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World's longest cable car to Muktinath? What Nepal's 2026 mega-project means for pilgrims

Nepal has unveiled plans for an 81 km cable car toward the sacred temple of Muktinath — billed as the world's longest. Here's what the 2026 project could mean for the lakhs of Indian pilgrims who make the journey.

LR By Laxman Rawal · Jun 15, 2026 · 3 min read · Updated Jun 15, 2026

The Muktinath temple area in Mustang, a major pilgrimage site, Nepal

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For Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims, few places carry the pull of Muktinath — the sacred temple at 3,710 metres in the Mustang valley, where 108 stone spouts and an eternal flame draw devotees from across India and Nepal. Reaching it has always meant a long, demanding journey. A newly unveiled mega-project could change that completely, and in 2026 it has taken its biggest step yet toward reality.

Key facts

Proposed Parbat–Muktinath cable car, billed as the world's longest
Around 81 km long, with 20 stations and 871 gondolas
Estimated cost: about Rs 55 billion
Its environmental study (EIA) was prepared and made public in 2026

What is being proposed

The plan is for an enormous multi-stage ropeway running roughly 81 km from Parbat district up toward Muktinath, with 20 stations and 871 gondola cabins. If built as designed, it would rank among the longest cable-car systems on earth. The detailed environmental impact assessment was prepared and released in 2026, moving the project from idea to formal proposal. Backers say it could cut the journey to the temple to as little as three and a half hours.

81 kmproposed cable-car length

871gondola cabins

20stations along the route

~3.5 hrprojected access time to Muktinath

Why it matters to Indian pilgrims

Muktinath is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Himalaya, and the overwhelming majority of its visitors come from India. Today, reaching the temple typically means flying or driving to Pokhara, then a flight to Jomsom or a long, rough jeep ride up the Kali Gandaki gorge, followed by a final climb. For elderly devotees, that journey can be the hardest part of the pilgrimage. Promoters project that easier access could lift annual visitor numbers from around one million today toward three million.

Reaching Muktinath: today vs the proposal
Aspect	Today	If built
Final approach	Jomsom flight / jeep + climb	Cable car, ~3.5 hr
Suited to elderly	Demanding	Far easier
Annual visitors	~1 million	~3 million (projected)

A note of caution

It is important to be clear: this is a proposal, not a finished railway in the sky. Large cable-car projects in Nepal face long timelines, financing questions and — as seen elsewhere — debates over heritage and the environment. For now, the time-honoured route through Mustang remains the way pilgrims and trekkers actually reach Muktinath, and many would argue the journey is part of the devotion.

What this means for you

If Muktinath is on your list, you do not need to wait years for a cable car. The classic route through Mustang — Pokhara, Jomsom and the sacred Kali Gandaki valley — is open now and is one of the most rewarding journeys in the Himalaya, blending pilgrimage with raw high-desert scenery. We arrange the flights, jeeps, permits and guides so the trip is smooth from the moment you land. For Indian travellers, remember there is no visa and no fee to enter Nepal.

Whether or not the gondolas ever turn, the 2026 announcement is a sign of how seriously Nepal takes its pilgrimage tourism — and how central Muktinath is to it.

Source: Fiscal Nepal; Khabarhub.

Cover photo: Faj2323 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Source: Fiscal Nepal

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