Walmo

Bir Billing travel guide — Walmo

Paragliding capital of India — Billing take-off, Bir landing meadows, Tibetan monasteries, and Kangra Valley cafés.

Walmo travel guide to Bir Billing, Himachal Pradesh, India. A twin destination in the Kangra Valley: Billing is the grassy take-off ridge at ~2,400 m and Bir, 14 km below, is the landing meadow and the village where everyone actually stays. Globally recognised as one of the world's best paragliding sites - it hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015. Beyond the flying, Bir is a Tibetan refugee settlement founded in the 1960s with major Kagyu and Nyingma monasteries, meditation and eco-living institutes, tea gardens, a strong cafe scene, and access to offbeat valleys like Rajgundha and Barot. Paragliding capital of India — Billing take-off, Bir landing meadows, Tibetan monasteries, and Kangra Valley cafés. Also known as: Paragliding Capital of India; Paragliding Capital of Asia. Do not build the trip around a guaranteed flight - weather cancels flights regularly. Keep a buffer day. Stay in Bir, not Billing: almost all accommodation, cafes and monasteries are down in the valley; you only go up to launch. Book flights and stays well ahead for October-November, the peak flying season. Choose a paragliding operator on verified licensing and equipment, not price - be wary of unusually cheap tandem quotes.