Standing in a swaying but secure gondola, many metres above the earth, suspended below a colourful canopy filled with heated air, slowly drifting, surveying the panorama of plains, farms, forests, rivers, deserts and cities – this is the ultimate fantasy! Despite its apparent fragility, a balloon is a very safe and secure adventure experience. Tethered ballooning or full fledged expeditions are available in India.

              Hang gliding and para sailing are the newer adventure experiences. Man has always longed to fly: dipping and wheeling at will; soaring over hills and valleys and rising slowly, silently with thermals like the birds. Except during the monsoons, hang gliding is safe throughout the year; so is para gliding, which is safer and easier to learn. Training programs for tourists is available, among other places, in the Doon valley.

Where to go

          Apart from Billing in Himachal, there are numerous other excellent locations and facilities for gliding at Kangra, Dasauli, Dharamsala, Satara, Sinhgarh, Shimla, Pune, Kamshet, Mhow, Indore, Mysore, Ooty and Shillong.