These cable car rides are next level!

Take in stunning scenery while soaring the skies on one of these jaw-dropping gondola rides.

Scale Bob's Peak with ease on Queenstown's Skyline cable car.
  • Samera Kamaleddine
  • March 2019

Need a pick-me-up? Cable cars are the perfect way to take in beautiful sights that you might otherwise miss. Whether you want to go shopping at nearly 2000 metres above sea level, scale a mountain without breaking a sweat or admire the Singapore skyline from above, there’s a cable car waiting to whisk you skywards.

Skyline, New Zealand

In the town of heart-stopping adventure, there’s one experience that’ll give you heart-filled eyes: the Skyline gondola ride up Bob’s Peak. Grip your seat tightly – it claims to be the steepest cable car lift in the Southern Hemisphere – as you travel 450 metres above Queenstown. The snow-capped (if you’re there in winter) Remarkables mountain range and beautiful Lake Wakatipu await your Instagram feed as you take in the glory of New Zealand’s South Island. If that’s not enough of a thrill, opting for the luge ride back down will do the trick.

Ngong Ping 360, Hong Kong

Get out of the bustling city and back to nature with a trip to Lantau Island. Hong Kong’s biggest island boasts more than just Buddhist monasteries – it’s home to the Ngong Ping cable car. This 25-minute ride has you flying over mountainous terrain while you look out to the vast South China Sea. Keep your eyes peeled for the 34-metre bronze Big Buddha statue (this is where the glass-bottom cabin option comes in handy). Time it right to catch the sunset on your return trip.

The thrilling Ngong Ping 360's glass floor
The thrilling Ngong Ping 360's glass floor.

Cable Car Sky Network, Singapore

Lace up your hiking boots and set your offline maps for Mount Faber, the second largest hill in Singapore. Here, lush rainforest trails wind all the way up to Faber Peak – and its cable car station – that sits pretty at 100 metres above sea level. Panoramic views of Singapore’s dense city skyline and sparkling Keppel Harbour are on offer at the top, as well as on the descent via cable car to the resort island of Sentosa. Not into high-humidity walking? The aerial network also operates in reverse to take you from Sentosa up to Mount Faber.

See Singapore from the top of Mount Faber
See Singapore from the top of Mount Faber.

Scenic Cableway, Australia

It’s no secret that the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, 90 minutes west of Sydney, is a must-visit. Although it’s easily accessible, the area’s vastness (more than a million hectares) makes it impossible to capture all of its forests, sandstone formations, canyons and waterfalls in one trip. The next best thing? A 545-metre journey, descending into the stunning Jamison Valley aboard Scenic World’s roomy cabins. Feel immersed in bush vibes as you tick off the highlights of the Blue Mountains, including Orphan Rock, Mount Solitary, Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters and more.

Hover over the Blue Mountains on the Scenic Cableway
Hover over the Blue Mountains on the Scenic Cableway.

Awana Skyway, Malaysia

About an hour from Kuala Lumpur, in the resort town of Genting Highlands, is the country’s newest cable car system. Launched in 2016, it reaches a top speed of six metres per second but that’s not all the Awana Skyway delivers. You can also get a bird’s-eye view of a 130-million-year-old rainforest, a rather scenic midway stop to explore the Chin Swee Caves Temple and a final destination complete with a shopping mall at a crazy 1828 metres above sea level.