Paragliding, Pokhara Overview

Paragliding in Pokhara is an exhilarating adventure that offers an unmatched aerial perspective of Nepal's stunning landscapes. Pokhara's Sarangkot Hill serves as the launch site, providing an ideal vantage point to soar above the city and its surroundings. The tandem paragliding flights offer breathtaking bird's-eye views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges, creating an awe-inspiring backdrop for an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Why Paragliding in Pokhara?

There is a multitude of places in the world that offer paragliding excursions and experiences. A rational question one could ask is why go paragliding in Pokhara when there are so many places around the world that offer the activity? The answer to that is that Pokhara happens to be one of the top commercial tandem paragliding locations in the world. With a range of safe take off and landing zones, stable thermals and the convenient proximity of a large lake for safety, it is not hard to understand why it is one of the most coveted paragliding spots in the world. Also as a bonus, the low lying valleys, the snow-capped Himalayas and the scenic locales of Pokhara make for incredibly spectacular views that are out of this world!

There are paragliding options for everyone right from someone who is a beginner to someone who has under their belt many hours of flight.

The regular paragliding expedition begins from a place known as Sarangkot that is approximately around 30 minutes away from Pokhara by jeep. Typically one floats over Sarangkot for a while before flying over Pokhara, performing spiraling acrobatic tricks if one wishes before finally descending and landing near Phewa Lake in Pokhara.

Types of Paragliding

Tandem

Tandem Paragliding refers to the kind where one is seated in a separate harness in front of the pilot. In this kind of paragliding, one can sit carefreely and enjoy the beauty from up above! Beginners and people who haven't ever done paragliding before can opt for this.

Flying Alone

If one is an experienced paraglider and is certified, they can fly alone. To do this, one must get a flying permit from the civil aviation office in Pokhara. The license is valid for 15 days and costs about USD 50 without taxes. One must also produce a photocopy of their passport, visa, a photo, proof of insurance and their paragliding license to obtain their permit.

Safety

Generally, paragliding is safe and has the same danger level as crossing a road in any major city of the world. However, it essentially remains an adventure sport and has risks and chances of accidents if things aren't done right. There are reserve chutes and a lake for safety while paragliding in Pokhara.

Before one goes paragliding, one must make sure that they are going through a certified and registered company. One must ensure that the company that they choose has insurance coverage. Although some companies claim they do, there is no guarantee. Thus, it is best to choose a reputable company that will guarantee and insurance cover.

One must also ensure that they follow all the instructions that the pilot gives, and make sure they fasten the harnesses and belts properly. It is also important that one doesn't panic since that can cause further problems. Trust that the pilot knows what to do and let them handle any situation that may arise.

Cost

Paragliding in Pokhara is not something that may fit everyone's budgets and is certainly not cheap. It is one of the best places to go skydiving in the world and will offer you some of the best vistas and paragliding experiences. If one ever wants to experience paragliding, Pokhara is definitely the place to do it! One should consider it an investment in a lifelong experience rather than expenditure.

Most companies seem to have a set price that is the across companies.

Standard Flight (30 minutes): USD 75 (approximately)

Cross Country Flight (40-60 minutes): USD 110

The operators also charge a fee of around USD 17 if one wants a GoPro footage and pictures of their flight.

Best Time

One can go flying in Pokhara at any time of the year as long as it isn't raining and the thermals are stable. The peak flying season in Pokhara coincides with the Nepali tourist season that is, between September-November and February to March.

Although this is the common season for paragliding, if one can catch clear skies during the monsoon months of July and August, this would be the perfect time for paragliding since the vegetation is lush due and rivers are thundering due to the monsoon rains. This renders some of the best views that one can get while skydiving. However, one must ensure that there is no rain predicted in the weather forecast before going paragliding at any time of the year, particularly the monsoon months.

Best time of the day

The early morning flights tend to be lesser than 30 minutes as sun needs to be out for long in order to create thermals which help the gliders fly. Hence, the flights between 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM are less turbulent and calm. The best time is 11:30 AM when the thermals have been long heated creating an apt environment for the gliders to fly. If you wish to make every penny spent worth then choose this hour and enjoy.

Most companies offer around 3 flights a day at- 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 02:00 PM. The perfect time would be around 11:30 AM when the sun has been out for some time creating the perfect conditions to go skydiving giving you your money's best worth.

Companies offering Paragliding in Pokhara

These are some of the popular paragliding companies in Pokhara. The list is not exhaustive and by no means should one restrict themselves to only these companies

Blue Sky Paragliding: Born as a brainchild of two pilots, one Swiss and one Nepali, Blue Sky Paragliding is a registered company today. Their endeavour is to take paragliding to the best extent possible. Their team of 7-10 pilots offers courses of different levels where they intend for it to be true education. Moreover, as a further boost, this company is affiliated with an international organization- Association of Professional Paragliding /instructors

Sunrise Paragliding: The first paragliding company in Nepal, this has Nepal's first paragliding pilot, first women paragliding pilot and a team with vast experience. Truly, pioneers in the field, the pilots have extensive knowledge of the area and the conditions and are experts in what they do. They are passionate about their work and grateful that they do what they are passionate about every day. It also offers an excellent safety record putting customers minds at ease!

Frontiers Paragliding: Offering tandem flights, acrobatic flights, cross-country tours, and flying tours in the Annapurna region of Nepal, this company offers many different types of rides and packages suiting everyone's needs! With a knowledgeable team, they also offer training options!

We wish you have a great paragliding experience. It indeed is life changing. In a flight of 30 minutes you get to know how small you are in front of the huge pile of your anxieties. The world has so much good to give. Just fly out your negativities and grasp what the magnificent views have to offer.