Originally posted July 2014. Updated in April 2024.
To celebrate my 30th birthday; I took on another Man vs Clock challenge of taking on the world’s highest bungee jump in Macau by jumping 233 metres (764 feet) from the top of Macau Tower.
It was every bit as intimidating, pricey and exhilarating as I thought it would be, and even scarier than skydiving. Due to the location of the jump, there were some logistics to wrap my head around first, which included some country-hopping and additional planning.
By the end of this article, you’ll know whether this is for you (or not) and most entertainingly for you, at the end of the post is my harrowing squeal as I commit to the big jump…
FAQs About The Macau Bungee Jump
If you are fired up and ready to slay the Macau bungee jump dragon then you may have some questions about how to make it happen. Some of them are easy to answer while others require more explanation.
Either way, these answers will arm you with all of the information that you need to make this happen!
Where exactly is the Macau bungee jump? – The Macau bungee jump is located, unsurprisingly… in Macau. You’d be forgiven for not being able to point it out on a map though, as it is only made up of around 12.7 square miles. This small island city is officially known as a Special Administrative Region of China.
This means it enjoys its own limited autonomy, with a local government and local laws – famously including legal gambling. Located on China’s southern coast and only 37 miles west of Hong Kong, Macau is a real mix of cultural influences. This cultural diversity is only enhanced by the fact Macau only gained independence from Portugal in 1999.
To do the Macau bungee jump, you need to make your way to Macau Tower or Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center to give it its official name. The tower, which you will be jumping off for the big event is located in the Sé parish of Macau.
How do I get there? – The easiest way to get to Macau is via its neighbour Hong Kong (which I highly recommend). There are two ways of getting from Hong Kong to Macau, either by the more popular ferry or by vehicle across the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.
If you want to catch the ferry across from Hong Kong to Macau, your best bet is to catch the ferry from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, located near the Shun Tak Centre on Hong Kong Island. This ferry leaves every fifteen minutes and will take around one hour, costing around HK$170 one way. Book tickets from Shun Tak to Macau via ferry here.
How much is the cost of the Macau bungee jump? – This adrenaline-seeking item doesn’t come cheap. The full package, which includes the jump, videos and photos via a USB stick as a souvenir costs $3,488 Macanese Pataca ($430 USD) whereas the jump without the digital memento will set you back around $360 USD, for me the full package is a no-brainer although you should take advantage of Klook’s 10% discount if you’re saving your pennies.
Should I reserve my tickets? – Yes you should as the Macau Bungee Jump is usually fully booked, so turning up last minute if you are short on time could lead to heartache.
One way to book a slot for the highest bungee jump is to go straight to the source, that being the ‘Skypark Macau by AJ Hackett’ official site.
- Using the website, you must first select the book now feature.
- Select whether you want a single or tandem bungee jump.
- Choose the date and time you want to do your jump.
- Add any extras on; these include media packages that take photos and a video of your highest bungee jump – you don’t have to buy this if you don’t want to.
- Finally, you’ll be asked to fill in your own details and payment details.
- Contracts signed you’ve now booked a slot for the highest bungee jump on earth!
Is there an age limit for the jump? – You must be 12 years old and at least 90 pounds (40 kilograms) to do the Macau Tower bungee jump.
Is there a weight limit for the bungee jump? – Yes, the weight limit is 265 pounds (120 kilograms). If you are not too much over this weight you may be able to pay an extra fee of $30 and still do the bungee jump with the cost covering the extra precautions and arrangements needed.
Do I get my money back if I am too scared to jump? – Nope! You can get a full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more before but if you bottle it on the day you will have to turn back with double disappointment (like the young lady before I jumped found out).
What is scarier; bungee jumping or skydiving? – It might be hard to believe but bungee jumping is inherently scarier than skydiving. It’s only 7 seconds, but it’s way more intense and a part of you feels it is game over as you hurtle towards the ground below you.
However, even though skydiving is statistically more dangerous than bungee jumping, rather oddly my insurance company covers bungee jumping, but not skydiving!
Should I Do The Bungee Jump During The Day or at Night?
One of the things that really sets the Macau Tower Bungee apart from other jumps is the fact you can do it both during the day and during the evening. Night jumps can be done from 6 pm in winter and 7.30 pm in summer.
So which should you go for, day or evening? There’s no real right or wrong answer to this, but here are a few pros and cons to consider (I did mine at night).
Morning
If you’re an early bird and eager to jump, there are a few things to consider if you want to get your day off to a leaping start.
Pros
- Views across the city are far clearer from the top of the tower during the day.
- You can spend the rest of your day enjoying the sights and sounds of Macau.
- If you pay for a video or picture package, these come out a lot clearer during the day.
Cons
- Jumping in the morning is very popular, so you might have to wait longer on the day, or even struggle to get a slot unless you book in advance.
Evening
The nighttime jump on Macau Tower also has its pros and cons for the jump. Read on to see which one suits your personal taste…
Pros
- Macau looks pretty beautiful from that high up at night with the lit-up skylines!
- Evening jumps are far less common, so you’re likely to get a time slot far easier and have considerably less waiting time.
Cons
- Evening jumps will leave you less time to explore Macau or even get back to Hong Kong if you’re short on time.
- It gets pretty cold 800ft (240 meters) above Macau in the evening, so you’ll need to dress up warm.
- Winds can pick up in the evening, so prepare to be a little chilly while you wait at the top.
What To Wear For The Macau Bungee Jump
First off, you’ll want to wear loose-fitting athletic clothing for your bungee jump, allowing you to move around a lot easier. You should also wear good-fitting shoes like trainers – you’ll want that sturdy grip when your legs start turning to jelly at the top of the tower.
If you wear glasses, you’ll have to take them off before your jump, so it’s best to wear high-quality contact lenses if you can. Long hair should also be tied back (not that I’d know much about that world) and all jewellery, including watches, needs to be removed.
If you’re doing a night bungee jump, it’s probably best to change your shorts for something a little less exposed. Despite the fact temperatures in Macau can be quite high and humid, that all changes suddenly when you’re nearly 800 feet (240 meters) in the sky and that cold wind smacks you around the face and legs.
You will see from my photo and video that I did not do this and rocked my ugly-shade-of-pink shorts for the jump. This was not due to me being an adventurous hardo who doesn’t feel the cold (quite the contrary; I left my chilly, windy city forever and the depressing weather was a major catalyst for my successful escape).
The reason for my flashy attire was that I was a relatively newbie traveller and had accidentally shrunk most of my clothes, so I had to buy them on the fly.
So please, take advice from someone who did a nighttime bungee jump in Macau in shorts… opt for comfy, warmer trousers instead.
Is The Macau Bungee Jump Really The Tallest?
After serious research, I can confidently confirm that the Macau Tower bungee jump is the highest commercial bungee jump on earth and definitely the most accessible, sit tight while I demystify some bones of contention.
The extreme sports veterans amongst us may have looked at this title and thought; what about Colorado’s Royal Gorge Bridge and China’s Hunan Province?
You’d be right in thinking that when it comes down to the nitty-gritty mathematics, there are some other contenders for the title of the highest bungee jump in the world. While the Macau bungee jump is an eye-watering 233 meters above ground level, the Colorado and Huan Provence jumps come in at 320 and 290 metres, respectively.
So why does the Macau bungee claim to be the highest bungee jump in the world?
Well, it all comes down to a vital thing called accessibility.
Bungee jumping from the Royal Gorge Bridge is only allowed to a select few during an extreme sports festival, and access to the Hunan Province jump has been restricted if not totally discontinued due to Covid-19. I will of course keep this updated though, as I am a stickler for untrue record claims being edited on here.
In fact, the Macau bungee jump was awarded the Guinness world record for the highest bungee jump when in 2006, the father of modern bungee jumping A. J. Hackett threw himself off the edge in true Hackett style, opening it up to a long line of adrenaline junkies.
Is The Macau Bungee Worth The Hype?
The Macau Tower bungee jump was worth every penny, each second and every ounce of fear that I felt until I jumped off Macau Tower that night.
Actions speak louder than words, so I thought I’d let the video do most of the talking here. An important note to be added is that a young lady before me was absolutely terrified and kept freezing up every time she was about to jump, falling back onto her arse in floods of tears and hysteria.
She never ended up jumping (as mentioned above, you don’t get a refund in this situation), but this extra wait built up the fear for me even more intensely.
I touched upon this in my volcano boarding in Nicaragua article – looking down for too long makes events like this even more terrifying.
It was certainly intimidating looking all the way down when I finally got tied in and given the green light to go. Doing the world’s highest bungee jump in Macau was like an out-of-body experience… what a perfect way to celebrate this big life milestone by saying “thank you” and “farewell” to my 20s and quite literally – jumping into my 30s.
