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The Gulmarg Gondola

Slyronit, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Attraction · Gulmarg

The Gulmarg Gondola

Two stages of cable car out of a meadow at 2,650 metres to a shoulder of Apharwat at nearly 3,980 — among the highest cable cars anywhere, and shut whenever the wind says so.

Time neededHalf a day
Best timeFirst cars
Top stationAbout 3,980 m
StagesTwo
About

A meadow, and the ridge above it

Gulmarg is a bowl of meadow at about 2,650 metres, ringed by fir, with a golf course laid across it that is among the highest in the world and a small stone church of 1902 in the middle of it. The gondola is what most itineraries come for. It runs in two stages: the first to Kongdoori at roughly 3,080 metres, the second on to a shoulder of Apharwat at close to 3,980, where there is snow for most of the year and the Pir Panjal opens out around you. It is among the highest cable cars in the world. It is also entirely at the mercy of wind and visibility, and the second stage in particular is closed often enough that any itinerary depending on a single day here is badly built.

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What to See

What to look at

The two stages are genuinely different places.

🚡 Stage one — Kongdoori

  • To about 3,080 metres, above the treeline, with the meadow below and the bowl opening out
  • Runs more reliably than the upper stage and is worth doing on its own

🏔️ Stage two — Apharwat

  • To close to 3,980 metres on the shoulder of Apharwat, with snow underfoot most of the year
  • The stage the wind closes; check before committing the day to it

⛳ The meadow

  • The golf course laid across it, among the highest anywhere, and the 1902 church at its centre

🥾 Khilanmarg

  • A meadow above the bowl, reached on foot or by pony, and the walk most visitors never make
Getting There

Getting there

A drive up from the valley floor, then the cable.

🚗 From Srinagar

  • About two hours by road, climbing out of the valley through Tangmarg

🎟️ The gondola

  • The two stages are ticketed separately and the queue is at the base station
  • Tickets for the upper stage are limited by capacity and by conditions on the day

🐴 Ponies and sledges

  • Offered constantly around the base and at Kongdoori; agree route and price first
Best Time

When to go

Early, and give it more than one day if you can.

🕰️ Time of day

  • The first cars: the queue is shortest, and wind typically builds through the day

📅 Season

  • Deep snow from about December to March, and Gulmarg is a working ski resort then
  • Summer gives green meadow below and snow still on Apharwat above

⏱️ How long

  • Half a day for both stages; a second day in the itinerary is genuine insurance against a closure
Visitor Intelligence

Worth knowing

The mountain decides whether you go up, not the schedule you booked.

💨 Closures are normal

  • High wind and poor visibility shut the upper stage regularly. It is not unusual and it is not negotiable
  • Packages that build in two Gulmarg days are doing so for this reason

🏔️ Altitude

  • Nearly 3,980 metres, reached from 2,650 in under an hour. Some visitors feel it; go slowly at the top

🧥 Cold at the top

  • Snow underfoot most of the year regardless of the temperature in the meadow below

🎫 Queue early

  • The base station queue is the longest part of the day in season
Nearby

Nearby

The Kashmir valley.

Khilanmarg
The meadow above the bowl, on foot or by pony
Dal Lake
Two hours down in Srinagar
Gulmarg
The resort guide
Good to Know

Frequently asked

To close to 3,980 metres on a shoulder of Apharwat, in two stages — the first to Kongdoori at roughly 3,080 metres and the second on from there. That makes it among the highest cable cars anywhere in the world. The meadow it starts from is itself at about 2,650 metres, so the whole ascent happens in well under an hour.
Regularly, and the upper stage most of all. High wind and poor visibility shut it, and that is a normal operating condition rather than an exception. Itineraries that allow two days at Gulmarg are doing so specifically as insurance, and any itinerary that promises the top station on a single fixed day is promising something nobody can deliver.
They are different places. Kongdoori is above the treeline with the bowl opening below you and runs far more reliably. Apharwat is high alpine with snow underfoot most of the year and the Pir Panjal around you. If conditions allow both, do both. If only the lower stage is running, it is a good half day on its own rather than a consolation.
The meadow itself, with a golf course laid across it that is among the highest in the world, and a small stone church built in 1902 near the middle. Khilanmarg, a further meadow above the bowl reached on foot or by pony, is the walk most visitors never make and is the quietest thing here. In winter Gulmarg is a working ski resort.
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