The Skybridge is the number one thing to do in Langkawi. An impressive feat of engineering which helped to put Langkawi on the map. To reach it, you need to take the Langkawi Cable Car to the top of the mountain. A combo ticket for the Skycab and the Skybridge can be booked here, or here.
I’ll start this post with the information I guess you’re looking for. Where is the Langkawi Skybridge, how do you get to the skybridge, how much do tickets for the skybridge cost, and when is the skybridge open?
Here are the answers: To get to the skybridge, you’ll need to book a tour, take a taxi, Grab or Maxim or you can rent a scooter. There is no public transport. Skybridge is 30 minutes from Pantai Cenang. You’ll then need to ride the cable car to the top of the hill. A standard, non-express ticket including the SkyBridge and Cable Car costs 50 MYR. The Cablecar and SkyBridge are open most days from 09:30 am until 6:00 pm, however, I recommend checking the schedule for seasonal closures here.
SkyCab, SkyBridge, SkyGlide: What is Each Attraction
- Langkawi SkyCab: is the name of the Langkawi Cable Car. You can choose from standard, panoramic view, or glass bottom gondolas. You can also pay extra for a private gondola or a fast pass ticket to skip the queue.
- Langkawi Skybridge: is a curved walkway with stunning views of Langkawi. You must take the Cable Car to reach Skybridge, but tickets for the two are sold separately.
- Langkawi SkyGlide: is a small shuttle that runs between the Cable Car’s top station and the Skybridge. It costs 10 MYR, but you can also walk (for free) along the marked trail between the two stations in 10-15 minutes.
- Other Attractions in Langkawi: We also did the Kalim Geopark Mangrove Tour, which was amazing. You can get a discount with Klook when booking multiple activities in Langkawi.
How Much Does the Langkawi Cable Car / Skybridge Cost
Tickets are sold separately for the Langkawi Cable Car, Skybridge and SkyGlide.
There are different ticket costs for foreigners and Malaysian Citizens. The prices listed in the guide are for foreign tourists. Panoramic or Glass Bottom Gondals cannot be booked without choosing the Fast Track (Express Lane Pass).
To get the best deal I recommend buying the standard tickets for the Cable Car and Skybride which will cost 50 MYR when brought together and can be booked online with Klook.
Here are the different ticket combinations and prices.
- Standard Gondolas Ticket without Skybridge – 40 MYR.
- Recommended: Standard Ticket: Cable Car and Skybridge – 47 MYR.
- Standard Ticket: Cable Car and Skybridge + Fast Track – 88 MYR.
- Panoramic (360 Gondola) and Skybridge + Fast Track – 111 MYR.
- Glass Bottom Gondola and Skybridge + Fast Track – 152 MYR.
- Private Gondola maximum of six persons (not including Skybridge) – 525 MYR.
Note: SkyGlide tickets can be added to any package for 10 MYR per person. Or you can pay 10 MYR in cash to use SkyGlide, without a reservation. Skyglide is a (slow), transport service between the Skybridge and the Cable Car Station, which is not essential because you can easily walk between the two. Although the walk is uphill, Skyglide can be a good choice for people who are elderly.
Where to Buy Tickets For Skybridge and Cable Car
It is best to book tickets for Langkawi SkyCab online through Klook. Klook is an official partner of the operator and offers the lowest ticket prices and the most straightforward booking process. The operator’s own website is difficult to use and often does not work.
When you buy tickets through Klook, you can choose the date you want to visit and arrive at any time on that date. You can also get a full refund if you change your plans. Klook tickets can be redeemed at any of the official ticketing counters, including counter 6 inside the station. However, if you want to buy tickets in person, availability is not guaranteed, especially on busy days.
Can You Do the Langkawi Skybridge without the Cable Car
No. The two attractions rely on one another. The sky bridge is located on Gunung Machinchang, at the top of the Mat Chincang mountain range. The only way you can get to the Skybridge is to ride the cable car to the top.
You can ride the (Skycab) Cable Car without going onto the Skybridge, but it only costs a few ringgit more to do both activities so I recommend doing so.
Choosing a Gondola For the Langkawi Cable Car
There are four different types of Gondolas on the Langkawi Cable Car (Langkawi SkyCab). Standard, Panoramic 360, Glass Bottomed and VIP. We rode the normal gondola which was fine, here’s a breakdown of the different types.
Standard Gondola
We chose the standard gondola because it is the best value for money. We visited on a quiet weekday, so there was no queue and we had a private gondola for both rides, up and down.
The standard Gondola is fine, but the only drawback is when it comes to taking photos on the ride. You are enclosed in the pod which means your pictures are all taken through the windows, which are dark-tinted and scratched.
Panoramic 360 Gondola
The Panoramic Gondolas are open-aired. The plastic windows are removed and replaced with metal bars. This means you’ll be able to get clear shots of the beautiful scenery as you ride to the top.
Glass Bottom Gondola
The Glass Bottom Gondola is the most expensive carriage, with tickets costing 105 MYR per person, without the Skybridge admission, and 111 MYR including the Skybridge.
As the name suggests these gondolas have a glass bottom, where you’ll have a scenic view. To me, the idea of a glass-bottomed gondola is terrifying. I don’t understand why anyone would want to ride in this, let alone pay more for it. But if that’s what you’re into you can book a ticket here.
VIP Gondola
The mysterious VIP Gondola is the most expensive and costs 525 MYR (£88), although that price is for the entire Gondola, which can accommodate 4 persons, which makes the cost more reasonable when splitting it between friends or family.
There are no photos of this Gondola type on the SkyCab website and I didn’t notice any when we visited. So I have no idea what to expect if you were to book this gondola. Have you ridden the VIP Gondola in Langkawi? Then leave a comment at the bottom to let me know what it was like!
How To Get To Langkawi Sky Bridge
Finding the Langkawi Skybridge is easy enough, but here’s a Google Maps Link to show you the location. There is no public transport or bus network in Langkawi and there is no pickup service for the Cable Car/Skybridge.
If you’re short on time and want to see as much of Langkawi as possible in one day, a guided tour is a great option. You’ll have a driver with local knowledge who can take you to the most popular attractions, and you won’t have to worry about navigating or planning your own transportation. If you prefer to self-guide, you have two options: rent a car or take public transportation.
Rent a Scooter
This is my recommendation, assuming you are comfortable riding a bike, (it’s not as scary as you’ve been told)!
You can rent a scooter from any one of the numerous rental shops in the Pantai Cenang beach area, and many other areas in Langkawi too. The scooter costs 30 MYR to rent for 24 hours, plus a refundable 50 MRY deposit. (Watch out for the monkeys on the way)!
Take a Taxi
A taxi from Pantai Cenang Beach to the Langkawi Cable Car and Skybridge should cost around 30 MYR, each way. To get the best price download the Maxim app, or the Grab app so you can hail a taxi with a fixed price.
Best Times to Visit The Skybridge and Cable Car
If you have spent much time in Malaysia you’ll know how disruptive domestic Malaysian tourists can be. Malaysians like to travel in big groups and can quickly fill any tourist attraction. The Langkawi Skybridge is no different. You should avoid visiting the Sky Cab on public holidays and weekends, if possible. But if you can’t avoid that try to arrive as early as possible, expect long queues and be prepared to pay extra for a fast pass.
We were fortunate to visit during the week when there was no queue. Due to a lack of other guests, we were even able to have a private gondola for ourselves, which would have cost 525 Ringgit to pre-book, but we only paid for standard tickets. I would have been devastated if I paid for the fast pass, queue jump ticket and found there was no queue to skip 😅.
Is it Worth Paying Extra to Jump the Que (Fast Track)
If you are visiting on a weekend or public holiday, then yes. The queue can become very long during peak visiting time, often backing up for over one hour. However, I don’t recommend pre-booking the fast pass online. You should check the length of the queue first to determine if it’s necessary. In some cases, a fast pass is not needed at all and would be a complete waste of money.
Seasonal Closures
Before you visit the Langkawi Skycab and Skybridge I recommend checking the operation service is normal, by using this link: https://panoramalangkawi.com/operation-calendar/. The Cable Car closes for around one month per year for maintenance, usually in July. The Cable Car service can also be suspended for safety reasons, on days with poor weather conditions such as high winds.
Langkawi Cable Car Experience
I found the cable car to be terrifying, but not because of the height. It was the lack of control and the silence that I found so unsettling. Being stuck inside a pod, with dull acoustics, only the sound of the cable car whirring and the occasional bump as we passed over a pylon, was nerve-racking, yet peaceful. While I am pleased to have had a private gondola I can’t figure out if that added to the fear or not.
The total length of the Langkawi Cable Car is 2.2 Kilometers and the ride from the bottom station, to the top station takes a total of 15 minutes. It is also the steepest cable car in the world, another part I found terrifying.
There are three stations on the Langkawi Cable Car. The bottom station is in the Langkawi Oriental Village and the top station (where the skybridge is located) is at the top of Gunung Mat Cincang mountain. There is also a middle station in between the two.
Oriental Village
The oriental village is a brightly coloured town at the base station, there are food carts, 7-11 convenience stores and a handful of attractions for kids, like a petting zoo. There is also a picturesque man-made lake in the centre. If you step outside of the village, you’ll find even more food stalls in the car park- the food here was even tastier (and cheaper) than at the restaurants in the village.
The Skycab station is brightly coloured too and you can’t miss it. If you’ve booked your ticket online you’ll need to redeem it at the ticket counter near the entrance and you’ll be issued with barcoded wristbands. You’ll get one wristband for the Cable Car and another for the Skybridge.
Riding to the Middle Station
It’s a 10-minute ride to the middle station of the Langkawi Cable Car. You can exit the cable car at this station and there is a deck which provides scenic views of the hillside and ocean- due to the size of Langkawi, I sometimes forgot we were on an island. This spot put it all back into perspective.
There is an extended glass walkway protruding out over the cliff edge too, if you’re brave enough. This is a new attraction and was opened in late 2023.
After taking in the views from the middle station you can hop back into a gondola and ride to the top station.
Ride to the Top Station
It’s a short five minutes from the middle station to the top station, and this is the most scenic part of the journey. At the top station, there is a small convenience store and a restaurant- prices are hyper-inflated here and not worth paying. With one exception- bottled water.
Banned From Drinking Water at Langkawi Skybridge- Yes, Really.
I was furious when I learned that the Langkawi SkyCab company prohibits guests from bringing drinking water in the cable car or on the Skybridge. The company claims in response to a review, that the rule is there to prevent plastic bottles from being thrown out the gondolas which is not true because you are allowed to bring bottled water for the ride down. Assuming you paid an extortionate amount to buy a bottle from their tuck shop. The no-water rule is evidently created to increase profits.
This cruel rule makes it dangerous to hike the 15 minutes between the cable car and the skybridge, in the hot sun without access to drinking water. The Skybridge itself is totally exposed to the sun, and the temperature can easily reach over 35 degrees centigrade. In these conditions, it is essential to stay hydrated, and banning drinks is a clear safety hazard.
The rule is also worse for the environment. The policy forces guests to buy extra, unnecessary plastic water bottles, (refillable bottles are also prohibited) which contributes to the plastic pollution problem. Bottled water is sold at the convenience store at the top cable car station, so guests are technically allowed to have water. However, it must be purchased at an exorbitant price of 6 MYR per 330ml bottle, which not only limits the amount you drink but is also more than five times the true value. 1 MYR is the standard value of a bottle of water in a convenience store, or anywhere else. This is clearly a ploy by the operator to make more money, and it is unfair to guests who are already paying for their entrance to Skybridge.
And it gets worse… HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHICH HALF-DRUNK BOTTLE OF WATER BELONGED TO YOU!?
I am calling on the Langkawi SkyCab company to change this rule. It is dangerous, environmentally unfriendly, a health hazard, and simply unfair to guests. Visitors should be able to bring their own food and drinks, or at the very least, the company should provide free water at the top of the mountain.
Other Things to Do at The Top of Langawi Cable Car
With the Langkawi Skybridge being the most popular and famous attraction, there are a few other (free to access) lookout points and viewpoints where you’ll have views of the entirety of Langkawi Island.
Langkawi Sky Love Locks
Inspired by the Paris’ Pont des Arts Bridge, where couples would attach their lock to the bridge before throwing the key into the water below. An idea that has taken hold across the world, I found a love lock tree in Mae Hong Son, and there is one at the Langkawi Skybridge too. The problem the locks caused in Paris was that the structure of the bridge was being compromised from the weight so I hope that has been considered in Langkawi!
The heart-shaped locks can be brought from a sole vendor at the top for 30 MYR each. There are many colours to choose from and a pen is provided for you to write a message or for couples to write their names. But keep in mind that the seller takes cash payments and does not accept credit cards.
Final Thoughts
There is nothing overly special about the Langkawi Cable Car- it’s one of those activities that you do because you are there and it’s ‘the normal thing to do’. I don’t regret doing the Skybridge or Riding the Cable Car and the engineering of the bridge is impressive to see. But I’m not eager to return and I doubt I’d do it again if I were to revisit Langkawi.
The prices are a little expensive, but not outrageous. And the best tip I can give you to make the experience better is to visit at off-peak times, preferably in the middle of the week.
And if any representatives of the Panorama Langkawi Company happen to be reading this, then sort your **** out and let visitors bring their damn bottle of water with them.
