Langkawi SkyCab, Langkawi

Gondola of the Langkawi SkyCab leaving the Base Station. (10 September, 2018)


Langkawi SkyCab is the cable car service to the top of Gunung Machincang in Langkawi. Said to be the longest free-span mono-cable car system in the world, the Langkawi SkyCab takes visitors above the verdant rainforest of the Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park.

The idea to operate a cable car system in Langkawi was conceived by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, when he was serving as the 4th prime minister of Malaysia, as part of the effort to add an iconic tourism product to Langkawi. On 19 April, 2000, he flew over Gunung Machinchang in a helicopter to view the area, after which a topographic survey was conducted to ascertain the feasibility of the project.

Dopplermyr, a reputable Austrian engineering company, was given the job to materialise the project. Construction began in April, 2001. It includes a 900-meter span, which is the longest cable car span without any support, and it is also the world's steepest cable car gradient.

The test run for the cable car system was carried out over 6 days in October, 2002, and on 1 November, 2002, the Langkawi Cable Car was officiated by Tun Dr Mahathir. It opened to the public in January, 2003. Originally known as Langkawi Cable Car, the system was rebranded as Langkawi SkyCab in August, 2012. It is being operated by Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Langkawi Development Authority (LADA). It was established on 28 September, 2002, formerly known as Famous Venue Sdn Bhd, and was renamed Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd on 29 March, 2003.

The Langkawi SkyCab has a horizontal distance of 2,079 meters, from base to top. It can carry a maximum of 700 passengers per hour. A round trip on the cable car takes 28 minutes. The speed is 5 meters per second. There are three stations to the Langkawi SkyCab. The Lower Station is at Oriental Village. This is where visitors buy their tickets for the ride.

Gondola of the Langkawi SkyCab leaving the Base Station. (10 September, 2018)


View from the Langkawi SkyCab between Base Station at Oriental Village and Middle Station. In the background is Telaga Harbour (top left) and Pantai Cenang (horizon, left) (10 September, 2018)


Middle Station, Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Visitors to the viewing platform of the Middle Station of Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Gondola arriving at the Middle Station of the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Passengers boarding the Langkawi SkyCab from the Middle Station to reach the Top Station. (10 September, 2018)


The cable cars between the Middle and Top Stations of the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


The Top Station (left) and Middle Station (centre) of the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


The intermediate or Middle Station is located about 650 meters above sea level, on the eastern ridge of Gunung Machincang. From there, you can get some views of the surroundings, but is nothing like the views from the Top Station. To reach the Top Station, you have to re-board the SkyCab. The Top Station is 708 meters above sea level. It has two circular viewing platforms which allows visitors to enjoy 360° views of Langkawi. Of particular interest is the sight of sheer craggy cliffs and rocky pinnacles. It is one of the unique sights that in Langkawi can only be seen here.

Circular viewing platform at the Top Station. (10 September, 2018)


Viewing platform at Gunung Machincang (10 September, 2018)


Viewing platform at Gunung Machincang (10 September, 2018)


One of the highlights at the Middle Station is the Langkawi SkyBridge, which is the world's longest curve suspension bridge with a single pylon. It was built in 2004. The SkyBridge has a total length of 125 meters. The height of the pilon is 83 meters, with the top of the pilon being 687 meters above sea level. The SkyBridge has a capacity of 250 people.

Langkawi SkyBridge (10 September, 2018)


Middle Station with turnstile to SkyBridge. (10 September, 2018)


A journey on the Langkawi SkyCab from the Base Station to the Top Station, assuming you don't alight at the Middle Station, takes 15 minutes. There are various types of gondolas. The normal gondola can accommodate 6 passengers with a total weight of 480kg. There is a total of 35 of these. The fare, as of Oct 2018, is RM40 for Malaysian Adult, RM30 for Malaysian Child, RM55 for International Adult and RM40 for International Child.

The approach to the Langkawi SkyCab station at Oriental Village. (10 September, 2018)


Base Station of the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Canopy over Base Station for the ticketing queues. (10 September, 2018)


Visitors queuing to board the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Six passengers are lined up to board the gondola at each time. Groups wanting to board the gondola together may have to wait to allow sundry passengers take their seats in the gondola.

Visitors queuing to board the Langkawi SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


In addition to the normal gondolas, there are special gondolas too. The Bottom Glass Gondola, which has a transparent bottom, requires special tickets at RM105 per person. The VIP Gondola with special seating, food and drinks, is available at RM550 per gondola.

During peak periods, the ticketing counter at Langkawi SkyCab can get very congested. For those who do not wish to wait, they can join the Express Lane, for an additional RM50 per person, to bypass the queue.

In order to schedule the cable cars for regular maintenance, the Langkawi SkyCab does not operate at the same hours every single day. There is a calendar of operation that is published on its official website. On most normal days, the cable cars are in operation from 9:30am in the morning until 7:00pm in the evening. On public holidays, operations start earlier, at 9:00am. On some Wednesdays, the operations only start at 12:00 noon, to allow for maintenance. There is also a once-a-year closure to allow for yearly maintenance works.

Address

Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd
Cable Car Station, Oriental Village,
Burau Bay,
07000 Langkawi.
Phone: +60-4-959 4225
info@panoramalangkawi.com

Langkawi SkyCab is on the Map of Langkawi

Our visit to Langkawi SkyCab

We have so far enjoyed riding the Langkawi SkyCab twice. Our first time was on 6 June, 2005, while our second was on 10 September, 2018.

My wife enjoying the Langkawi SkyCab ride. (10 September, 2018)


Here I am riding the SkyCab. (10 September, 2018)


Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls, as seen from the Langkawi SkyCab (10 September, 2018)


The sun was shining very brightly, so it was so hard to keep our eyes open when we took wefies.

My wife helping to shield my eyes from the sun. (10 September, 2018)


Wefie from the Top Station Viewing Platform, with the Langkawi SkyBridge in the background. (10 September, 2018)


Wefie with the Middle Station behind us. (10 September, 2018)


My wife and I at the viewing platform at Gunung Machincang (10 September, 2018)

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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