The Gulmarg Gondola — the two-stage cable car up Apharwat
What it is
The Gulmarg Gondola is the cable car that makes Gulmarg a winter-sports resort. Wikipedia describes it as a two-stage lift built with the French firm Pomagalski and ranks it second in the world for both length and height among cable cars. The first stage, from Gulmarg at about 2,650 m to the Kongdoori bowl, opened in 1998; the second stage, to a shoulder of Apharwat, opened in 2005 after about two years of construction.
Photos: Slyronit (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
The two stages
The first stage takes about 9 minutes and the second about 12. The second stage has 36 cabins on 18 towers, each cabin carrying six people, and the system moves about 600 people an hour. The two Wikipedia articles give different heights for the top, about 3,980 m in one and about 4,100 m in the other, so treat the height as somewhere in that range. A chair lift also links Kongdoori with a higher shoulder for skiers in winter.
When it runs
Wikipedia says the hours are given as late morning to late afternoon and depend heavily on the weather at both stages. We have no verified hours or fares, so ask at the base station on the day, and go early.
Safety
Wikipedia records an accident on 15 June 2017, when a wind-felled pine broke a cabin window; the cabin swung and seven occupants were killed. Ask whether the lift is running in wind and storm, and follow the staff's advice.
Getting there
The base is in the middle of Gulmarg. The one-day plan uses it as the day's anchor. See when to visit Gulmarg and things to do in Gulmarg.
Plans that include this
All 1 plans that stop here →
Nearby places
All of Gulmarg →
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Questions people ask
What is the Gulmarg Gondola?
A two-stage cable car, built with the French firm Pomagalski, that carries visitors from Gulmarg at about 2,650 m to Kongdoori and on to a shoulder of Apharwat. Wikipedia ranks it second in the world for both length and height among cable cars. The first stage opened in 1998 and the second in 2005.
How long does the ride take?
About 9 minutes for the first stage, to Kongdoori, and about 12 minutes for the second, according to Wikipedia. A cabin carries six people, and the system moves about 600 people an hour. Wikipedia says operation depends heavily on the weather at both stages, so go early and be ready for a closure.
How high does the gondola go?
The second stage reaches a shoulder of Apharwat, which Wikipedia puts at about 3,980 m in one article and about 4,100 m in another, so we quote the range. The first stage ends in the Kongdoori bowl. Altitude is real here: carry warm layers, and take it slowly if you feel unwell.