Dare to fly high and touch the skies! Then how about getting involved in some air sports and make sky as your playground. Paragliding is a blend of skydiving and hang gliding and also the best way to conquer your fear of heights.

There isn't much differnce between para sailing and Paragliding, except that para sailing is done on the beach and the parachute is tied with a boat. But in paragliding the launch site for the gliders ususally involve gentle hill sides. Since paragliders do not have to withstand the stresses of free-fall deployment, they are much lighter and aerodynamic and are designed to go up rather than down.

Major Paragliding Sites In India

Paragliding in Himachal Pradesh
Billing in Himachal is a renowned Paragliding site and to check out the panoramic views of the Dhauladhar ranges. Solang makes a good beginner site in Paragliding. Bijli Mahadev is an excellent site for hill launching and has ideal conditions for thermal soaring. This ridge site can be approached fom Kullu and landing can be made at the Bhuntar airport. Another popular site in Bandla ridge, near Bilaspur at a height of 2, 600ft. Some other paragliding sites are located in the Trans-Himalayan region of Himachal, that is Lahaul & Spiti, Arhaul-Anu near Rohru and Garhalla Talab in Chopal in Shimal district.

Paragliding in Uttaranchal
Garhwal makes para gliders paradise, with the Great Himalayas in North and the plains of Terai region in the south. The unique topography makes Garhwal an excellent destination for both experinced and beginner para gliders. Joy rides as well as trauining courses are also availabe for Paragliding in Garhwal. While joy rides are ususally tandem flights, accompained by a trained flier, training are for those who are new to paragliding and para sailing. Some ideal gliding sites include Naukutchiyatal in Nainital, Dayara Bugyal, Pratap Nagar, Dhanolti Ridge in Garhwal and Bedni Bugyal in Kumaon.

Paragliding in Rajasthan
The open countryside of Rajasthan also offers gliding oppurtunites that can prove remarkable, and with permission from civil aviation authorities, these may be organised in several cities of Rajasthan where there are runways and strips available. These include Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota.

Paragliding In Maharashtra
The flying in Maharashtra is almost entirely on the Western Ghat hill range, which run in an almost unbroken line from Gujarat in the north, to the Nilgiri Hills on the southern tip of India. Flying tends to be centred on the affluent region around Mumbai and Pune, but there is plenty of potential elsewhere in the state for pilots who are prepared to explore. Popular flying areas, include the hill stations and fort sights of Maharashtra: Matheran, Deolali, Mahabaleshwar, Singhgad and Panchgani.