As a college student, I was always fascinated by mountains and adventurous activities, especially the hill stations. After a lot of research, I landed up learning about one of the popular adventure sports places that were in Bir Billing, Himachal Pradesh. And trust me I had some of the best memories here.
I’ll never forget the rush of flying through the air as a paraglider soaring over the treetops, learning more about the local wines and alcohol here for the first time and the thrilling experience of rappelling down sheer rock faces like a badass mountain climber!
Himachal Pradesh is known all over India for its beautiful landscape view and tons of adventure sports that are just exclusive to this place. There are many places like Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala which cater to a lot of tourists every year.
Bir Billing is a small place located in Himachal Pradesh known for its scenic camping sites. I went here with my group of friends and we had some of the best times of our life.
This was the place where I first tried alcohol with my friends. I had tons of great memories here but the most thrilling experience here for me was Paragliding!
Disclaimer: I was over 18 back then and I am sharing my first personal experience here. I in no way intended to promote alcohol or anything injurious to health.
If you are planning to do paragliding in India I will say this is the best place no matter if you are doing it for the first time or you are a pro.
You will get a great bird’s eye view of the Hill station; trust me, it is still one of the most mesmerizing views I have seen.
Here I will discuss every detail that you need to know before visiting Bir Billing for Paragliding and Camping
How to reach Bir Billing
By train:- The nearest railway station to Bir is Pathankot. Now the distance between Pathankot and Bir is approx 144km. You can either take a cab that might charge high as 3000 rupees or board a bus that will take you directly to Bir.
By Bus:- One of the most common routes to reach Bir billing more economically is to take a bus from Delhi to Bir Billing. You can book buses from apps or you can use the Delhi to Himachal tourist bus known as Himsuta. This Volvo bus might charge around 900-1000 rupees and the journey is for approx 12-13 hours at max.
Best time to visit Bir Billing for Paragliding
Well, the paragliding in Bir billing is operated throughout the year but I will say summers( April-June) are the best time to visit. The temperature during this time is pleasant to explore nearby places in Himachal as well.
In case the winters don’t scare you much and you want to ditch the crowd then I will say you should go from October to November.
Pro Tip:- Avoid visiting during raining season as it might ruin the camping experience for you.
Where to stay in Bir Billing for Camping
Himachal Pradesh is counted as a top tourist attraction and this is the reason that there are multiple staying options at various budgets. But Bir is known for its amazing camping experience. If you are visiting with your friends I will highly recommend you stay in camps for a night.
You can have a nice bonfire and enjoy stargazing with your friends. Mostly these camps sites are surrounded by beautiful valleys. To be honest it kind of gives you a scary yet thrilling experience. The highlight of my camping was the sunrise. It was jaw-dropping as the whole mountain was looking as if it was made of gold.
There are various campsites available for online and offline booking. I’ll link some of my favourites here. The charges for these camps can go as high as 10k or low as 1k. You can get food from these camping sites or nearby restaurants. The dishes I will recommend trying here are maggie and momos.
North Wind 57 is a great camp option, these luxury tents provide you with a spell-bounding view of the sky at night. There is also a playground for kids and a patio with a mountain view. It is pretty expensive. You can check out its latest price here.
If you want to go for a more affordable option you can go camping in Cedar, Bir. They also provide the option to do adventure sports like mountain biking and paragliding. You can check their official site.
Pro Tip:- Try visiting during off seasons and booking your tickets in advance. This way you can get expensive camps at a much better price.
If you are in no mood of sleeping in a camp then you can also go to hotels and hostels. There are many options available for it as well.
Paragliding
For Paragliding, I would suggest you better book online or you can get it booked directly through your camp. The only pro that you will have with online booking is that you won’t have to hassle with it and you can select from a variety of packages for Paragliding
Cost of Paragliding
The cost will be around 2500 rupees for paragliding for 15-20 mins. You can also go for a higher package and paraglide for 40-60min. The charge will include a video through go pro and the commuting charge to the take-off point. You can also get a photo clicked for rupees 200.
The paragliding experience
The starting point for the sport will be billing which is approx 2400m above sea level to Bir which is 1400 above sea level. You will be covering approx 14 Km through Paragliding. And this is such a surreal experience and trust me a once in a lifetime one.
Once you are at the top the expert will brief you about the safety rules and all the equipment. You must listen to those instructions clearly so you know what not to do.
Once you are attached to the Parachute make sure that everything is fine and try to chill as by this time you would be a bit nervous, just like me. I was thinking twice about it but honestly, my experience was a memorable one.
Once you have taken off, you will see the hypnotic view of the Billing. Also, try to give off your best smile as you are being recorded. You will be in the air for 15-20 minutes and it feels like you are flying like a bird.
Finally, you will land in Bir and you will be detached from the equipment. But trust me this 15-20 mins experience is all worth it. It is something I still remember and is some of my fondest memories with my friends! It is worth giving a try!
Conclusion
Paragliding in Bir Billing was once in a lifetime experience. And I will say you must visit the place with your friends as you will always cherish it in your life. Also, these adventure sports puts you out of your comfort zone.
The experience of Bir billing was such a thrill that no amount of words will be able to describe the fun I had with my friends and especially the feeling of living around nature. It is easy to travel Bir billing and the trip and whole paragliding experience are affordable.
In the comment section do tell me if you’re visiting Bir Billing with your friends.
