Tuesday 1 May 2018

Paragliding at Kamshet

Summer was on the peak which stopped us from weekend trips and treks. My cycling rides also shorten to 100km to avoid the heat. we were looking for activity and we came across Paragliding near Kamshet, on Pune-Mumbai old highway.
As we (I and Renuka) are not certified gliders hence we decided to go for Tandem Ride.

Travellers for this trip were I, Renuka and friend Ameya.



About Kamshet:
               Kamshet is small town located on the Pune-Mumbai old highway. It is just 16km away from famous hill station Lonavala. Kamshet is well connected by Railway line (Pune-Mumbai rail line) and by Highway.
             Kamshet is always a favourite destination for tourist. Beautiful Monsoon weather, Landscape, Lakes, Caves (like Karla, Bedse, Bhaje), Forts (Lohagad, Visapur) for trekkers, Old temples are the tourist attractions near Kamshet. Apart from this Paragliding is the famous adventure attraction in Kamshet. Several paragliding schools are located in or around Kamshet and offer training or tandem flights.

We went to "Fly Nirvana" Paragliding school for our tandem Ride. Shinde Tekdi, Tower Hill, Shelar Tekdi are the few Paragliding spots near Kamshet. Few schools offer flying around Pavna Dam.



1 May 2018: Pune to Kamshet
             we did advance booking and based on wind condition, we got evening slot. We left Pune by 11 AM and reached "Native place" resort which is base camp for Nirvana paragliding school. Resort (They call it as "Guesthouse") is surrounded by beautiful garden, trees, and good landscape. Uksan Dam is a stone throw away from the resort. we had Simple but tasty veg meal and spend some time in the resort for relaxation.

Native Place

Native Place



               By 3:30 PM, we left for paragliding site which was around 5-6km from Native place guesthouse. we climbed a small hill and settled down for our tern. there are 8 students for paragliding training. If you don't know how to fly then you can go for tandem Ride. Experienced pilot fly with you and he controls the glider so you can enjoy the thrill, nature's beauty, and bird's eye view. If you want to learn Paragliding and fly without Pilot then school offers 2 or 3 days training program.

Flight instruction from Pilot

              Our experience pilot explained us, how the glider works, what we have to do during take-off and during landing. It was an amazing experience when to took a flight from the hill. Slowly as per upwind direction, we gain height and we were above all nearby hills. It was an amazing feeling to see the nearby area from an ariel view. I was not controlling anything so I was just enjoying my flight. After 15 Min, my pilot asked me whether I'm comfortable with some air acrobat action. I said yes and he started with high-speed acrobat action in the air. The feeling was like our glider is out of control and we were about to crash. The truth was, he was controlling in such manner that it gave the feeling that we gonna fall. It was a thrilling experience.



              After my tern, Renuka went for Paragliding. She also went too high and she also experienced the air acrobat. When they suppose to come down, they again went up for more acrobat action as per Renu's demand. After 30-35 min, They landed and we finished with our Tandem Paragliding. We came climb down from the hill after some time.



It was a different experience and we return home with good memories.



Expenses:
  • Car Fuel: INR 700-800/-
  • Lunch: INR 200 to 300/- as per the order.
  • Paragliding cost: INR 4000-5000/- per person based on weekday or weekend.
  • Snacks: As per the order

Contact reference:
  • Fly Nirvana: http://www.flynirvana.com/ (912226053724, 919323708809)
  • Native place: http://www.nativeplace.com/

Thanks for reading this Travel Blog. I will try to upload more and more travel blogs.

Pritesh Kulkarni
Pune