STATE TIMES NEWS
Patnitop: Nestled amid this picturesque hill resort in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, India’s highest ropeway, the Skyview Patnitop by Empyrean, sees more than 500 tourists turn up daily to experience gondola rides with breathtaking views of the valley.
A testament to Indo-French collaboration, the ropeway executed through a Public-Private Partnership model with the Patnitop Development Authority has reinvigorated this quaint hill resort. “Over 500 tourists go up and down daily in the gondolas. We have created several activities for tourists coming to Patnitop… They can experience the meadows and other attractions and can proudly say that they have travelled in the highest gondola in India,” Dinesh Gupta, manager of Skyview by Empyrean, told PTI here.
Spread over 11 acres, Skyview Patnitop offers several adventure activities and has come up as a mountain adventure destination for the new-age traveller.
“We have created a luxurious and adventure destination at Skyview. The gondola starts from Sanget valley and goes till Padora in Patnitop… This is India’s highest gondola (in ground clearance). It is CEN certified (European standard certification). We have international acclamation for all safety measures and over 200 safety checks are conducted daily,” Gupta said.
The experience of Skyview by Empyrean’s mountain adventure destination, particulary the gondola ride, is one of a kind and truly impressive, tourists said.
“Riding the gondola in Skyview resort is an amazing feeling. We can get the entire view of Patnitop… We can see all the flora and fauna,” tourist Skinda Sharma said, adding that tourists from across the country should experience it.
She said that the sound of the wind and the view of the landscape while crossing the towers one after another made her heart beat faster.
Adventure lovers can also experience Asia’s longest zig-zag zipline measuring 580 metres here, Gupta said, adding 25 people can take the zipline ride at a time.
He said that an all-season tubing sledge having a length of 238 metres is also operated with the highest standards with an efficient braking system.
“The initiative of the gondola is very nice. Tourists who visit Jammu usually complain about how there is nothing to do here. It’s a beautiful tourist attraction for them,” Arun Kumar, a student, said.