Continuous rainfall hampers paragliding

By Sontosh Subedi,Kaski, July 4: Heavy monsoon rain has halted paragliding activities in Pokhara. The tourism sector in Pokhara was slowly recovering, but the monsoon rain is severely impacting business operators. Currently, Pokhara is hosting many Indian tourists. 

However, due to the rain, tourists are unable to enjoy paragliding. Krishna Prasad Bhandari, chairperson of the Nepal Sky Sports Organization, said “Because of the rain, paragliding has completely stopped.” 

He added that bookings were being cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Although it was not the peak paragliding season, tourists were still making reservations. On average, 150 paragliding flights were taking place daily, with each flight costing between 4,000 and 5,000 rupees. Currently, the main tourists are from India. The rain has also halted ultralight flights.

According to Bhandari, there are currently 60 paragliding companies in the area. There are 390 pilots of which 300 actively participate in paragliding. Paragliding activities originated from Sarangkot Hill, from 1996, with companies being established from the year 2000. 

Paragliding flights launch from Mandredhunga, a short distance from Sarangkot, and land on the riverbank. Paragliding also takes place from Toripani, with all flights landing on the riverbank.

Paragliding entrepreneurs have expressed concerns that if paragliding activities are moved from Pokhara to other locations, it will negatively affect the local tourism sector.