Paragliding in Pokhara, Nepal – 1 Day

• Launch from Sarangkot (1,592 m): Run off one of the world's great commercial paragliding hills with a licensed tandem pilot.

• The Annapurna Skyline in Flight: Machhapuchhre, Annapurna South and Dhaulagiri across the valley for the whole flight.

• Phewa Lake Below: Circle above the lake and land on its shore at Khapaudi.

• No Experience Needed: Tandem flying with a certified pilot; your only job is to run a few steps.

• Thermalling with Vultures: Griffon vultures work the same lift and regularly fly within a few metres.

We book paragliding only with operators who hold current Nepal Tourism Board licensing, carry third-party liability cover and maintain their equipment on a documented schedule. Briefings are given in English before every activity and are not optional — if you arrive late and miss one you will not be taken out.

Every participant signs a liability waiver on the day. Read it rather than skimming it: it sets out what the operator is responsible for and what it is not, and it is the document your own travel insurer will ask about if anything goes wrong.

Minimum and maximum age and weight limits apply to every activity here and they are set by the equipment, not by preference. They are listed in the FAQs below; tell us your details at booking so we can confirm rather than turning you away at the site.

Anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure, epilepsy, a recent surgery, a back or neck injury, or who is pregnant, should not take part without written medical clearance. Alcohol the night before is a bad idea and on the day itself is an automatic refusal.

September to November and February to April give the most reliable conditions across all of these activities — stable air, clear mountain views and comfortable temperatures. Winter mornings are often perfect but cold at altitude, and the pre-monsoon build-up from late April brings afternoon thermals and thunderstorms.

The monsoon from June to August affects each activity differently. Rafting is at its most powerful and is for experienced paddlers only; flying activities are frequently cancelled by cloud; the ground-based activities continue in most conditions. Everything here is weather-dependent and a cancelled activity is rescheduled or refunded, never forced.

Comfortable clothes you do not mind getting dirty or wet, closed shoes with a heel strap, sunglasses that will not fall off, sunscreen and a hat for the waiting around. Long sleeves are worth having even in warm weather — the air is cold at flying altitude and the sun on the river is severe.

Leave valuables at the hotel. Phones and loose items are not permitted during most activities and the operators provide secure storage. Most sites sell photo and video packages shot by the crew, which is the only reliable way to get pictures of yourself doing this.

• Paragliding in Pokhara: One of the World's Best Flying Sites — A 1,000 m launch at Sarangkot, reliable thermals, a lake to land beside and an 8,000 m massif behind.

• Nepal Adventure Activities for People Who Do Not Want to Trek — Paragliding, rafting, bungee, ziplining, safaris, mountain flights and helicopter landings — everything Nepal offers that does not involve walking for two weeks.

• ATV Adventure Tour in Pokhara: The Complete Guide — Farm tracks, dry riverbeds and forest trails around Hemja and the Seti gorge — the Pokhara valley a few kilometres from the lakeside strip and completely different in character.

• Parahawking in Pokhara: The Complete Guide — A tandem paraglide flown alongside a trained bird of prey that finds the thermals for you and comes to your gloved hand in mid-air.

• Pokhara Travel Guide: Nepal's Lakeside Adventure Capital — A lake at 820 m with an 8,000 m massif 30 km behind it.

• Ultralight Flight in Pokhara: The Complete Guide — The closest thing to flying yourself — a two-seat open microlight with an unobstructed view in every direction.