Skyflyers Bangkok: 135 Metres Above the Chao Phraya

What It Is

Skyflyers Wings of Garudapterus is the tall ride you can see from the river at Asiatique The Riverfront. It lifts riders vertically to 135 metres, holds them there long enough to take in a full 360-degree view of the Chao Phraya and the Bangkok skyline, and brings them back down.

The theming borrows from the Garuda, the mythical bird that appears throughout Thai and Hindu iconography and on the national emblem. The ride is pitched as flight rather than as a thrill.

That framing is accurate. There is no drop, no spin and no inversion. The ascent and the view are the product. It rates 4.4 out of 5 from 138 reviews with over 10,000 bookings, which is a modest review count next to Bangkok's older attractions because it is a newer addition to the complex.

The View

At 135 metres you are well below the Mahanakhon SkyWalk, but you are directly over the river, and that changes what you see.

From here the Chao Phraya is the subject: the barges and river boats working the water, the ICONSIAM complex upriver, the bridges, and the skyline stacked behind. It is a river view with a city behind it, where a tower deck gives you a city view with a river in it.

If a high vantage point is the reason you are going out, our page on the Mahanakhon SkyWalk covers the taller and more expensive option, and the best sunset spots guide has the free alternatives.

Timing

Opening hours run 13:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:30. It does not open in the morning.

Go at sunset. That is the whole trick with this ride. You go up with the river still lit, and come down with the city switching on. Midday is hot, hazy and the least rewarding time to be in a glass carriage 135 metres up.

Cool season, roughly November to February, gives the clearest air. In the wet season, check the sky before you commit. Haze flattens the view and storms stop the ride. Our best time to visit Bangkok guide covers the seasonal pattern.

Getting There

Asiatique sits on Charoen Krung Road on the river, south of the centre.

Take the free shuttle boat from Sathorn pier, beside BTS Saphan Taksin. It runs through the evening, takes roughly ten minutes, and approaches Asiatique from the water, which is the right way to arrive. Going by road at 18:00 means Charoen Krung traffic and a slower, duller trip. Our getting around Bangkok guide has the detail.

Make It Part of an Evening

A short ride is not a reason to cross Bangkok on its own. Asiatique as an evening is.

The complex holds riverside restaurants, a covered night-market shopping area, and Jurassic World: The Experience in the same grounds. Ride at dusk, walk the market, eat by the water and take the shuttle back. That is a complete evening with almost no traffic involved.

Asiatique is one of the more relaxed entries in our Bangkok night markets round-up: partly covered, orderly, and far easier in heat than Chatuchak.

Who It Suits

Couples, families with older children, and anyone who wants a high view without the ticket price of a tower observatory. It is a good add-on rather than a destination.

It suits serious thrill-seekers less well, since there is no drop. And anyone with a real fear of heights should note that a slow ascent to 135 metres in a glass carriage is a long time to be up there.

Booking Notes

Book for dusk. Check the weather, because this is entirely a view attraction and a grey sky removes the point of it.

Pair it with something else at Asiatique so the shuttle crossing earns its place in your evening.