Girnar Ropeway: Ticket Price, Timings and a Complete Guide

The climb up the sacred mountain of Girnar is one of India's toughest pilgrim treks, but since 2020 the Girnar Ropeway has transformed it, lifting pilgrims who cannot manage the thousands of steps up to the temples in minutes. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, covers the Girnar Ropeway ticket price, timings, specifications, rules and how to book.

About the Girnar Ropeway

The Girnar Ropeway, officially known as the Girnar Udan Khatola, is an aerial cable car on Mount Girnar in Junagadh, Gujarat and one of the longest passenger ropeways in Asia and India's longest temple ropeway. It connects the base at Bhavnath Taleti to the sacred Ambaji Temple partway up the mountain, carrying passengers over a distance of about 2.3 km in just 7 to 10 minutes and so allowing them to bypass about 5,000 of the thousands of stone steps that make up the Girnar climb. Inaugurated in October 2020, it was built at a cost of around 130 crore rupees and is operated by Usha Breco Limited. For the many pilgrims, elderly visitors and families who could never have managed the gruelling climb on foot, the ropeway has opened up the sacred mountain, while for everyone it offers a breathtaking scenic ride high over the hills and forests of Girnar. First proposed decades ago, the project was delayed for years by technical and environmental hurdles before finally opening and its arrival was celebrated as a landmark that made one of Gujarat's holiest and hardest pilgrimages accessible to all.

Girnar Ropeway ticket price

The Girnar Ropeway ticket prices, for the ride between Bhavnath Taleti and the Ambaji Temple, are as follows, with GST applicable on top:

The round-trip or two-way, ticket is the most popular, as it covers both the ride up and the ride back down. Fares are subject to change and to applicable GST and concessional rates are sometimes offered during festivals such as Mahashivratri, so it is wise to check the current prices when you book.

Girnar Ropeway timings

The Girnar Ropeway operates daily, generally from about 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, subject to the weather and wind conditions, as the ropeway may be paused in high winds for safety. The ticket window typically closes at 5:00 PM and the last riders are brought down so that everyone is back at the base by about 6:00 PM, so it is important not to miss the last ride up or you would have to walk all the way back. It is best to arrive early in the morning, both to have plenty of time at the temples and to avoid the queues, which can be long on weekends, festivals and in the peak season. Timings can vary, so confirm them before your visit.

Girnar Ropeway specifications

The Girnar Ropeway is a feat of modern engineering on an ancient mountain. Its key specifications are:

The ropeway uses modern mono-cable detachable gondola cabins and can carry around 800 passengers an hour or several thousand in a day, so that a climb which once took four to six hours on foot now takes only minutes. The ride gives wonderful views over the Girnar hills, the forest and the city of Junagadh below and on a clear day you can see for miles across the Saurashtra plains. For many visitors, the ropeway ride is a highlight of the trip in itself, quite apart from the temples it leads to, a chance to glide silently over an ancient, sacred landscape.

Where the ropeway takes you and the climb beyond

It is important to understand that the ropeway takes you only partway up Mount Girnar, to the Ambaji Temple, not all the way to the summit. The Ambaji Temple is one of the major shrines on the mountain, so the ropeway alone makes for a wonderful trip up to it and back. However, to continue to the other temples higher up, such as the Gorakhnath peak and, at the very top, the Dattatreya temple, you still need to climb the remaining steps on foot or you can also walk a short way down to the Jain temples. The ropeway therefore saves the first and longest part of the climb, the roughly 5,000 steps up to Ambaji, but the summit still requires effort beyond it. For a full account of the step climb to the top, see our guide to the Dattatreya temple. In short, the ropeway is perfect if your goal is the Ambaji darshan and a scenic ride or if you want to shorten a summit climb, but reaching the very top still calls for a good level of fitness and an early start.

How to book the Girnar Ropeway

Tickets for the Girnar Ropeway can be booked online in advance through the official Udan Khatola website operated by Usha Breco, which is the easiest way and avoids the queues. Tickets can also be bought on the spot at the base terminal, though the counters can be crowded, especially on weekends and festivals, so online booking is recommended, particularly in the peak season. If you are visiting partway through the day, you can also buy a return ticket from the Ambaji end to come back down, which is useful if you have climbed up and are tired. Book your preferred date and, if possible, go early in the day to make the most of your time on the mountain.

Rules and important tips

A few rules and tips help your Girnar Ropeway trip go smoothly:

• Plastic bottles, single-use plastics and selfie sticks are strictly banned inside the cabins and terminals.

• Lockers are available at the base to store prohibited or heavy items before your ride.

• Book online in advance through the official Udan Khatola site to avoid the queues at the counter.

• Arrive early in the day for plenty of time at the temples and to beat the crowds and the last-ride cut-off.

• Remember the ropeway only reaches Ambaji; the summit temples need further climbing on foot.

• The ride may be paused in high winds for safety, so allow some flexibility in your plans.

Best time to use the Girnar Ropeway

The best time to use the Girnar Ropeway is the cool winter season, November to February, when the weather is pleasant for the ride and for the temples, in line with the best time to visit Gujarat. The summer is hot and the monsoon can bring winds and poor visibility that pause the ropeway, so winter is ideal. Within the day, an early start is best, for the clearest views, the shortest queues and plenty of time at the temples. The ropeway also runs on special schedules during the great festivals at Girnar, such as the Bhavnath Mahashivratri Fair and the Kartik Purnima season, when the mountain is at its busiest.

How to reach the Girnar Ropeway

The Girnar Ropeway's base station is at Bhavnath Taleti, at the foot of Mount Girnar, about 5 to 6 km from Junagadh city, easily reached by auto rickshaw or taxi. Junagadh itself is well connected: the nearest major railway station is Junagadh Junction and the city is reachable by road from across Saurashtra, including from Somnath, about 100 km away and Gir, about 60 km away. Our Junagadh to Girnar and Somnath to Girnar distance guides cover the routes and a Somnath Dwarka taxi service can bring you to the ropeway base as part of a wider tour.

Plan your Junagadh trip

Experience My India can plan a Saurashtra trip that includes the Girnar Ropeway and Junagadh along with the temples and the safari. Combine the ropeway with the Bhavnath temple, Uparkot Fort and Mahabat Maqbara, add a Gir lion safari and the Somnath temple, book Somnath Dwarka hotels and let the Experience My India Somnath Dwarka tour packages or the wider Gujarat tour packages include Junagadh and the region in your itinerary. You can also extend the trip up the coast to Dwarka for a fuller journey.

Related guides

To plan the rest of your Saurashtra trip, these related guides help:

Plan your visit

Experience My India can arrange your Junagadh and Girnar Ropeway trip. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.