Nepal » Kathmandu

Chandragiri Hills Cable Car & Temple: Himalayan Views from 2,551m

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.88 (160 reviews) 91% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/8

Duration4h–5h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Skip the trek: cable car to 2,551m Himalayan views and a sacred temple in 10 minutes

You get hotel pickup, a private vehicle ride to the cable car station, a ten-minute ascent to the 2,551-meter summit, time to walk around the Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple and absorb the 180-degree Himalayan panorama, and the cable car descent included. Lunch at the summit restaurant is your own cost. The whole experience runs four to five hours, and you're back at your hotel by early afternoon.

4h–5h

Step-by-step itinerary

Pick up from hotel early morning
Travel by private vehicle to cable car station
Ride 10-minute cable car to Chandragiri Hill summit
Walk around and visit Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple
Enjoy lunch at hilltop restaurant (own expense)
Return by cable car to base station
Drive back to hotel by private vehicle

The Experience

The cable car station sits quiet in the early light, and then the doors open. You step into a Swiss-engineered gondola that will carry you 2,551 meters up Chandragiri Hill in ten minutes flat — no hiking, no scrambling, just a smooth glide above the jungle canopy while the mountain ranges materialize in front of you. The Annapurna peaks come into focus first, then on a clear day, Mount Everest sits on the horizon like something you're not quite supposed to see. Your guide points out the ridgelines as the city shrinks below, and the air gets thinner and cooler the higher you go.

At the top, the Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple waits — a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site built where, according to legend, Sati Devi's forehead fell to earth. Pilgrims come here year-round; you'll see prayer flags and incense smoke drifting across the summit. The temple is small and intimate, and the view from its courtyard is the same one you just rode up to see. After that, most people drift toward the hilltop restaurant. Lunch isn't included in the tour price, but the menu is solid and the tables face the Himalayas — it's one of those meals where the view does half the work. You can linger as long as you want, then take the cable car back down the same way you came up, a ten-minute descent that feels even faster than the climb.

Your private vehicle picks you up from your hotel inside the ring road or the Bouddha area — the driver arrives on time and knows the route to the cable car station. The whole day runs about four to five hours door-to-door, which is why it works as a half-day tour. The cable car opens at 8am and closes around 5pm, so an early start means fewer people at the summit and clearer air for the view. The 30-minute drive back to your hotel gives you time to sit with what you just saw.

What’s included

Your tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off from inside the ring road or the Bouddha area, private vehicle transport to and from the cable car station, both-way cable car entry fees, and a professional guide. Lunch at the summit restaurant is not included and is at your own expense.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Himalayan Planet Adventures

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want Himalayan views without a full day of trekking, and who are based in Kathmandu with a few hours to spare. The altitude gain is handled by the cable car, so no climbing is required — plan for a half-day out, which is what makes the whole experience fit between other plans.