26 Jestha, Butwal – More than half a million tourists have traveled on the Lumbini Cable Car in Butwal over the past three years. This cable car connects Butwal in Rupandehi with Basantapur hill in Palpa and commenced commercial operations on Jestha 15, 2080, with an official inauguration held on Jestha 25, 2080. During this three-year operational period, over 500,000 tourists have used the cable car, with approximately half of these visitors coming from India.
The cable car was launched with an investment of over 150 million NPR. At the upper station in Basantapur, there is a banquet hall capable of accommodating 1,000 people, and a five-star hotel is under development with an investment exceeding 350 million NPR. DN Kayastha Sanju, the General Manager of Operations, stated that the five-star hotel is being planned primarily to attract tourists from Uttar Pradesh, India. Currently, the number of visitors is insufficient to cover operating costs, but there is a target to complete the hotel within the next three years.
Constructed with investments from local entrepreneurs and the IME Group, the Lumbini Cable Car spans approximately three kilometers from Bamghat in Butwal to Basantapur in Tinjau Rural Municipality-3, Palpa. It is Nepal’s second longest cable car and the first in Lumbini Province. Since its establishment, the previously quiet Basantapur hill in Tinjau Rural Municipality-3 has become one of the province’s most attractive tourist destinations.
The upper station features amenities such as a zipline, sky cycling, a children’s park, restaurants, and modern swings. From Basantapur, visitors can enjoy panoramic views stretching from Butwal and Tilottama to Bhairahawa, and on clear days, even the Himalayan mountain range is visible. The Lumbini Cable Car generates employment for around one hundred people, most of whom are locals. Situated at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level, Basantapur experiences temperatures 7 to 10 degrees Celsius lower than those in the Terai region.
