Parasailing in Panchgani

It was last weekend of July 2007, rainy season in Maharashtra and we, a group of 11 people (extended family) went to three days trip to Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. It was my second visit to these small hill stations amidst the heights of Sahyadris mountains.

Only eighteen kms from Mahabaleshwar, the hill station of Panchgani is no lesser known to tourists. It is a frequented hill resort and is an ideal base for some good trekking, hiking, biking and parasailing (seasonal).
The parasailing takes place at a vast plateau, the second highest in Asia (and 4.5 km long) after the Tibetian plateau and locally known as “Tableland”. More on tableland in another post.

Parasailing in Panchgani

Parasailing consists of a parachute-like parasail, attached to a 300-meter long towrope, which is pulled along, by a speeding form of transport. When the speed rises to beyond stalling speed, the parachute rises, taking the pilot up in the air. Parasailing has two variations: a terrestrial and an aquatic one, with usually a jeep being used on ground and a motorboat being used in the water. As compared to gliding, parasailing is easier to learn and is also safer.
The length of the towrope restricts the height gained by a parasail. You achieve a height two-thirds the length of the rope. Other factors like wind speed, participant’s weight also have an important role to play. The time in the air depends on the amount of space available and the strength of the breeze. The stronger the breeze and the longer the run for the towing vehicle the longer and higher the flight will be. There are no weight restrictions in parasailing. The lighter you are, the higher you can go.

Parasailing in Panchgani

We also wanted to try our hands on parasailing. Having done so in France, I was initially wary of trying this in India where I thought the facilities may not be that good. Yes indeed, the facilities or infrastructure are far less but then we have to, at sometime, take risks to enjoy things. Also, looking at the people’s enthusiasm, all my inhibitions went off.

It was a very windy day with sky full of clouds. First, there was a long queue for parasailing and only one parachute ! And we all were praying that our turn comes before the winds start misbehaving or rain gods goof up with us. The tickets vary (depends on the season and the organizer). We paid Rs 300/- per person.

panchgani03.jpg

I was tied to a parachute and a jeep and as the jeep picked up speed I went up in the air. It was a feeling of flying. Flying inside an airplane is a different experience. Here I felt like a kite with no control in my hands. It was really wonderful. I could view the whole green valley and the mountains from a higher plane !! And it was pretty cold !! Phew !

After sometime (a small round) the jeep stopped and before my parachute came down, I could see 5-6 people running towards it. Well, they help us in landing process, nothing else. :)
Some of us wanted to go for a second round but before we could even book ourselves for that, drizzle and strong winds forced the organizers to close the show for the day.

Nevertheless, we had already enjoyed our quota. :)

Tip to Indian ladies:– Dress yourselves properly preferably with jeans/trousers and proper shoes. Sarees, skirts and dresses with dupatta are best avoided for obvious reasons and so are strapless chappals/sandals.
Note:– For more pics look at http://cuckooscosmos.com/Travel.

8 Comments

  • Manish khamesra says:

    Nice read Cuckoo. You have written that how much you enjoyed it. Do you also felt the fear or you felt very safe? Its just to understand the amount of adventure in it and to be prepared for the adrenalin rush too?

    Parasailing seems much safer than the Paraponting (As they called in France).

  • nandanjha says:

    Welcome aboard Cuckoo. Great way to land :)

    I am not a great adventure guy,esp when it comes to things like these,I can probably do lot of dumb things like walking many hours. I did do gliding many years back and it was great fun. They also used the similar technique where a jeep was pulling a string and suddenly you would get off ground and as you go up,up,the wire goes off and then you are on your own. Great fun.

    I was not aware that we have parasailing not very far from mumbai. Thanks for sharing and taking us with you to the top.

  • Pune Hotels says:

    HEY thanks for the info .Im sure a lot of people dont know about this.

  • Cuckoo says:

    Manish,
    Thank you. Well, Paraponting is definitely more scary for me. This parasailing was quite safe with a very small round and controls in hands of some other person who was very much grounded and expert in his field. Here, in India I was more worried with the facilities/infrastructure.

    Thanks once again, keep coming.

    Nandan,
    Thank you very much for the warm welcome. Oh, walking is my favourite as well !! Yes, Maharashtra has many interesting places from forts, temples, hills to cool calm beaches. I have already shared some of my experiences of this state (on my blog) and here I intend to take you all to many more places. Be ready. ;)

    Pune Hotels,
    Thank you very much. I wonder how this is going to help you.
    Keep coming.

  • Amreen says:

    nice review…….after reading it even i feel lyk experiencing the sport…..can u plz tell me..where in panchgani did u do parasailing??

  • shanjames says:

    It was so interesting to read, really you provide good information. Very awesome Blog you created Thank you so much for sharing this great.

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