The Sarangkot cable car: fares, hours and tips

The Annapurna Cable Car is the quickest way from Phewa Lake up to Sarangkot: 2.2 km of cable from Sedi Bagar to the ridge, in about nine minutes. You will hear it called the Sarangkot cable car, the Pokhara cable car and the Annapurna cable car. It is one line, and it has carried passengers since 18 February 2022.

Our lodge is a short walk from the top station, so this is the guide we give our own guests. For the other ways up, by taxi, from the airport or on foot, see how to get to Sarangkot from Pokhara.

• Children 3–4 ft tall pay 40% less, and children under 3 ft ride free.

• Passengers with a disability pay half.

• Elderly and student rates are for Nepali citizens with ID.

From the operator's ticket page, as of October 2026.

Yes. The cabins run from 5 AM every day, early enough for sunrise for most of the year. From May to July the sun rises at about 05:10–05:30, so even the first cabin only just makes it; the times for every month are in our Sarangkot sunrise guide.

The closing time is less certain: the operator's own pages give both 6 PM and 7 PM, and hours have changed in past monsoons. If you plan to ride down after sunset, check the last cabin on the day.

The operator runs a free bus between Lakeside and the bottom station. On sunrise mornings it starts at 04:20, collecting from the street nearest the station first and the furthest last. Book it by phone, SMS or WhatsApp on the numbers in the operator's FAQ.

Seventeen eight-seat cabins carry about 500 people an hour. Phewa Lake falls away behind you, the forest of the ridge rises ahead, and on a clear morning the Annapurnas come up over the top. The stations have a ramp and wheelchairs; pets are allowed, and bicycles travel in a carrier of their own.

From the top station, the operator puts the Sarangkot viewpoint at a 6–10 minute walk. Our lodge is a short walk from the top too: ask us for the way when you book.

The operator publishes no weather policy. Like any gondola, it can stop for high wind, lightning or a power cut, and ticket resellers say there is no refund for cloud. In the monsoon, views come in short gaps, often just after dawn following a night of rain, so a grey start is not always a lost morning.

• Buy a return only if you will come back the same way. Walking down takes about 1.5–2 hours on stone steps (see our Lakeside to Sarangkot hiking guide).

• Ride up in the afternoon, watch the sunset and stay the night: you will be at the viewpoint for sunrise without a 4 AM start.

• Bring layers. Dawn on the ridge is cold from November to February, about 2–8 °C.

• Carry some Nepali rupees for tea and snacks at the top.

Bhanjyang Village is five rooms in old stone-and-mud houses, a short walk from the top station. The Attic and Kausi East face the mountains and the sunrise, and our sunrise from the lodge is the easiest you will find.