Climbing the Abandoned Ghost Skyscraper in Bangkok

Where Is Sathorn Unique Tower?

Sathorn Unique Tower is located on Charoen Krung Road near the Chao Phraya River. The easiest way to see it is to take the BTS Silom Line to Saphan Taksin Station and walk toward Charoen Krung Road. The tower is easy to spot from the surrounding public streets and from several viewpoints around the river. The property itself is closed to the public, so view and photograph it only from public areas outside.

Getting In

No. Sathorn Unique Tower is private property and is not open to visitors. There is no official ticket, tour, or public route into the building, and you should not attempt to bypass gates, security, or other barriers.

When I visited years ago, access was much looser and guards informally allowed us inside after taking a payment. That arrangement is part of the history of my visit, not something that applies today. After the tower became increasingly popular with urban explorers, the owner restricted access and locked the stairwells.

What I Took With Me

Since you can no longer legally climb Sathorn Unique Tower, this is not a packing list for visiting it today. For historical context, these were the things we carried when I made the climb:

• Sturdy shoes: The unfinished floors were covered in rubble, with open edges and holes throughout the building.
• Flashlights: Many of the corridors and stairways were pitch black even during the day.
• Water: Bangkok's heat and humidity made the long climb exhausting.
• A camera: Photographing the abandoned interior and the Bangkok skyline was the main reason we went up there in the first place.

What was it like?

We went on Monday via BTS. It was around 2 PM when we started to climb the abandoned building. There were 4 of us, and we felt pretty secure most of the time.

The first few floors were large and empty. I assume these floors were meant for shopping stores and restaurants.

After walking up the pitch-black stairways with our flashlights, we came across multiple of these corridors. I believe these were the residential suites.

We got onto one of the floors to get some fresh air. It was so humid inside that we were sweating like crazy.

Meet Olivia, my good friend from the States.

Around halfway up, the corridors no longer resemble a residential suite. They resemble more of a serial killer dungeon.

Fun fact: the golden-domed building nearby is State Tower, home to the rooftop location featured in The Hangover Part II. Sathorn Unique was not a replica of State Tower, but the two buildings share a similar ornate style and were designed by the same architect, Rangsan Torsuwan. Funny how one flourished while the other was never finished.

After 4 months of doing nothing exciting, you bet your ass, I was ecstatic. :)

Do NOT try this at home... or anywhere, for that matter.

This is what it's like to hang your legs off a 49-story building.

We were approaching the rooftop fast. It took us only 20-30 minutes to climb to the top.

A grand view of Bangkok and the Chao Praya River.

And here we were, at the top of the infamous Bangkok Ghost Tower.

This was supposed to be a foundation for a golden dome like you see on the original building. There were more and more graffiti over the years.

Olivia, overlooking the apocalyptic world straight out of the movie District 9.

We were in the middle of a city, and yet we were able to find solitude. It was a bizarre experience.

Since we were there on Monday, we were alone up there most of the time. We only met 3 climbers, whereas everyone I knew told me that there were a lot more people when they were up there. I guess we were pretty lucky.

Again, I beg you not to try this. I did it because I didn't know it was so scary up there.

Rule #1: Always hold something solid when you are looking down.

Introducing the gang, which consisted of me, Run, Shane, and Olivia, respectively.

Olivia and I sat up there for hours. At the time, it became one of my favorite experiences in Bangkok, hands down!

Olivia and I sat up there for hours. This is one of my favorite spots in Bangkok, hands down!

"Supergirl, carrying the weight of the entire world." Guys, I beg you, please do not try this!

It was the feeling of being disconnected from the world that made me feel like I was climbing a mountain.

I was almost as high as that building, both physically and mentally (natural high, of course). :)

It felt like I was staring at 3 paintings of modern society in a museum, in a way.

Enjoying an ordinary sunset in an extraordinary setting.

One last look before we went down, as it was getting darker every minute.

It was time to say goodbye to this wonderful, scary place. I would never recommend attempting the climb today, but the experience itself will always hold a special place in my memories of Bangkok.