The best ropeway rides in India

India has some of the highest peaks in the world. There are many popular tourist spots in the country that have cable car facilities available. A ropeway ride is a thrilling experience for any person. Most ropeways or cable car routes connect to a high altitude point.  A cable car ride provides tourists with a bird’s eye view of the city or surrounding region. It offers a chance to enjoy the magnificent views of nature from a closer distance. Many hill stations and pilgrimage sites in India have a ropeway ride available.

Some of the best Destinations to Visit in India,and few of them you can get many popular ropeway routes:

Gulmarg Gondola, Jammu and Kashmir

Connecting Gulmarg skiing resort to Apparwath peak located at 4200 meters, this gondola ride is Asia’s largest cable car system. The elevation is so high that this ropeway operates in two stages. The first phase is from Gulmarg to Kungdori Valley, and the second phase from Kungdori to Apparwath peak. The complete route spans about 2.5 km. It offers tourists with breathtaking views of the snow-filled Himalayan slopes.

Nainadevi Ropeway, Himachal Pradesh

The Naina Devi ropeway route was started for the convenience of the devotees visiting the Naina Devi Temple located in Bilaspur. It is an exhilarating ropeway ride offering a view of the surrounding hills and the Gobind Sagar Lake. The temple complex situated at an altitude of 1177 meters is the end point of this ride.

Auli Cable Car, Uttarakhand

Auli is India’s premier skiing destination. The 4 km long cable car ride connects Auli to Joshimath. The uppermost tower of this ropeway is at 3016 meters. Apart from the skiing activity, this cable car ride is a major attraction in Auli. The journey is about 15 minutes long. Riders are treated to spellbinding views of the mighty Himalayas from up close, especially the snow-capped peaks of Nanda Devi.

Mussoorie Cable Car, Uttarakhand

Considered as one of the best ropeway routes in India, the cable car ride in Mussoorie offers a heavenly view of the surrounding mountains. The ropeway starts from Mall and goes up to Gun Hill, situated at a height of 2530 meters. Tourists can get a chance to view several peaks on this ride, including the Bandarpunch. Taking a ride during sunset is ideal as one gets to experience a mesmerizing view of the sun going down.

Maihar Ropeway, Madhya Pradesh

According to Hindu mythology, the Maihar Devi temple located on Trikuta Hill is a Shakti Peeth where the necklace of Goddess Sati had fallen. The cable car at Maihar is another DRIL project that was originally built to help the physically disabled and elderly devotees so they could reach the Devi temple. Before the ropeway was built, devotees had to climb 1000 steps to reach the main gate of the temple. Due to a lack of space to build the upper station, the design team came up with an innovative layout where the tension tower which provides the counter weight is built on a very steep slope.

Raigad Ropeway, Maharashtra

The Raigad Fort is historically important because the great Shivaji Maharaj chose this as his capital when he was crowned King of the Maratha Kingdom. Built on top of a hill, this ropeway ride makes commute easy for the tourists by avoiding the steep climb. The ascent of the ropeway is 420 meters and the rope length is 760 meters. The view one gets of the surrounding scenery is very pleasing to the eyes.

Deoghar Ropeway, Jharkhand

The Ropeway at Trikuta Hills in Deoghar, an undertaking of DRIL, takes passengers to the top of the hill offering a great view of the holy town of Deogarh. The three peaks of the Trikuta Hills signify the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Pilgrims visit this holy site all around the year. It takes around 10 minutes for one cable car to reach the hill top.

Darjeeling Ropeway, West Bengal

This is one of the oldest cable car routes in India, which started running in 1968. The ropeway stretches between Singamari and Singla Bazaar, and descends from a height of 7000 feet to 800 feet. It offers tourists with a bird’s eye view of the snow-filled mountain slopes, dense forests, green valleys, flowing rivers, and lush tea gardens.

Gangtok Ropeway, Sikkim

Gangtok is a popular hill station and the ropeway route that passes through various points of the city is one of the major tourist attractions. A project of DRIL, this 935 meters long aerial ropeway begins at Deorali Market and stops at Namnang and Tashiling. Tourists can enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the valleys and river flowing some 3500 feet below. On a clear sunny day, they can even view the snowcapped peak of the Kanchenjunga.