Most Stunning Aerial Lifts Around the World

Aerial lifts, suspended by cables stretching across river deserts, or cities, between peaks or pillars, are one of the greatest tourist attractions of any place. They are known by different names, such as aerial tramway, ropeway, cable car, etc. Though they are also used for transportation of goods and supplies, they are mainly used for travel and tourism. Some of them are enclosed cabins which may offer a still view or have a rotating floor, others are open chairs, which are mostly used in ski resorts. Let us take a look at some of the most stunning Aerial Lifts around the World.

• Val Thorens Aerial Lifts

Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe, located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie. It offers an excellent view of the French Alps, especially from the aerial lifts available here. Val Thorens has a total of 32 lifts. These include chairlifts, draglifts, cable cars, gondolas and magic carpets. There are four funitels. While the funitels are very popular, the brave-hearts choose to ride the open chairlifts.

• Grouse Mountain Skyride

Grouse Mountain in British Columbia is one of the Pacific Ranges of Canada's North Shore Mountains. Grouse Mountain Resort is a winter alpine ski area with panoramic views of Greater Vancouver. The four chairlifts are one of the resort's main draws. The chairlift rides provide breathtaking views. A Swiss Garaventa aerial tramway also provides public access to the mountain's summit.

• Masada Cableway

Masada, Israel's ancient fortress, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert and overlooking the Dead Sea. The Masada cableway is the world's lowest aerial tramway, with its bottom station 257 metres below sea level and its summit only 33 metres above it. The original tramway support pillars are no longer present, and the cabin's hanger now encloses the ropes.

• Ropeway of Rajgir

Rajgir is the capital city of the Magadha kingdom, in the Nalanda district of Bihar. One of the main attractions of this spots for the tourists is the ropeway. It connects the Makhdoom Kund, the Vishwa Shanti tupa and the monasteries. They offer an excellent view of the valley nested among the seven hills: Vaibhara, Ratna, Saila, Sona, Udaya, Chhatha, and Vipula. The open lifts are for single riders.

• Klein Matterhorn Aerial Tramway

The Klein Matterhorn aerial tramway is located in Switzerland, at the end of the multi-stage cable car journey from Zermatt. The cable car provides a spectacular view of the Theodul Glacier below, and from outside the tram station, you can see the Ice Cave or Glacier Grotto. Klein Matterhorn has Europe's largest and highest summer ski area, with lift access.

• Norsjö Ropeway

Norsjö is in the Swedish county of Västerbotten. The Norsjö aerial tramway is a well-known international aerial lift that, at 13.2 kilometres, is part of the world's longest ropeway conveyor (96 kilometres). The tramway connects rträsk and Mensträsk and is a bi-cable gondola lift with detachable cabins. It was originally constructed to transport ore, but it is now a popular tourist attraction.

• Emirates Air Line (Cable Car)

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, standing on the bank of the River Thames. The Emirates Air Line, which also known as the Thames cable car or dangleway, is a gondola lift link across the River Thames. A trip in it from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks is typically of 10 min, though in rush hour, it is of 5 min. The ride gives a spectacular view of the city.

• Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

Cape Town is the provincial capital and the primary city of South Africa's Western Cape. Table Mountain, with its areal cableway, is one of its landmarks. The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is one of the world's oldest, having opened in 1929. The former single cable system was replaced by a double cable system and Rotair cars, whose floors rotate for a panoramic view of the mountains, seaboards, islands, and so on.

• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Palm Springs in California is a desert resort city in Riverside County, located within the Coachella Valley near San Jacinto Peak, in the rugged Chino Canyon. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world’s largest rotating aerial tramway, is a great attractions. The 12.5 min ride from the Sonoran Desert to an alpine forest offer panoramic view of the mountains, valleys, desert and the Salton Sea.