Planning a trip to one of the best Paragliding Places in India - Bir Billing in Himachal Pradesh



Recently one of my friends asked if I know about Bir Billing and when I said 'yes', she was very surprised. And I was amazed to hear that none of her friends had heard of this name. Of course, Bir Billing is not such a popular tourist destination but definitely a must-go place for Adventure lovers, and specially for folks who want to have a great paragliding experience. Now the conversation started that she wants to visit Bir Billing with her friends.

She has 3 days to spend around Bir Billing, excluding travel time. I will take this example to plan this trip and then would also share some inputs for folks who want to plan 2 days/weekend trip to Bir Billing.

She is taking a train to Pathankot from Delhi and the train will reach Pathankot on Saturday Morning and the return journey is on the night train on Monday. So effectively we have Saturday, Sunday and Monday to explore this region of Himalayan State.



Planning 3 days trip is very optimal, especially when you are going to this part of the state from Delhi. There are plenty of interesting options around Bir Billing to explore.



Bir Billing not a frequently visited place in this reigon of Himachal Pradesh. Mostly Paragliding lovers visit this place or religious followers, as there are various Monasteries nearby. 

Now getting back to the main point, here is the travel plan I suggest for folks who want to visit Bir Billing and have 3 days -



1. After deboarding at Pathankot, one can plan to visit Mcleodganj and spend one night here. Mcledoganj is a very special experience, which shouldn't be missed.

2. There are adventure agencies, who can plan Paragliding experience for groups at Bir Billing. But it would be recommended to book paragliding before reaching the place because it may cost more when you are there. At the same time, it may be cheaper as you have multiple folks to negotiate with. So do appropriate research before going there and take appropriate call. 

3.  So on second day, you can plan to go to Bir Billing to experience Paragliding. Chamunda Temple, Palampur & Baijnath are a few places where you may want to take a halt when going to Bir Billing. 

4. In my opinion, apart from Paragliding there is not much to do at Bir Billing. So I would recommend visiting Barot to stay for a night. This is only recommended if you have a car with you. Bus connectivity is not that great. Although, you may figure out bus timings which fits to your time schedule. 

5. If you plan to go to Barot for a night stay, don't miss the Trout farm in the village and try trout fish, if you are ok with non-veg food. While coming back, chauntra town comes on the way and Dzongsar Monastery is another must-visit place.

6. If you want to skip Barot, find a good place around Bir Billing and while staying there you may want to try other adventure activities such as Rock Climbing, Rappelling, River crossing. But all that is so common in any hill station that these are not worth the time you spend at destination like Bir. Rather, have some walks around the place and know more about the local culture or visit some of the monasteries in the vicinity. 


7. On the final day, while driving back to Pathankot to catch the train, you may plan to stop at Shiva Temple at Baijnath and Neugal Cafe at Palampur.

 At the end I know that it's not an easy decision, especially when so much is there to explore. Please feel free to drop your specific questions through comments and we would love to provide appropriate details.

Comments

Nikhil said…
Thanks for the great Info.
Seems like a must visit place to me. :) :D
Nikhil - It's must go region for sure. There is lot more in this part of Himachal Pradesh and one can easily plan 4-5 days trip around Dharmshala, Mcleodganj, Palampur, Baijnath, Jogindernagar, Bir Billing, Barot, Chautra etc.

Feel free to get back, in case you need some specific details about any of these places. Would love to share more..
Panki soood said…
This is one of the best Photography blog on Bir Billing .
Each pic is having a Aroma of this beautiful place .....
Panki, Such comment coming from you is very special. Thanks !

You are one of the best to know about these terrains in Himachal Pradesh. Please feel free to share your thoughts on planning a visit to Bir Billing. That will help a lot of folks who love to explore nature and adventure.
Shailesh Sharma said…
Its a pretty well written article ....I suppose you can add Palampur with its natural beauty & tea estates .Please also mention the lovely sunsets that you can catch at Billing...
Thanks for sharing your feedback Shailesh !

Palampur is definitely a great place as far natural beauty is concerned. One needs to cross through the tea gardens to reach Neugal cafe, which offers great views of snow covered peaks of Dhauladhar Mountain Ranges.

And Sunset at Billing would definitely be a great experience.

Thanks Again !
Neha Sharma said…

Interesting article with beautiful pictures.

I never knew about Bir Billing. Will surely plan a trip soon!

Neha - yes, you should. I prefer Barot as a final destination instead of Bir Billing. Bir Billing can be a good halt to have an exceptional place for paragliding :)

Do plan both.
Very well written. Thanks for sharing.
Barot no doubt should be the final destination but camping for a night at billing can also be a good experience.
Rohit Kaushik said…
We are waiting for the same event for years and now it feels like dream come true. We have high hope from our state govt that the expected steps will be taken and that will help ranking bir location in the world level , although it's already rank high but still feel like neglected. Bir billing is famous for Flying in India but still we need to promote the location for more tourists which will be best for all the locals as well as tourists..
Hpadventures said…
Hi you have a nice site over here! Thanks for sharing this interesting blog for us! If you keep up this good work I’ll visit your weblog again. Thanks!
Jasleen Kaur said…
hi i would like to know more about the nearby places.
Indeed Bir Billing is really an amazing destination from tourist point of view. This place is well known for Paragliding, Tea Gardens, Tibetan refugees, cultural heritage, old temples and beautiful lush green valley.
mavrick said…
Very nice indeed...
i am agree bir billing is best destination for tourist. Bir is awesome place
No doubt bir billing is one of the most beautiful place one must visit once. And it's like heaven for paragliding in bir himachal pradesh. Bir holds the seanic beauty with many place for sight seeing. After paragliding world cup 2015 held in oct month tourist activites have been increased a lot and local paragliding pilots are getting good benifit from this. We must try to create best facility with affordable price for guest to make it lasting forever.
Unknown said…
Hi..
Billing, Himachal Pradesh. Located in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Billing is one of the best paragliding destinations in India. Billing is the place from where paragliders take off while Bir is a village where landing takes place. Bir has an altitude of 2600m and is yet another place that you can visit if you are coming to Dharamsala or Manali. If you want best experience of flying, you must come out.
Thanks....
Bir Paragliding said…
Thanks for sharing such informative information over here. I tried many time creating something similar but don't have such great talent you have. I guess you have already visited the same place. If there is any plan in future to come here you can contact Me in personal. Will help as much i can :)

Manjeet @ Paragliding in Himachal
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Nikita said…
Hello,
I'm planning a trip to Mcleodganj and Bir around the last week of January 2017. Can anyone advise if the weather conditions (cold and snowfall) make it safe to travel to Bir in January? I have read about a certain sunset point from where the view is brilliant? Is it possible to get there as well keeping in mind the snowfall? Any information regarding the travel to Bir in January will be helpful. Thank you
Hi Nikita, Please check weather forecast and don't rely on replies here :)

Bir is safe in Jan as the terrain is different. There are multiple sunset/sunrise locations around hills :)

Do ping back a week before your travel and we shall be able to provide exact details.

Trending Post Today !

How to reach Kasol/Malana and top things to do around this stunning hill-station of Himalayan State of India

Main places to see & Top things to do around Dalhousie : Stunning Hill Station in Himalayan State of India