Flying High
Give in to your desire to feel like a bird with paragliding. An ideal place is Billing in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Nestled in the mountains and surrounded by tea gardens, this meadow, at 8,500 ft on the Dhauladhar range, is naturally designed as a launch pad. Directly above the villages of Bir and Chaugan, it is hailed as one of the world’s best gliding sites. The Dhauladar range and the Kangra valley with its panoramic views offer opportunities for high-altitude’up and down’ and ‘cross-country’ flying for more than 200km. Paragliding can also be done in Mount Abu, Pushkar, the Western Ghats, Ooty, Kodaikanal and Kullu Valley.
Ensure: That you learn the basic well.
Tackling the line : Imagine the great Mahseer on your fishing line. Yes, angling is about catching the fish and letting it go. Mahseer, the world’s toughest freshwater fighter, weighing over 100 pounds and found only in India, is the most popular catch and has been immortalised in stories of Jim Corbett and Rudyard Kipling. As per the existing laws, you can keep the fish on your tackle for enough time to record its weight and preserve your moment of glory.
Dodital Lake nestled among the snow-clad peaks in Uttarkashi Himalayas is a tempting trout pool. Other options for fishing Mahseer in Uttarakhand are Ramganga and sharda rivers. More place include Pancheshwar, Munnar, Pong Dam in Kangra, Dakpatthar and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh. Best time is from October to November and April to June.
Up and Down : Few activities can be more exciting than bungee jumping-flling from a height of around 120-700 feet and bunging up and down. Legend says that the sport got its first jumper around 1,500 years ago when atribal woman ran away from her husband who tried to kill her. When she saw her husband gaining speed, she climbed a tree. But the husband was behind hereven there. As a last resort, she tied her legs with few vines and jumped on, thereby giving birth to a new adventure sport. Most metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa provide bungee jumping facilities.
Ensure: That you keep your mind and body stable.
Kick Start: Throttle down the famous Khardung La pass in the Himalayas. Mountain biking is about teaming up with a machine to experience power at its highest. Khardung La is at an altitude of 5,580 metres and the journey begins from Delhi, proceeding to Chandigarh-Manail-Keylong-Sarchu-Rumtse-Leh. Across this stretch are Buddhist monasteries and stark beautiful landscapes, June and July also give you a chance to drive down the Changthang Plateau. Or you could travel around Nathu La pass in the east.
Ensure : That you always wear a helmet while driving.