Cable Cars in Nepal: A Detailed Overview

Introduction to Cable Cars

A cable car, also referred to as an aerial tramway, is a transportation system that employs cables to transport passenger cabins or gondolas between stations. Cable cars are often utilized in mountainous regions for tourism, religious pilgrimages, freight transport, and personal travel. They offer an efficient solution in challenging terrains, reduce travel times, and deliver safe, scenic transportation. This page will explore in detail all aspects of cable cars in Nepal, including their status, necessity, and controversies.

Technical Aspects of Cable Cars

Cable cars operate using a system of steel cables, pylons, and mechanical drives powered by electric motors. Depending on their design, they can function as a continuous-loop gondola system or a bi-cable or tri-cable aerial tramway.

Modern cable car systems also include safety features like emergency braking, backup power, and weather monitoring to ensure passenger safety.

The main components of a cable car system include:

• a) Support Structures (Towers/Pylons): Tall steel or concrete towers support the cables and help maintain stability throughout the journey.
• b) Stations: Located at the starting and ending points, stations house the drive system, controls, and passenger loading/unloading areas.
• c) Haulage Cables: These continuously moving cables pull the cable cars along the route.
• d) Track Cables: These are used in some systems to support the cabins’ weight while the haulage cable moves them.
• e) Pulleys and Sheaves: Wheels that guide the cables and allow smooth movement.
• f) Motors and Tensioning System: Typically powered by electric motors, these control the speed and tension of the cables, ensuring safe operation.
• g) Cabin or Gondola: These are enclosed or open-air structures that carry passengers. Modern gondolas are often spacious and have glass windows for panoramic views.
• h) Suspension System: Connects the cabins to the moving cable and allows them to remain level even on inclines.

There are different types of cable cars, such as aerial tramways (fixed to one or two cables), gondola lifts (continuously moving detachable cabins), and funicular railways (cable-powered railcars running on tracks).

First cable car in the world

In 1873, Andrew Smith Hallidie invented the first cable car system in San Francisco, the first cable car system in the world. He created it after seeing horses struggle to pull railcars up hills.

His design drew inspiration from initial mining transport systems and significantly shaped the city’s public transportation for over three decades. The first cable car line in the world was the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco, which opened in 1877.

Cable cars are used worldwide for various purposes, including public transport, tourism, and industrial applications.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cable Cars

Cable car manufacturing is considered to be more profitable, environmentally friendly, less expensive, and faster to build than other means of transportation. However, cable cars have benefits and challenges like any transportation system. Here’s a detailed look at their pros and cons:

Advantages of Cable Cars

• ✅ Efficient in Difficult Terrains: It is ideal for mountainous, hilly, or densely populated urban areas where building roads or railways is impractical. No need for massive land excavation, making them suitable for nature conservation areas.
• ✅ Eco-Friendly and Energy-Efficient: Powered mainly by electricity, reducing carbon emissions compared to cars, buses, or trains. Requires less land and fewer infrastructure resources than road or rail transport.
• ✅ Reduces Traffic Congestion: Aerial transport avoids ground-level congestion, helping commuters bypass busy roads. This is beneficial in urban areas where expanding roads is difficult.
• ✅ Scenic and Touristic Appeal: Provides breathtaking views of landscapes, attracting tourists and boosting local economies. Popular at ski resorts, mountains, and religious pilgrimage sites.
• ✅ Safe and Reliable: Less prone to accidents compared to road transport. Minimal mechanical failures and modern systems have emergency backup power sources.
• ✅ Low Operating Costs: Once installed, cable cars have lower maintenance costs than road transport. No fuel dependency, making them cost-effective in the long run.
• ✅ Reduced risk of land erosion: Constructing a road typically requires cutting into steep terrain to create a wide base, heightening the likelihood of soil erosion and landslides. In contrast, since much less land must be excavated when building a cable car, the risk of soil erosion is diminished.
• ✅ Lower Carbon Emissions: Most cable cars run on electric power, making them cleaner than fuel-powered vehicles. They reduce road congestion, leading to lower vehicle emissions in urban areas.
• ✅ Wildlife-Friendly: Since cable cars travel above ground, they don’t block animal migration routes like roads or railway tracks. They generate less noise pollution, making them less disruptive to wildlife habitats.
• ✅ Sustainable for Tourism: Many tourist destinations use cable cars instead of building roads, protecting fragile ecosystems. Examples: Aiguille du Midi Cable Car (France), Ngong Ping 360 (Hong Kong), and Medellín Metrocable (Colombia) have promoted sustainable tourism.

Disadvantages of Cable Cars

• ❌ Deforestation & Habitat Loss: While minimal, the construction of towers, stations, and maintenance roads can cause tree cutting and habitat fragmentation. In protected areas, improper planning could disrupt ecosystems.
• ❌ High Initial Construction Cost: Building a cable car system requires heavy investment in infrastructure, towers, and stations. Planning and permits can be challenging, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.
• ❌ Limited Passenger Capacity: Compared to buses or trains, cable cars can carry fewer passengers per hour. It may not be sufficient for high-density urban areas unless integrated with other transport systems.
• ❌ Weather Dependency: Strong winds, thunderstorms, or heavy snowfall can cause delays or temporary shutdowns. Unlike underground transport (metro), cable cars are exposed to environmental conditions.
• ❌ Limited Routes and Fixed Paths: Unlike buses or taxis, cable cars operate on a fixed route and cannot easily be expanded. Adding new stations or adjusting routes requires major infrastructure upgrades.
• ❌ Skyline Visual Pollution and Land Use Issues: Some people find cable car lines disruptive to the skyline, especially in historic or natural landscapes. Land acquisition for towers and stations can be a challenge in urban areas.
• ❌ Visual Pollution: In scenic or historic areas, the sight of cables and towers may be considered an eyesore, altering natural beauty. Example: Some conservationists argue that cable cars in national parks can diminish the untouched wilderness experience.
• ❌ Energy Consumption: Though cleaner than fuel-based transport, cable cars still consume electricity, which might come from non-renewable sources. If coal or gas-powered electricity is used, the environmental benefit is reduced.
• ❌ Tourist Overload & Waste Management Issues: Easier access to natural areas can lead to overcrowding and waste problems, harming local ecosystems. For example, in some places, tourists leave plastic waste, affecting wildlife and local communities.

How to Make Cable Cars More Eco-Friendly

🔹 Use solar, wind, or hydroelectric power to run the cable system.
🔹 Implement eco-friendly construction techniques to minimize deforestation.
🔹 Limit tourism numbers in fragile ecosystems to prevent overcrowding.
🔹 Design visually blending towers and cabins to reduce visual pollution.
🔹 Install wildlife-friendly lights to reduce the impact on nocturnal animals.

Status of Cable Cars in Nepal

Almost two-thirds of Nepal is covered by mountainous areas. Therefore, road transport is always expensive, unsafe, difficult to build, and prone to deterioration during the rainy season. Apart from road transport, air transport and ropeways or cable cars have also been used as better alternatives for Nepal for many years.

Since there were no bridges to cross the gorges in the mountainous areas of Nepal, ropeway was used many decades ago. At that time, no cable cars and suspension bridges with modern technology like today had been developed or were not in a position to be used in Nepal.

In this way, the system in which people cross the river in a small open box through a steel rope was called ‘Ghirling’ in Nepal. Its developed form, Cable cars, has now been installed and used in many places in Nepal as well.

Necessity and Importance of Cable Cars in Nepal

Nepal’s rugged terrain, dense forests, and high-altitude settlements make traditional road transport difficult and expensive. In such a scenario, cable cars offer an efficient alternative. Since all the cable car technology components are imported ready-made from abroad and only the fixing work is done in Nepal, the construction work is also faster than that of roadways.

Cable cars are considered beneficial for connecting remote areas of Nepal, promoting tourism, and facilitating access to religious sites located in challenging terrain, especially for a country like Nepal with a geographical location like Nepal.

The necessity and use of cable cars in Nepal are considered important for the following reasons include:

• Since two-thirds of Nepal is mountainous, road construction work is expensive, difficult, and time-consuming
• There are many religious and natural tourist areas in Nepal, which may be easily accessible to pilgrims and tourists by cable car.
• When traveling to high, steep places (Ascending or descending), cable car travel saves more time and labor than road travel or walking.
• Long distances can be seen when traveling by cable car
• Cable car travel is easier than road or walking journey
• Less forest is destroyed in the construction of cable cars than road construction
• There is no need to excavate as much land for constructing cable cars compared to road, so it minimizes landslides
• It is cheaper than air transport fare
• It is equipped with modern technology so it is also considered a safe journey than else

Currently Operating Cable Cars in Nepal

The history of establishing modern cable cars in Nepal is not very long. However, various ropeway models have been used in the past, according to the traditional practices of Nepal. The modern cable cars have only reached two and a half decades since they entered Nepal.

After the establishment of Nepal’s first commercial cable car, the Manakamana Cable Car, in 1998, commercial cable car building is believed to have also started in other tourist areas of Nepal.

Currently, cable cars are built and operating in the following places in Nepal:

1. Manakamana Cable Car (Established 1998)

This cable car connects Kurintar in the Chitwan district to the Manakamana Temple in the Gorkha district. Its entrance is on the Kathmandu-Narayanghat road. Currently considered the most popular in Nepal, the Manakamana Cable Car is Nepal’s first commercial cable car service. It was officially inaugurated on November 24, 1998.

This cable car has proven to be a boon for pilgrims visiting the famous Manakamana Temple pilgrimage site. Before this construction, the temple could be reached only after an arduous walking journey of about five to six hours, but now it can be reached in 15 minutes.

This cable car system is about 2,800 meters long, has 20 support towers, and has 31 cabins. It can carry 660 passengers per hour.

Discount Facilities: Children under 3 feet and senior citizens above 80 years of age can travel for free. Certain percent discounts are available for Children (3 Feet+), Students, Senior Citizens (60+), and the Differently Abled persons.
Must show a valid identification card for verification at the ticket counter.

2. Chandragiri Cable Car (Established 2016)

The Chandragiri Cable Car is a scenic cable route connecting Thankot with Chandragiri Hills. People say a trip to Kathmandu is incomplete without a trip on this cable car. From the top of Chandragiri Hill, a beautiful view of most of the Kathmandu Valley is visible. That is why this cable car is also very popular.

Chandragiri Cable Car, considered Nepal’s second, was put into operation in 2016. Its 2.5-kilometer journey takes about 10 minutes. This cable car can reach an altitude of 2,551 meters in one go, with beautiful places like Mahadev Temple, parks, hotels, forests, etc.

Discount Facilities: Certain percent discounts are available for children, students, senior citizens (60+), shareholders, differently-abled persons, Monday Bhaleshwar Special, etc.
Must show a valid identification card for verification at the ticket counter.

3. Kalinchowk Cable Car (Established 2018)

Kalinchowk Cable Car provides services to the famous tourist and religious sites of Dolakha region. This cable car is the third commercial ropeway service in Nepal, established in November 2018.

Kalinchowk Bhagwati Temple is a famous pilgrimage site at an altitude of 3,755 meters. Apart from this, most tourists visit this place in winter to enjoy the snow and enjoy the beautiful views and panoramic views of the Himalayas.

To reach this place, one has to travel about 150 kilometers from Kathmandu to Kuri village via Charikot by road. From Kuri village, the one can be reached in five minutes by cable car to temple.

Discount Facilities: Certain percent discounts are available for children, students, senior citizens (60+), and differently-abled persons. Must show a valid identification card for verification at the ticket counter.

4. Annapurna Cable Car (Established 2022)

The Annapurna Cable Car connects Pokhara’s Fewa Lake to the scenic mountain of Sarangkot. The cable car takes nine minutes to travel from the shores of Fewa Lake to Sarangkot hill top, a 2.2-kilometer-long climb. Sarangkot is a popular destination for viewing the Himalayas, Pokhara city, Fewa Lake, paragliding, and lush forests.

Although the construction of this cable car began in 2013, it was only operational in 2022 due to various reasons, including the COVID-19 outbreak. The cable car, built with a combined investment of 2 billion rupees from the private sector, can carry 5,000 passengers daily at full capacity.

Discount Facilities: Certain percent discounts are available for Children, Students, Differently Abled persons, Buddha Air Passengers, Prabhu Bank Employees and customers, etc.
Must show a valid identification card for verification at the ticket counter.

5. Maulakali Cable Car (Established 2023)

Maulakali is the fifth Cable Car in Nepal. It was operated from April 2023 in Gaindakot in the Nawalpur district. This cable car connects Gaindakot to the famous religious pilgrimage site Maulakali Temple, which is on top of a 561-meter-high hilltop.

Six towers have been built to operate this 1,200-meter-long cable car, with 12 passenger-carrying gondolas and two goods-carrying gondolas. The journey time of this cable car is only five minutes, which can accommodate eight passengers at a time in one coach

The distance to the cable car station is only four kilometers west of Narayangadh in the Chitwan district, an important religious and tourist center of Nepal.

Discount Facilities: Children under 3 feet and senior citizens above 80 years of age can travel for free. Others timely offers.

6. Lumbini Cable Car (Established 2023)

Nepal’s sixth cable car, the Lumbini Cable Car, connecting Butwal and Palpa, started commercial operations in May 2023. This cable car connects Butwal’s Golpark Bamghat to Basantapur in the Tinahun Rural Municipality of the Palpa district.
This cable car’s destination is the Kamakhya Devi Mai temple at the top of the hill. Hindus worship this famous goddess.

However, this cable car, which was built to promote Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is also used by Indian and foreign tourists. They enjoy the many facilities at the end of the ride or at the top of the hill.

This cable car, which has a daily capacity of 6,000 people and operates through a mono cable detachable system, set a record by carrying one hundred and fifty thousand passengers in its first seven months of operation.

Facilities: The company offers a 50 percent discount to locals in Ward-3 of Butwal and Ward-3 of Tinahun Village, citizens with disabilities, and those 3 to 4 feet tall.

Similarly, students get a 40 percent discount, while senior citizens over 80 can ride the cable car for free. There are also many other offers.

7. Siddhartha Cable Car (Established 2023)

The Siddhartha Cable Car is 2 kilometers long and connects Butwal Municipal with Nuwakot Danda in the Palpa district. Its lower station is located at Deurali, the peak of Butwal.

The cable car, which has been operational since October 2023, was built for 1.33 billion rupees. Along with this cable car, great tourist attractions have been built on Nuwakot Dada, which people from Nepal and India also come to enjoy.

This place was once a battlefield during the Anglo-Nepalese War. The palace of the ancient king of Palpa, Mani Mukunda Sen, Rani Kuwa, artillery, treasury, and many other historical monuments make it an ideal tourist destination.

8. Bandipur Cable Car (Established 2024)

The Bandipur Cable Car, which was built with a comprehensive project to develop tourism and expand facilities in the Bandipur area of ​​Tanahu district, has been operational since June 2024.

This cable car covers a distance of 1,700 meters from the cable car junction near Dumre Bazaar in Bandipur Rural Municipality-4 of Tanahu district to the temple on the hilltop in seven minutes.

There are 21 passenger cabins, each carrying 500 passengers per hour, and they will operate in different shifts from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Under Construction Cable Cars in Nepal

According to recent government open policy, cable car projects have been given high priority in Nepal, which has led to wide interest among investors.

Although the Nepal government has made a policy to promote tourism in the private sector and provide fast and easy access to transportation for the people of remote areas, investors have focused on finding projects that have direct profit potential.

Due to this, it has also been analyzing whether the development of cable cars will significantly improve the convenience and development of people in remote areas or not.

However, the popularity of some successful cable cars in the past has confirmed that cable cars can undoubtedly become a profitable business for religious and tourist areas. This service can also contribute to Nepal’s internal and external tourism promotion.

Due to the Nepalese government’s open policy and the priority given to cable car projects, dozens of cable car projects are currently under feasibility study; some are under agreement, and some are under construction. This can be explained as follows.

Some of Notable under-construction cable car projects

There are many cable car projects in Nepal that are being constructed in the pipeline. Among them, the most ambitious and notable under-constructing projects are as follows:

1. Muktinath Cable car: To be A longest cable way of Nepal and the world

The Muktinath Cable Car project is an ambitious initiative to revolutionize travel between Pokhara (Kaski District) and the sacred Muktinath Temple in Nepal’s Mustang district. Spanning approximately 81 kilometers, this cable car is poised to become the world’s longest passenger Cable cars in Nepal.

Project Overview:

• Route and Stations: The cable car will commence at Serabesi in the Kaski district and conclude at the Muktinath Temple in Mustang. It will feature 20 strategically placed stations along its path, including notable stops at Ghorepani, Tatopani, Lete, Marpha, Jomsom, and Kagbeni.

• Technical Specifications: The system will utilize 776 gondolas and operate at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 3,700 meters. The journey will take approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes, offering passengers a swift and scenic alternative to traditional travel methods.

• Investment: The project’s estimated budget is NPR 55 billion.

• Implications: Upon completion, the Muktinath Cable Car is expected to boost tourism significantly, providing easier access to the revered Muktinath Temple and the picturesque Mustang region. The project aims to accommodate up to 3.6 million passengers annually, enhancing local economies and offering a sustainable transportation alternative in this mountainous terrain.

2. Jalpadevi Cable Car

The construction of the Jalpadevi Cable Car near Karnali Chisapani in the Kailali district began in January 2025, with the aim of promoting tourism in the Far West.

The 3.1-km-long cable car project, which stretches from Chisapani in Ward No. 3 of Lamki Chuhan Municipality in Kailali district to Rajkanda in Ward No. 7 of Mohanyal Rural Municipality, will have 34 gondolas.

This project budget is 6 billion rupees. At the cable car’s base station, a hotel, casino, banquet hall, and other amenities will be constructed, with a total investment of five billion rupees. The hill summit at the upper station will feature a resort, temple, skywalk, walking path, restaurant, park, and additional tourist and entertainment facilities.

This cable car aims to attract tourists from India to western Nepal in addition to the local people.

3. Sikles Annapurna Cable car

A notable cable car project is being built for Rs 7 billion to connect Sikles, a popular tourist destination in the Kaski district. This ropeway system will be built in the Madi Rural Municipality of the Kaski district. All the preliminary preparations for this project have been completed and are in the construction phase.

This cable car is estimated to be very popular among domestic and foreign tourists. Tourists going to Pokhara can see the views of the Himalayas, including Annapurna, from close quarters.

This project will have a total length of 6.41 kilometers. The lower station of the cable car will be in ward number 1 of Madi Rural Municipality, and the upper station will be in ward number 2 of the same village. It will connect Pwarium and Kori Danda. This cable car will have 60 boxes that can accommodate eight passengers. It will serve 6000 visitors per day.

Cable cars under technical process

Apart from the above, dozens of cable car lines are in the technical and administrative process in Nepal. The current attraction of cable car operators and the priority of the Nepal government indicate that more than a hundred cable car routes can be established in Nepal within the next decade.

After completing various administrative processes, the remaining cable cars will be gradually added in the future when they are under construction.

Conclusion

Cable cars in Nepal present both opportunities and challenges. While they enhance accessibility, promote tourism, and provide a sustainable transportation solution, concerns about environmental impact and cultural sensitivities need to be addressed.

By implementing responsible construction practices, engaging local communities, and ensuring economic benefits for all stakeholders, Nepal can maximize the advantages of cable cars while preserving its rich natural and cultural heritage.

Thanks for your time.