Paragliding has been one of the most thrilling sports activities that I have on my bucket list. I am lucky to say that this was my second time paragliding. But I am afraid it felt like the last time I would fly.
But first, what exactly is paragliding?
I will not bore you with the definition of language like I did last time. It is simply flying (or I should actually say gliding) after jumping off a high cliff.
Thrilling and exciting, right?
Only if you are not scared of heights and don’t puke or feel like puking during your flight.
Paragliding in Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a very buzzing state and attracts a hell lot of tourists all year long. Of course, it has to have many activities for entertainment. Paragliding is available at the following places in Maharashtra-
- Kamshet
- Nashik
- Saputara
- Panchgani
- Virar
I have only been to Kamshet till now but while searching for paragliding sites in Maharashtra, I came upon the rest of them.
Paragliding in Kamshet
Kamshet is one of the most popular places people opt for paragliding in Maharashtra. So where exactly is Kamshet?
Kamshet is 45 km from Pune and 102 km from Mumbai. Set out for a drive, and you will reach here.
There are many companies and agents providing paragliding services here. You can either book online or call them up to book. I suggest calling a few providers and checking for availability and timings. Most of them have the same pricing structures so it is a bit difficult to bargain.
Here are some organizers that I contacted for their service-
Price Structure
Joy Tandem – INR 3000 (Weekday) / INR 3500 (Weekend): Enjoy a 10-15 min tandem ride calmly and let your pilot handle all the maneuvers.
Instructional Tandem – INR 4000: A 10-15 min tandem ride with a pilot letting you take control of the wings while instructing all along.
Acro Tandem – INR 4500: As the name suggests, you get to enjoy some stunts while in the air. Definitely a must for someone who wants to get an additional adrenaline rush.
Photo and videos- INR 500
Shared jeep transport- Extra INR 100 per side
My Experience
I planned it on a whim. While trying to look for places to visit nearby, this popped up in my search and there was no turning back. I contacted a few organizers on the day itself while on my way. One of them straightway declined saying that the weather conditions are not favorable. The others agreed but gave me timings of 2 PM as the wind was not suitable in the morning.
So, I booked from an organizer- Paragliding Mantra. I chose Joy Tandem. They asked for an advance payment of INR 500 per person. Only after receiving the money, they will share the meeting location.
The meeting location was a restaurant from where they will escort you via the shared jeep to the location. The rugged-looking jeeps are all lined up waiting for the participants to arrive.
People are jam-packed in the jeep and our 15 min ride to the take-off point starts. At the start, it is a pretty smooth road. But just 3 mins into the ride, the patchy road starts. Damn that path. It is so rocky and narrow. I literally banged my head on the car roof twice.
You just gotta hold on pretty tight.
We reached an open space from where it is another 5 min walk through the woods. That was a bit exciting and annoying. The path is so narrow that I had to be careful at a few points not to get hurt from the thorny plants. But soon you get to see the vast openness as you reach the hilltop.
The view is breathtaking. And the wind, too much slamming on the face.
Once gathered, the head organizer started giving some information about the place with everyone filling out the risk certificate. If you are not aware of what this is, you are asked to fill out a form which basically just entails that if anything forbidden happens to you, they are not responsible for the same.
Paragliding
The operators took note of everyone’s weight. This is to ensure if the wind condition is good enough for flying with that weight or not. Since it was pretty windy when we were done with all instructions and guidelines, they started with a descending weight order.
The landing spot was the same as where we took off from. But if the wind is not favorable, we would land in a lower area from where the jeep would pick us up.
With my weight group, I knew I would get my chance to fly by evening because there were about 3-4 pilots taking turns with flying. And that was what made my adventure a little less enjoyable. Now, I had breakfast at around 9 AM. I hoped that since I got the slot for 2 PM, that is when I would get to fly. But they had their own rules.
I got to fly at around 5 PM. So, this huge gap in meals of 8 hours made me feel nauseous.
DO NOT FLY EMPTY STOMACH!!
I thought I would feel pukish if I ate something heavy. But looks like the opposite can cause the same effects.
Since this was my second time paragliding (my first time was in Himachal Pradesh), I was a bit prepared for the take-off and was not feeling that anxious. The only major difference I observed was that I didn’t have to run along with the pilot for take-off. I got into my seated position when the parachute was all in the air.
Once all settled, I was off in the air.
Oh, that feeling of not being able to see the floor anymore still gets me good.
The mountains, the tiny colorful cars on the road, along with that gorgeous sunset – it was just PERFECT, if I can only skip the part where within 5 mins in the air, I asked the pilot to land.
My pilot was generous enough to help me click some wonderful pictures from various angles which I might not have thought about trying. After he was satisfied that we clicked enough and I would be happy with the results, we landed.
I quickly asked them to unstrap me, ran to some distance, and just sat on a rock for about half an hour. I was feeling so queasy. Meanwhile, my sister got the pictures and video transferred.
After waiting for another half hour, we started back for the jeep and back to the meeting point where we parked our car.
Final Thoughts
Loved it.
I am definitely planning another paragliding adventure whenever I can get the chance. Nothing can beat the thrill of flying.
Expenditure
- Paragliding – INR 3500 (I chose joy tandem and it was a weekend)
- Pictures and Video – INR 500
- Shared jeep – INR 200
- Petrol (Both sides from Navi Mumbai) – INR 2300
Points to Remember
- Contact some organizers beforehand
- Have something light before meeting the team
- Wear closed shoes or they might slip out in the air
- Carry enough water and snacks with you because you never know when your turn comes
- Vaseline or any sort of lip balms. It is so windy that I got literal cuts on my lips.
- Have enough space in your phone if you wish to get pictures and video