PARAGLIDING AT KAMSHET

 What was once a churlish town, an uncharted railway town amidst the hinterland off the Mumbai Pune highway, is now a paragliding paradise to the world.  Kamshet is derived from "Karankshetra" which literally means "the land of your karma".  It is a perfect getaway whether you are planning a honeymoon trip or just a fun and adventure filled outing with your family.

The Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-4) is the gateway to Kamshet and the road that leads to this hinterland is quite enticing in itself. Antediluvian cave temples of the Buddhist monks, fortresses of the brave Maratha warriors  nestled among the hills, and hill stations built for the whims and fancies of the colonisers, which now serve as flying stations for the thrill seekers, can be found on along thway to Kamshet.  It is 110km from Mumbai and just 45km from Pune and can be easily reached by bus or car.  

So what are you contemplating so much for? Just throw in some utilities and hit the road for Kamshet for an ultimate flying experience.

AIRFLOW

Situated in the peninsular part of India with winds blowing in from all sides and clouds rolling in over the Indian sub continent, Kamshet experiences two types of wind flow: the easterlies and the westerlies. Paragliding at Kamshet goes on from October till May and the wind patterns are distinguished as one flowing from the West (westerlies) and winds flowing from the East (easter lies). The west wind is called the Shelar and is dominant from January- February onwards till June. The east wind prevails from October to January.

There are many flying schools which offer courses as well as tandem flights.  The main sites for take-off are Tower Hills, Lake Pavna/Pavna Dam, etc.

TOPOGRAPHY

Kamshet is very friendly in terms of safety while paragliding, especially for beginners. The Sahayadai range provides low take off points and the vast expanses of rolling hills around offer perfect landing places. The dusty fields are quite barren and resemble the Mexican wilderness to an extent.  You can experience dynamic ridge flying as well as dynamic thermal conditions. This place is quite amicable and kind to the starters and you can learn and master strong wind flying and commendable ground control when you fly at Kamshet.

HOW TO GET THERE

As it is situated in close proximity to two major cities of Maharashtra i.e. Mumbai and Pune getting to this lesser known place is not very difficult. Fly in from anywhere to the Mumbai airport and also the Pune airport receives domestic flights. From there you can hire a taxi or take a train to Lonavla, which is the nearest station to Kamshet. Going around within Kamshet is fairly easy too, cars or taxis make for ideal and comfortable rides.

LODGINGS

Numerous resorts are popping up in and around Kamshet which offer paragliding adventures too as part of their package. Most are in the middle price category and easily affordable.