Nepal's 81 km cable car to Muktinath, and how close it really is to being built
A cable car to Muktinath, billed as the world’s longest, won investment approval in June 2025. Environmental approval is pending, and nothing is built.
At a glance
- Published · updated
- TopicIndustry & Tourism
- Verified againstThe Rising Nepal; Fiscal Nepal; Khabarhub
- Treks coveredAnnapurna Circuit Trek — Fly Jomsom 12 Days, Jomsom Muktinath Trek, Upper Mustang Trek — 12 Days
Nepal has a proposal for an 81-kilometre cable car to Muktinath, billed as the world’s longest — but it is not built, and its environmental approval is still pending. The investment was approved in June 2025 and the environmental study was submitted in February 2026. For anyone travelling now, the route to the temple is the same as it has always been.
Key facts
- Proposed route: Seraphant, near Birethanti and Nayapul, to Muktinath — about 81 km.
- 20 stations and 871 gondolas in the 2026 environmental study, with a journey of about 3 hours 36 minutes.
- Cost: the developer proposed Rs 57.64 billion; the widely reported working figure is Rs 55 billion.
- Status: investment approved June 2025; environmental approval still pending.
What is being proposed
A multi-stage ropeway climbing from the lower Modi valley to the temple, built and run by a private company before being handed to the state. The developer is Muktinath Darshan Pvt Ltd, on a build-own-operate-transfer basis.
The line would start in Modi Rural Municipality in Parbat district, which is why it is often reported as the Parbat–Muktinath cable car, and pass through Kaski and Myagdi before climbing the Mustang valley. If built as designed it would rank among the longest cable-car systems on Earth.
Where the project actually stands
Approved for investment, submitted for environmental review, not yet cleared to build. That is further along than most of Nepal’s big ropeway ideas, and a long way from a finished line.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 5 June 2025 | Investment Board Nepal’s 64th meeting approves the investment |
| February 2026 | Environmental impact assessment submitted to the Ministry of Forests and Environment and opened for public comment |
| Now | Environmental approval pending; no construction |
Correction: an earlier version of our coverage dated the investment approval to June and July 2026. The Investment Board approved it on 5 June 2025.
Why it matters to Indian pilgrims
Most of Muktinath’s visitors come from India, and the hardest part of the pilgrimage for many is simply getting there. Today that means Pokhara, then a flight to Jomsom or a long, rough jeep ride up the Kali Gandaki, then the final climb to 3,762 metres.
For elderly devotees that journey can be the real obstacle. Promoters project that easier access could lift annual visitors from around one million toward three million — a projection, not a forecast anyone has tested. Indian citizens need no visa and pay no fee to enter Nepal.
| Aspect | Today | If built |
|---|---|---|
| Final approach | Jomsom flight or jeep, then a climb | Cable car, about 3.5 hours |
| Suited to elderly pilgrims | Demanding | Far easier |
| Annual visitors | About 1 million | About 3 million (promoters’ projection) |
A note of caution, and one about altitude
Treat this as a proposal, not a booking option. Large ropeway projects in Nepal face long timelines, financing questions and debates over heritage and environment.
There is a safety point the pitch leaves out. Muktinath sits at 3,762 metres, and the faster people reach it, the less they acclimatise: 15 of the 25 tourists who died of altitude sickness in the Annapurna region in the year to July 2026 were in Mustang, where the road already lets visitors arrive in a day. The numbers are here. A 3.5-hour cable car would sharpen that problem, not solve it.
How to reach Muktinath today
By air or road to Jomsom, then on foot or by jeep — or over Thorong La on the Annapurna Circuit. Pokhara to Jomsom by road is about 180 km and seven to nine hours, plus 18 km up to the temple.
What this means for you
You do not need to wait years for a cable car. The classic route through the Kali Gandaki valley is open now and is one of the most rewarding journeys in the Himalaya, and walking it acclimatises you properly. Our Jomsom–Muktinath trek is built around the temple; the Annapurna Circuit with a Jomsom flight and the Upper Mustang trek both pass through. For what pilgrims come to see, read about the flame that burns beside running water.
Sources: The Rising Nepal (5 June 2025); Fiscal Nepal (15 February 2026); Khabarhub; Wikipedia, “Muktinath”.
Cover photo: Faj2323 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Section photos: jayjay13 via Pexels (Pexels licence); Roman Saienko via Pexels (Pexels licence); Nepal Moto Tours via Pexels (Pexels licence).
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