Bir Billing - "Paragliding Capital of India"

Himachal Pradesh - the mountain state of India, which is no less than called as heaven in India and global. The charm of people, mesmerizing beauty of nature, peace, freshness are some few words which describes this beautiful place. People from all over the world come to visit Himachal Pradesh in India to enjoy, rest and do some adventurous activities here. The tradition, culture, language, food is stupendous. It is believed that people of Himachal Pradesh are very beautiful comparing to other states of country (Not getting racist, just a general thought). And you won't believe dialects changes here within every few kilometers in this state. 

I am a mountain person. I have so many friends from Himachal Pradesh (commonly known as Pahadis). I'd like to let you know that I like to do adventure activities the most in my life. They are risky but thrilling too and believe me if you believe in yourself then you can do it because "Dar ke aage jeet hai" ;)

This blog is about my visit to Bir Billing - "Paragliding Capital of India" to do Paragliding which is known to be  ranked as Asia's best and the third best site for paragliding in the world. OMG 

Lets start this amazing journey with this blog and I hope you find this interesting as well. You will also find some useful tips if someday you also plan to visit this place and believe me you must visit this place once in life.

Note : The difference between Bir and Billing is that Bir is lower than Billing and is landing site for Para-gliders(4300 feet from sea level) whereas Billing is upper region from where Para-gliders take-off. (8000 feet from sea level)

Day 1: 

            We were 4 friends from Chandigarh, India who planned this trip together. We decided to go Bir by Toy Train which starts from Pathankot (Punjab) commonly known as Kangra Railways. We boarded train late night at around 2:30AM and we arrived at Joginder Nagar station (HP) which is last railway station of that route at around 10:00AM in morning. The distance from Joginder Nagar to Bir was just 45 min drive through taxi or local bus. We reached Bir roughly at 11:00AM and found one person who would arrange our Paragliding activity next day morning and camping in mountains same night. Then we searched for one hotel same day in Bir to stay till 7:00PM. After that the person who arranged our Paragliding and camping will take us to Billing for camping tonight which is also takeoff site for Para-gliders. After check-in to Hotel same day we got fresh, had breakfast and moved to visit some interesting places in Bir :

1) Sherab ling Monastery

2) Bir Bazaar 

At 7:00PM the person came to pick up all of us from our hotel to drop us to Billing at our camping site. The night view from top of the hill was royal and candid. It was liberal treat to eyes. We got 2 tents to stay (2 people in each). They also provided us with wood sticks and Fire starter kit. The Dinner was served by them at that place. We met few girls based out of Delhi joining us that night on campfire. It was fun to talk, play games, enjoy music with them over there. And that night for me was equal to what I saw in Indian Bollywood film "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani"(and some secrets should remains secrets) ;)

Day 2: 

            Lovely morning. I woke up early in morning at 5:00AM  just to watch Sunrise rising from Icy mountains (Himalayas). It was fabulous actually. Everybody woke up, got fresh and had breakfast provided by them which included Maggi and Tea. Our paragliding activity was scheduled at 11:00AM. We reached to takeoff site by 10:45AM and it was the time I was waiting for my turn to fly in sky between clouds with fresh air and mountains around. And finally my turn came, I got my para-glider and pilot who would be running that para-glider in sky. Initial important measures were explained to us which needs to be considered during flight time. Also para-glider was harnessed tightly to my body and I was now ready for take-off. Flight time was 20-25 minutes based on what time schedule you choose for amount you submit. Our total cost for Paragliding and camping was 2800 INR per head. I and my friends landed safely with uncountable memories in heart. We took some cool pictures of ourselves and moved around to visit some more places that day which includes cafes, monasteries, temples etc. In evening we left to our home via bus. And that's all about my Paragliding adventure journey and Bir Billing visit.

Now if you plan to visit Bir Billing then below are some places and tips which I would like to mention based on my experience and visit.

Places to visit:

1) Bangoru Waterfall

2) Gunehar River Pool

3) Bir Bazar

4) Baijnath Temple

5) Himalyan Film School

6) Chowgan Tea Garden

7) Sherab Ling Monastery 

Best time to visit: 

Months of April - June are pleasant to visit.

Other Items to Pack: Listed below are some items to pack that can be really useful.
1) Do not forget to bring along your selfie stick if you wish to capture some pictures.
2) Sunglasses
3) Sunblock lotion with highest SPF that you can find (if visiting in summer)
4) Prescribed medicines if you are on medication
5) Power Bank (If you own one)
6) Chargers for your electronic items
7) Umbrella or a Rain Poncho (if visiting during monsoon)
8) Torch

Hope you find it interesting and one day you will plan a trip to Bir Billing for sure. Please do share with your friends and near and dear ones if you like my blog. 

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Thanks