Macau Tower

338m sightseeing tower in central Macau. Bungee jump (the world's highest commercial), Skywalk, observation deck.

Macau Tower opened in 2001 on reclaimed land at the southern end of the Macau Peninsula, designed by New Zealand architect Gordon Moller. The tower reaches 338 metres and functions primarily as an observation and entertainment facility rather than a functional communications tower — which is honest about its purpose in a way many similar structures are not.

The tower's reputation rests on the extreme activities operated on its upper sections by AJ Hackett Bungy, the New Zealand company that pioneered commercial bungee jumping. The main bungee jump launches from the 233-metre level and is routinely cited as the highest commercial bungee jump in the world, though this claim requires occasional revalidation as competing facilities open. The Sky Jump is a controlled descent from the same level using a sliding harness — slower and more protracted than the bungee, marketed as the more scenic option. The Skywalk X is an open-air walkway around the outside of the tower at 233 metres, on a 1.8-metre-wide platform without a handrail (safety harness clipped to an overhead rail). All three activities require advance booking and are priced at a level that suggests the operators are comfortable with exclusivity.

For visitors whose relationship with heights stops short of jumping off them, the indoor observation deck at the top and the 360-degree revolving restaurant below it provide the tower's views without the adrenaline requirement. The views across the Cotai Strip to the south, the Pearl River estuary to the west, and the Macau Peninsula with its casino towers to the north give a useful geographic orientation to Macau's unusual geography. The convention centre and shopping at the base are unremarkable. Sunset from the observation level is the practical recommendation.