Ropeway is one USP that sets Saputara apart from most other hill stations.

Running between Governors’ hill and Sunset point, ropeway is must do activity when hanging around in Saputara. Cable cars won’t run when there are no tourists. This happens in off season.

The operators will stop car in middle of course. So that tourists can enjoy being on top of valley. The view of Saputara Hill Station from here is mesmerizing.

Operation Time: 10.00 AM to 07.00 PM (Runs all day, all season)

Ticket Charges: Rs. 50

Travel Time: 10 minutes (Tabletop point to Sunset point)

Tourist Rush: Average waiting time during is 15-20 minutes. During peak tourist season, it might take 1 hour as well.

My Rating: 5/5

More information/tips and photos: Saputara Ropeway

Unlike Saputara where ropeway had been setup to promote tourism sector, Pavagadh ropeway has agenda of facilitating devotees to reach to temple comfortably.

Locally branded as, Maa Mahakali Ka Udankhatola, the ropeway starts from base station Machi and drops off at peak. Though, even after you reach to peak via ropeway, you still need to climb around 250 steps.

We climbed up to Mahakali Temple hiking and returned back to Machi via ropeway.

If you climb Pavagadh in early morning and plan to return down by ropeway, you won’t face any crowd. Be ready to wait in long queue if doing vice versa.  

Operation Time:
06.00 AM to 07.45 PM (Runs all day, all season)
Lunch break: 12.50 PM to 01.30 PM

Ticket Charges:
Rs. 100 (Both way)
Rs. 65 (Down)

Travel Time: 5 – 7 minutes (Machi to peak near Mahakali Temple)

Tourist Rush: Unsure about this. I didn’t face any rush. However, when we got down, there was long long queue for ascending journey.

My Rating: 4/5

I visited Gabbar Hills during one of those school educational tours.

I still remember dialogues of Sholay (Gabbar, you know! 🙂 ) being thrown every now and then while we were in cable cars, going on top. One that I could recollect –we had this while waiting for car:

“Are Oo Sambha! Kitna time lagayega ropeway chalane mein!” 😀

Quoting temple website,

…Trust has recently in 1998 installed and inaugurated Shri Amba Devi Udan Khatola Facilities , that is to say, a Rope Way on the mountain of Gabbar, with the help of Usha Breco Co. of Calcutta on a lease basis, so that more and more pilgrims can visit and enjoy the beauty and holiness of Gabbar with so ease and joy, just by reaching in time, without any trouble.

So far I remember, Usha Co. also run services Pavagadh.

Operation Time:
06.00 AM to 08.00 PM (Runs all day, all season)
Lunch break: 12.45 PM to 01.30 PM

Ticket Charges:
Normal Ticket – Rs 80 (To & Fro)
One way ticket – Rs 50 (For Downward journey)
Concession Ticket – Rs 50 (For physically handicapped & war widows)

Note – Children less than 110 cm height are free.

Travel Time: 3 – 5 minutes (Base to Gabbar Hills)

Tourist Rush: Unsure about this. I was too young to notice such details during school time.

My Rating: 3.5 /5

A news article that I found about Girnar Ropewat dates back to 2010.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-gujarat-s-girnar-ropeway-project-to-start-next-year-1361157

No idea about the current project status. Girnar has pretty long stretch to be covered by ropeway. Plus, environmental as well as geographic issues might be holding back the ambitious project.

Also a two year old news.

http://www.vishvagujarat.com/chotlia-the-government-will-ropeway/

Government of Gujarat has filed an affidavit in 2014 proposing construction of ropeway at Chotila. Chotila is pretty straight hill and less distance to cover as compared to Saputara or Pavagadh.

If everything goes well, I believe the construction might be over in 2 years from now. (If at all the project is still on!)