Paragliding in Kamshet

Yes, absolutely! The tandem flight is meant for those who have never done paragliding before. You will fly with an instructor who will manage the paragliding equipment, so all you have to do is follow instructions and then sit back and enjoy the flight. If you enjoy the experience, you can sign up for a 3-4 day course. Know more about paragliding courses here.

No, only a certified paragliding pilot can control a paraglider and a lot of training is required to do so. For tandem flights, you will be strapped in with a certified pilot who will control the paraglider. All you have to do is enjoy the thrilling flight.

No, only 1 customer can fly in tandem with a pilot at one time.

Due to its convenient weather conditions, great landing space, and low hills, Kamshet is a great place for paragliding. You can fly almost all year round, but your flight will depend on the wind conditions of the day. 

Except for the monsoon season and roughly 15 days before and after the monsoons, paragliding in Kamshet is undertaken in both summer and winter. The location of the flying site changes in summer vs winter. Please check your flying site details in your booking confirmation email.

Winter offers more pleasant weather obviously, so a lot of our customers fly between November - January.

Paragliding is weather dependent, hence, sometimes the activity might get cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions. For the paragliding session to happen, the wind direction and speed has to be suitable. Cancellation policies vary from operator to operator. Please check the fine print carefully before confirming and making a payment. In cases of bad weather or insufficient wind, refunds will be given as per operator policy.

Paragliding is an extreme sport, hence, it involves some risk. However, during Kamshet paragliding, the risk factor is reduced as the pilots are highly experienced and take safety very seriously. The instructors/pilots make sure you are strapped in well and the weather conditions are perfect before beginning the flight. If they think that the weather conditions are not favourable, then they will either wait for the right conditions or cancel the flight to ensure maximum safety.

You will also be given all safety gear necessary to go paragliding. This will include a helmet, and a harness that joins you with the pilot.

The paraglider is controlled by a certified pilot. The landing is easy and only requires you to walk or run slowly once your feet touch the ground. These landings are generally soft and steady, but as a safety precaution, it is recommended that you wear shoes that provide ankle support.

The tandem paragliding flights in Kamshet take you to a height of 2000 feet where you get to enjoy the splendid views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Typically, these tandem flights last for 12-15 min. These flights begin on a hill and end in the plains.

You don’t need to carry much for your paragliding trip in Kamshet. Make sure you take a bottle of water and maybe some snacks, because you may have to wait for a while for the wind conditions to be right. Apply sunscreen, and make sure you empty your pockets before you fly.

You don't need to wear any specialized apparel for the tandem paragliding trip, so comfortable full sleeve t-shirt paired with full-length trousers are enough. However, do wear good quality trekking shoes with ankle support to ensure a safe landing.

Avoid wearing expensive gadgets, jewellery, slippers, skirts, dresses, or saris.

Paragliding in Kamshet is an experience of a lifetime. During your flight, you are treated to the gorgeous views of the Western Ghats and its valleys, dotted here and there with natural ponds, lakes, villages, etc. These views are worth capturing in your camera. But for paragliding in Kamshet, only action cameras are allowed. You cannot use your DSLR, digital camera, or phone camera to record your flight. The action camera needs to be strapped so it won't fall down.

You can pay extra to have videos/photos of your paragliding trip taken. Your instructor will shoot the photos/videos and provide it to you. Most operators charge INR 500 for the same. Do carry your own memory card.

At the time of writing, prices per person for tandem paragliding are: 

INR 3,000 per person (Sat-Sun, public holidays that are on weekdays) 

INR 2,500 per person (Mon-Fri)

Prices include applicable taxes. 

The price includes one tandem paragliding session 12-15 mins, all equipment required for paragliding, i.e., glider, helmet, safety harness etc, services of certified paragliding pilots and crew, and all applicable taxes.

The price excludes travel between your home city and the pickup point, i.e., Rangoli Restaurant, travel between Rangoli Restaurant and take-off/landing site (mandatory; arranged at an additional cost), any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances, personal expenses such as tips to staff, additional meals, beverages etc., adventure travel or health insurance, or anything not mentioned in inclusions.

You can park your vehicle near Rangoli Restaurant on the highway. From here a local taxi will take you and other customers to the flying site. The cost for this is INR 1,200 per vehicle for a round trip. Usually there are 6-7 participants and cost is split between them. If fewer participants at that time, cost per person will be higher.

Usually weekends more customers, hence lower per person cost. 

The Great Next or your paragliding operator have no control or responsibility for this service. You will have to pay for this to the driver in cash at pick up.

The meeting point is Rangoli Restaurant on the Old Mumbai Pune Highway. 

This is the map link to reach this location: https://goo.gl/maps/4qgU6jD5VqNVMzWbA

By Train: Reach Lonavala railway station - there are frequent trains from Mumbai and Pune - and take a local rickshaw to Rangoli Restaurant.

By car: You can follow the directions to Rangoli Restaurant here: https://goo.gl/maps/4qgU6jD5VqNVMzWbA. You can park your vehicle at the location.

By Bus: Reach Lonavala through frequent private/public buses from Mumbai or Pune. Take a local rickshaw to Rangoli Restaurant.

Make sure you make a note of the return time for your train or bus. You will need to return on time to catch the same.

There are 2 popular sites close to the meeting point. Ranging from about 10-40 mins of drive time by the local taxi or your vehicle. 

The meeting time is 2 pm in the months of February-May. In the peak months of November-January, there is an additional option in the morning as well, at 7 am. Any changes in the flight time will be communicated to you by the operator. The operator will have your contact details after you complete the booking.

You need to be within the weight range of 40-100kgs to be eligible for Kamshet paragliding.

By law the minimum age for paragliding is 6 years. The person should have completed their 6th birthday. No exceptions will be made and if customers have misrepresented the age of the person, refunds will not be provided. 

The paragliding instructor/pilot will make the final decision if a person is allowed to go paragliding or not. The Great Next cannot influence the decision or change the decision of the pilot. 

In some cases if the person is above age 6, however is too short or thin or both and the pilot considers this a safety hazard, the person will not be allowed to fly. In this event, a refund will be provided as per the operator policy. No additional compensation can/will be provided.

Kamshet is very close to Lonavala, which in itself has a lot of sightseeing points. Other notable things to see and places to visit: Karla-Bhaja Buddhist Caves, Pawna Lake, Imagica or Della theme parks, and Aamby Valley.

If you're looking for more adventure, here's what you can do:

Ballooning in Lonavala (starting winter 2021): https://www.thegreatnext.com/ballooning-in-lonavala/
Treks around Lonavala: https://www.thegreatnext.com/trekking-in-lonavala/
Camping near Pawna Lake: https://www.thegreatnext.com/camping-in-pawna/
Camping near Lonavala: https://www.thegreatnext.com/camping-in-lonavala/
Bungee jumping in Kolad (about 1 hour drive from Kamshet): https://www.thegreatnext.com/bungee-jumping-in-kolad/
Rafting in Kolad: https://www.thegreatnext.com/rafting-in-kolad

Eating a heavy meal is avoidable just before flying. Some customers feel sick after a heavy meal and flying. We recommend that you have a light snack no less than 45 before flying.

Paragliding is based on the science of wind currents and gravity. Winds have to be just right to carry the pilot and the tandem rider. If winds are too strong or too weak, it will not be safe to take off and your pilot will hold off the flight. Although the ground operator receives wind conditions in advance, nature is unpredictable. Often customers might need to wait before wind conditions are appropriate for flying.

A simple difference between the two: Paragliding is when a pilot uses a glider to glide in the sky using wind currents. The glider is not connected to any other object on the ground. In parasailing the glider and the pilot are connected (tethered) to the ground to a boat or a vehicle and pulled, creating lift.

Click here to book your Weekday flight: https://bit.ly/3dY6BXs

Click here to book your Weekend flight: https://bit.ly/2G2b7aK

Booking on The Great Next is just like booking a flight/hotel online. Booking and payment will be online. Post payment, you will receive a booking confirmation email and SMS. Your operator will receive a confirmation as well.