Which Wildwire climb is right for me

3 Jun

Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, The Wild Thing or Climb & Canyon? Here’s how to choose your Wildwire experience.

One of the questions we get asked all the time is: which climb should I do?

Many of our guests have never climbed before. Plenty arrive nervous about heights, or with a partner who is much more confident than they are. That’s completely normal. You don’t need to be a climber or an athlete – we often say that if you’re active and can climb a ladder, you have a pretty good starting point.

Wildwire isn’t about who is strongest, fastest or most experienced. Listen to your guide, settle into a rhythm and take it one step at a time.

The bigger question is: what sort of experience do you want?

There are three Lord of the Rungs climbs (Levels 1, 2 and 3), plus The Wild Thing and Climb & Canyon. Each offers a different experience of Twin Falls, and choosing the biggest one isn’t necessarily the goal. Choose the adventure that feels like the right challenge for you.

First things first: you don’t necessarily have to start at Level 1

Even if you’ve never climbed before, you can climb all three. You can choose Level 1, keep going with Level 2, or go for a longer challenge and head for Level 3.

Level 1 is a great introduction, particularly if you’re unsure how you’ll feel once you’re off the ground, but plenty of first-time climbers start with booking Level 2 or even Level 3. Before you climb, we’ll take you through the equipment and safety system and give you a chance to get comfortable with how everything works.

So rather than asking “Which level am I good enough for?”, think about what sort of experience you want.

Lord of the Rungs Level 1: I want to try Wildwire

If you’re looking at Wildwire thinking, This looks amazing, but I genuinely don’t know how I’ll go with the height, Level 1 is a great place to start.

You’ll climb beside Twin Falls, moving across iron rungs and bridges with your guide alongside you. You’re connected to the safety system throughout, but you’re the one doing the climbing.

For some people, Level 1 feels completely manageable and they finish wanting more. For others, it’s a significant personal challenge. Both are good outcomes.

Choose Level 1 if:

You want an introduction to via ferrata
You're particularly unsure about heights
You want a shorter first experience before deciding whether Wildwire is your thing

Lord of the Rungs Level 2: I want the classic Wildwire experience

Level 2 is our most popular climb and, for many people, it hits the sweet spot. You’re climbing higher, spending longer on the waterfall and there are moments where you have to work with your head as much as your body. But you absolutely don’t need previous climbing experience.

At the beginning, everything is new. You’re thinking about your clips and your feet. Then you settle into it. Around Bridge Five, you can look back towards where you started. The cars below are tiny. Wānaka is disappearing into the distance. You realise how high you’ve climbed.

Quite often, that’s when someone who started the day asking Can I do this? realises: I’m already doing it.

That's the bit we love. Seeing someone look back at how far they've come and realise they're capable of more than they thought.

Choose Level 2 if:

You want the full classic Wildwire experience
You're reasonably active and up for a challenge
Great even if you've never climbed before
Adventurous first-timers? Level 2 is what we’d recommend

Lord of the Rungs Level 3: I want the full adventure

Level 3 is where you keep going. And going. This is the full Lord of the Rungs experience, taking you all the way to the top of Twin Falls.

By this stage, you've left the bottom of the waterfall a long way behind. You keep climbing through increasingly remote terrain until eventually the waterfall changes completely.

After hours of rock, water and exposure, you reach the top and suddenly find yourself beside a mountain stream surrounded by native bush. It's incredibly peaceful. Then there's the helicopter flight back down.

Level 3 is longer, higher and a bigger physical and mental day than our other climbs. It includes some more challenging sections too, so this is the option for people who want to make Wildwire a major part of their day rather than one activity within it.

For some guests, Level 3 is the obvious choice. They look at the waterfall and think: If I'm doing this, I want to go all the way. We agree, fair enough.

Choose Level 3 if:

You want the biggest Lord of the Rungs experience
You're comfortable committing to a longer day
You like the idea of reaching the very top

The Wild Thing: I want something different

The Wild Thing is our newest climb and takes you onto the right-hand side of Twin Falls. While Lord of the Rungs follows the left-hand falls, The Wild Thing is a completely different journey, with its own character, views and features.

There’s also a little bit of Wildwire history behind it. Mark and Laurel spent ten days in the Dolomites climbing some of the original via ferrata routes, moving through tunnels, trenches and old routes dating back to the First World War.

They didn’t go there to research a new Wildwire climb. They went because they wanted to climb. But some of what they experienced came home with them and influenced the way The Wild Thing was developed.

Already climbed Lord of the Rungs? This gives you a genuinely new way to experience Twin Falls. Never climbed Wildwire before? You don’t have to work your way through the other levels first.

Choose The Wild Thing if:

You want a different Wildwire experience
You've climbed with us before and want something new
The route itself is the one that grabs you

Climb & Canyon: I want to do both

Can’t decide between climbing up Twin Falls and getting into the water? Climb & Canyon gives you both.

You start by climbing Level 1, working your way up the waterfall on the cable climb. Then it’s time to swap into wetsuits and come back down through the canyon, abseiling and rappelling through the waterfalls.

It’s around five hours return from Wānaka, so this is a bigger adventure and you’ll want good fitness. You’ll be moving across uneven terrain, steep exposed cliffs and through the canyon, but you don’t need previous climbing or canyoning experience. Your guide teaches you the skills you need along the way and stays with you throughout.

This is less about how high you can climb and more about getting properly amongst Twin Falls – climbing it, getting wet in it and experiencing the waterfall from completely different angles.

Choose The Climb & Canyon if:

You want to try both climbing and canyoning in one trip
You’re fit, adventurous and happy being active for around five hours
Abseiling through waterfalls sounds like your idea of a good day
You want to experience more of Twin Falls than the cable climb alone

What if I'm scared of heights?

You can still do Wildwire. A lot of people who climb with us are nervous about heights. What matters more is whether you’re willing to work with that feeling.

We’ll help you focus on what’s immediately in front of you. Your feet. The next rung. Your clips. Your breathing. One step at a time. Confidence often builds as you go. The first bridge can feel enormous. A few hours later, that same person can be standing somewhere much higher thinking, How on earth did I get up here?

Well, you climbed. That’s the point.

So, which Wildwire adventure should I book?

If you want the simplest version:

Level 1: Choose this if you want a shorter introduction or you’re genuinely unsure how you’ll respond to heights.
Level 2: Choose this if you want the classic Wildwire experience and a decent challenge. It’s our most popular option and a great choice for adventurous first-timers.
Level 3: Choose this if you want to make a day of it and take Lord of the Rungs all the way to the top.
The Wild Thing: Choose this if you want a different route through Twin Falls, particularly if you’ve already experienced Lord of the Rungs and want to come back for something new.
Climb & Canyon: Choose this if you want to combine climbing with canyoning, have good fitness and like the idea of spending around five hours properly immersed in Twin Falls.