A curving bridge
The view shifts with every step.
s13n1 — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marufish from Alor Setar, Malaysia — CC BY-SA 2.0 · George Grinsted from London, UK — CC BY-SA 2.0 · fusionstream — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dylan Walters — CC BY 2.0
One of Langkawi's best-known images: a curving footbridge hung in the air over a valley of ancient rainforest, about six hundred and sixty metres above sea level near the summit of Mount Machinchang. It was completed in 2005 and is about a hundred and twenty-five metres long. It is held by a single slanting pylon on steel cables and was built curved so the view shifts with every step: the Andaman Sea and its scattered islands on one side, forest-clad peaks and the Seven Wells waterfall on the other, and on clear days the coast of Thailand on the horizon. Parts of the deck in its middle have glass floors. You reach it by the Langkawi cable car to the top station, then an inclined lift called SkyGlide or a short, steep footpath. The cable car and bridge ticket costs about eighty-nine ringgit for a non-Malaysian adult, the walking route alone costs a few ringgit for those already at the top, and the bridge can close in bad weather or for maintenance. Come early in the morning before cloud gathers on the summit and before the queues, and bring a light jacket as it is cooler up top. Anyone nervous of heights can stay on the viewing platforms at the top station.
The view shifts with every step.
Over the valley.
Islands on the horizon.
The summit of Mount Machinchang, near the Langkawi cable car top station
The basic cable car ticket does not always include it, so choose a package with the bridge or the inclined lift, or pay the walkway fee at the top station.
