Langkawi, lovely Langkawi… I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful views on this jungle-covered island, and so decided to check out one of the most popular activities, the SkyCab. 

One of the guys from the hostel was heading in the same direction, so we decided to be travel buddies for the day. He was American, from the East Coast. That seemed to be the way things would go at that hostel. You never could leave without someone asking where you were headed.

The line to buy tickets was reminiscent of one at an amusement park. The prices, while cheap by Western standards, were a fair bit of a splurge by Malaysian standards. I nearly chickened out a couple times. My recent experience at the KL tower had me wondering if I really wanted to be spending money on tourist gimmicks. But then it was my turn at the counter and I was asking for the cheapest ticket, the one without any VIP extras or other activities. No turning back now. 

The mass of people in line were apparently all buying combo tickets for the other small activities scattered around, because we suddenly found the gondola line completely empty. So empty in fact, that the attendant went ahead and ushered us into the VIP cab that I had just finished not paying for. Nothing wrong with a free upgrade. 

The first part of the ride was like any gondola ride. We hung suspended from the safety of an enclosed cab while we stared at the jungle-covered scenery down below, and a wire pulled us up higher and higher. And then things took a turn for the steep. Suddenly we were being lifted at a rather alarming angle, straight up a mountainside that might as well have been vertical for the thrill it offered. Gondolas are usually fairly relaxed activities, but I suddenly experienced a slight sensation of vertigo. This was no ordinary gondola ride. What tricks are you playing SkyCab? I tried to look it up on my phone to see if there was anything significant about this particular cable car, but we had left the land of cellphone signals. Better to just enjoy the views. 

Off in the distance, a large rocky patch could be seen standing out in contrast to its green surroundings. That must be the famous Seven Wells waterfall. Given that it was dry season, I didn’t see much in the way of a waterfall, but then again, it was a good distance away. 

We were ushered out of our cushy VIP cab at the middle station. The viewing deck took all of a minute to check out. The real show was still farther up the mountain. 

The top station looked like some sci-fi research station out of Jurassic Park or Avatar or something along those lines. Jutting out of the jungle at the peak of the mountain was the cable car station, with two viewing decks extending up on either side like helicopter pads. The station kept up with its modern appearance by offering a small convenience shop and a coffee stand inside. There were dozens of different lines trying to sell additional excitements, and it took a moment to sort out what was what. 

The two viewing decks were included in the original ticket price, and offered a direct view of the SkyBridge down below, a beautiful curved catwalk suspended over the treetops that surely must offer even better views than this lousy lookout. Yes, they really did a stellar job of selling that ticket just by providing the view of it. 

So we paid the additional sum with the promise that the grass would be greener on the other side. Another additional ticket option was to ride a little cable car down to the SkyBridge. We were both ready to move our legs though, and having just ridden the gondola to the top, it didn’t seem like a necessary experience to ride a different form of transport back down such a short ways again. The cable car was more for the elderly and less physically-inclined. 

The views really were worth every extra ringgit. I couldn’t get over the lush mountain peaks all around, and dazzling blue ocean just beyond that. I learned after the fact that Koh Lipe was visible from the top. Since I was heading there next, I would have enjoyed seeing that, but I didn’t even think to look. 

When we decided that we had seen all there was to see, we rode the SkyCab back down with a group of Korean girls. I still wasn’t over the mesmerizing views, and gazed, transfixed out the windows. My East Coast buddy thought this would be a good opportunity to whip out his phone and show me photos of the even more epic views he had seen elsewhere along his travels. I’m sure those views were indeed a million times more epic, whatever makes you happy, but do the photos of them on a little phone screen really compete with what is in front of us right now? In real life? Hi-def, 360 degrees? People… I didn’t actually say any of that of course. Maybe I should have. 

Back down in the land of cell phone signals, I looked up some stats on the SkyCab. If you’re into technical sorts of details, then these are for you. If not, then best to end the story now on a high note before I put you to sleep. 

• • Langkawi area: 478.48 km² (184.74 sq mi) (slightly bigger than the Hawaiian island, Lanai)
  • Langkawi highest elevation: 881 meters (2,890 feet) (slightly less than the Hawaiian island, Lanai) 
  • SkyCab steepest incline: 42° (in terms of skiing, that’s about the angle at which steep-adrenalin junkies start showing interest)
  • SkyCab Total Horizontal Distance: 2079 meters (6820 feet)
  • SkyCab Total Vertical Rise: 680 meters (2231 feet)
  • SkyCab Turn Around Trip Time: 28 minutes 
  • SkyCab holds the title for the “longest free span for a mono-cable car,” at 950 m (3,120 ft) long.
  • Source: Wikipedia