, 23,000 cars pass over Japan's Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge


• Kuala Lumpur boasts the longest canopy walkway at 1,509 feet


• China is home to three of the world's longest natural bridge spans

(Travel Leisure) -- If you ever find yourself in Hunan, China, rent a car and drive the Jishou-Chadong Expressway: 18 tunnels under the Wuling mountains that culminate at the Aizhai Bridge, a gut-churning 1,150-foot-high suspension bridge over the Dehang Canyon. It's a man-made wonder, the world's highest (and maybe even scariest) tunnel-to-tunnel bridge -- and yet it ranks only 15th among the world's longest suspension bridges.

For the thrill of seeing No. 1, you'd need to head to Kobe, Japan, and marvel at the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. But in the race to build the biggest and baddest bridges of them all, record-hungry China tends to dominate in hard stats; five out of the top 10 suspension bridges are there, for instance. So instead of a China-heavy list of bridges, we've focused on a variety of categories, from covered bridges to pontoon floaters, to bring you a diverse cross section of the longest.

Timelapse shows largest bridge slide

From the ice roads of Arctic Alaska to a cable-stayed controversy on the other side of the Bering Strait -- stretching over cities, seas and even the jungle canopy -- the world's longest bridges exist on a scale that can only be described as stupefying. Be sure to gas up before you take them on.

Travel + Leisure: See more of the world's longest bridges

Longest suspension bridge span: Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Kobe, Japan

Length: 6,532 ft.

Before this steel behemoth bridged the Akashi Strait that separates Kobe from Iwaya, severe storms in the area would routinely sink ferries. Not that the world's longest suspension bridge has it any easier: every day, 23,000 cars pass over a structure that must withstand earthquakes (a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit in 1995), consistently strong tidal currents (9 knots), and wind gusts up to 179 mph.

Completed in 1998, the record-setting central span 213 feet above the sea makes up over half its total 12,831-foot length; by comparison, the Golden Gate's central span is only 4,200 feet. For an up-close-and-personal (and gut-dropping) view, bridge tours take visitors to the top of one of the towers. jb-honshi.co.jp

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Longest inhabited bridge: Krämerbrücke, Erfurt, Germany

Length: 259 ft.

Like the Old London Bridge before it and Italy's Ponte Vecchio, the fairy tale-like Krämerbrücke, or Merchant's Bridge, is a bit of European history preserved in the modern day. After a series of fires destroyed previous attempts to build a span over the Breitstrom River in the 12th and 13th centuries, a stone arch bridge was built in 1325.

Eventually, 62 half-timbered houses were added on top, 32 of which survived till today and continue to be home to shopkeepers and artisans. This multipurpose bridge has likely inspired more contemporary versions, like Zaha Hadid's 919-foot-long Bridge Pavilion in Zaragoza, Spain. erfurt-tourismus.de

The world's scariest bridges

Longest bridge over water (continuous): Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, Louisiana

Length: 23.87 miles

Due to recent feats of Chinese engineering, the four-lane, 5,189-pile concrete trestle bridge north of New Orleans got demoted by Guinness World Records for world's longest bridge over water. But the change did not come without controversy, with many Pontchartrain loyalists arguing that the new winner, a 25.84-mile elevated highway-bridge-tunnel project near Qingdao, China, actually has only 16.1 miles that span the sea compared to 23.79 miles of Pontchartrain's that are over open water.

Guinness compromised by bestowing a new title upon the 58-year-old causeway: Longest Bridge Over Water (Continuous). However you rank it, it's still a pulse-quickening half-hour drive. thecauseway.us

Travel photos we wish we'd taken

Longest canopy walkway: Taman Negara Canopy Walkway, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Length: 1,509 ft.

Deep in the heart of the Malaysian jungle, the Taman Negara Canopy Walkway provides visitors with unparalleled views and no shortage of thrills. For a mere $1.50, adventurers can channel their inner macaque (and probably see one, too) while traversing more than a quarter mile of narrow bridges strewn between centuries-old trees, offering up-close-and-vertigo-inducing views of local flora and fauna -- 160 feet above the jungle floor. taman-negara.com

Longest floating bridge: Evergreen Point Bridge, Seattle

Length: 7,580 ft.

Officially known as Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge (the Washington statesman who oversaw its creation in the early 1960s), this section of State Route 520 connects Seattle to its eastern suburbs via a roadway that floats atop Lake Washington on 33 football field-size pontoons.

The design was chosen due to the lake's unstable bed and the curved nature of the roadway (a common problem for the area, which would explain why the state is home to four of the five largest floating bridges in the world). The aging structure is currently being replaced by a larger, even longer, more modern floating bridge that can even accommodate a light-rail system. wsdot.wa.gov

Longest masonry arch bridge span: Pont de la Libération, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France

Length: 315 ft.

Though arch bridges are still popular today, they're usually built with modern materials like steel (see: Chongqing, China's Chaotianmen Bridge, at 5,712 feet the longest arch bridge span, period). Which is a shame, considering some masonry arch bridges (brick and/or stone) are so mathematically precise, not to mention beautiful, they could stand without mortar.

More than 100 years old and spanning the Lot River in southwestern France, the Pont de la Libération is made of brick and unreinforced concrete -- technically very small stones and mortar. If it's anything like its distant cousin the Pont du Gard aqueduct, it will stand for hundreds more. Take note, China bridge barons.

The world's strangest bridges

Longest covered bridge: The Hartland Bridge, New Brunswick, Canada

Length: 1,283 ft.

The bridges of Madison County have nothing on this 112-year-old National Historic Site of Canada, which became the world's longest covered bridge only after two spans were destroyed by river ice in 1920, prompting replacement and a roof (covering helps prevent rot on the central wooden trusses).

Built as a private bridge by a coalition of residents desperately in need of a direct way across the Saint John River -- 3 cents for a pedestrian; 6 cents for a horse and wagon -- it's now a regional icon open to all, beloved enough to get its own Google Doodle. town.hartland.nb.ca

Longest rail bridge: Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, China

Length: 102.4 miles

Connecting Shanghai to Nanjing along the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, this elevated viaduct was named the world's longest bridge -- period -- by Guinness World Records when it opened in 2011. (Also on the railway, the 70.6-mile Tianjin Grand Bridge, which connects Langfang to Qingxian, is the world's second longest.)

Running parallel to the Yangtze River past lowland rice paddies, most of the span acts as an elevated railway, similar to the El in Chicago, though a 5.6-mile section does act like a traditional bridge, crossing the Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou.

Longest ice bridge: Beaufort Sea Road, Alaska

Length: 68 miles

Time, fortitude and frigid cold are the only tools needed to build an ice bridge. Made popular by the hit reality TV series Ice Road Truckers, many of these cold-temperature roadways traverse a snowy mix of land and frozen lakes. But this span over the Beaufort Sea to Alaska's northernmost oil fields is pure Arctic ice. One of the most dangerous (and unique) bridges on this list, it is also one of the only ways to service the ExxonMobil hub of Point Thomson.

The world's most dangerous bridges

Longest natural bridge span: The Fairy Bridge, Guangxi, China

Length: 400 ft.

Though bridges are one of the greatest examples of human engineering, they are hardly a creation unique to man: rock archways hewn by Mother Nature (usually by erosion) likely provided inspiration for our brick-and-steel masterworks.

And wouldn't you know it, even in this category of bridges, China still dominates. The country is home to three of the longest natural bridge spans in the world, including the 400-foot stunner over the Buliu River near the border of Vietnam. Carved out of a limestone karst, the Fairy Bridge (Xianren Qiao) is an isolated structure accessible only by a three-hour rafting trip. naturalarches.org

Travel + Leisure: See more of the world's longest bridges

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