Cable Car on Mount Esja: A New Chapter for Icelandic Tourism

A cable car to the top of Mount Esja may be moving closer to reality. The project is described as potentially opening “a new chapter in Icelandic tourism” if it goes ahead.

Ideas for a cable car on Esja have been under consideration for a decade. In spring 2024, the Icelandic government agency Framkvæmdasýslan, State Property, invited market participants to discuss possible private-sector involvement in building a cable car up the mountain.

At the time, Morgunblaðið reported that any structures would have to be designed for removal, with their traces erased afterward. The project would also have to fit the landscape as closely as possible and avoid disturbing vegetation or soil beyond what was necessary.

The latest sign of movement appears in Iceland’s 2027 budget, presented on the day of the report. It would authorize the finance minister to approve the use of land at Mógilsá in Reykjavík through concession or operating agreements for plans to build a service center and cable car on the slopes of Esja.

That raises the possibility that Icelanders and other visitors could eventually take a cable car toward the summit of Esja.