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A paraglider over the green Kangra valley near Bir

Bir Billing, Palampur & Jibhi tours & travel guide

Bir Billing, two hours from our hotels in Dharamshala, is India’s best-known paragliding site, with a Tibetan colony and monasteries below the take-off. Palampur’s tea gardens are on the way; further east, Jibhi and Tirthan are quiet valleys of wooden villages.

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Altitude
Bir ~1,400 m · Billing ~2,400 m · Jibhi ~1,900 m
Flying season
October – June; best Oct – Nov
From Dharamshala
~65 km to Bir · 2–2.5 hrs
Permits
None; fly only with registered operators
Enquire

Bir, Palampur and Jibhi at a glance

Pilots take off from Billing, at about 2,400 m, and land in the fields at Bir, 14 km below. The site hosted the Paragliding World Cup in 2015, and tandem flights of 15–20 minutes run most of the year outside the monsoon. Bir itself is a Tibetan settlement with monasteries, cafés and the Deer Park institute.

Palampur, 35 km away, is the tea capital of the Kangra valley, with the Baijnath temple nearby. Jibhi and the Tirthan valley, in Kullu’s Banjar valley, are a different trip: wooden homestays, Jalori Pass, Serolsar lake and the Great Himalayan National Park.

A tea plantation at Nagri in the Kangra valley, below the snowy Dhauladhar

Highlights

  • Tandem paragliding

    Billing → Bir

    A 15–20 minute flight with a certified pilot; no experience needed.

  • Bir’s monasteries

    Tibetan colony

    Chokling monastery, Sherab Ling nearby and the cafés of the colony.

  • Palampur tea gardens

    ~1,470 m

    Kangra tea estates, a cooperative factory and the Neugal river.

  • Baijnath temple

    1204 CE

    A stone Shiva temple in the Nagara style, 16 km from Palampur.

  • Jibhi & Jalori Pass

    1,900 – 3,120 m

    Wooden homestays, the Chehni Kothi tower and the forest walk to Serolsar lake.

  • Tirthan valley

    GHNP

    Trout river and the gateway to the Great Himalayan National Park, a UNESCO site.

Best time to visit Bir and Jibhi

  • Best

    October – November

    Stable air and clear skies; the best flying of the year.

  • Good

    March – June

    Good flying, warm days, rhododendrons in bloom at Jalori.

  • No flying

    Mid-July – mid-Sept

    Paragliding stops for the monsoon. Jalori Pass can close after heavy snow in winter.

Sample itinerary: Bir Billing & Palampur: 5 days from Delhi

  1. Day 1

    Overnight Volvo from Delhi

    Night: on the Volvo
  2. Day 2

    Palampur tea gardens

    Night: Palampur
  3. Day 3

    Baijnath to Bir

    Night: Bir
  4. Day 4

    Tandem flight from Billing

    Night: Bir
  5. Day 5

    Volvo home

    Trip ends

Flights depend on the weather; if yours is cancelled we move it or refund that part.

Things to do in Bir Billing

All experiences

Where to stay in Bir, Palampur and Jibhi

Our hotels

  • Bir Tibetan colony

    Bir

    Guesthouses and cafés a short walk from the landing site.

  • Palampur tea estates

    Palampur

    Heritage bungalows and homestays among the tea.

  • Jibhi

    Banjar valley

    Wooden homestays by the stream; book early for weekends.

  • Our hotels near Norbulingka

    2 hrs from Bir

    Buddha House, Quartz and Samdupling: an easy base for a Bir day trip.

How to reach Bir and Jibhi

  • From Dharamshala

    • ~65 km · 2–2.5 hrs

    The usual way in. Our cabs run the route daily.

    Dharamshala to Bir Billing taxi

  • From Delhi

    • Bir ~520 km · overnight Volvo
    • Jibhi ~500 km · Volvo to Aut

    Volvos to Baijnath or Dharamshala for Bir; the Manali Volvo to Aut for Jibhi.

  • By air

    • Kangra Airport · ~70 km to Bir

    Kangra (Gaggal) for Bir and Palampur; Bhuntar (Kullu), about 60 km, for Jibhi.

  • Flying safely

    Fly with: a registered operator and a certified tandem pilot, with a reserve parachute and a harness check before take-off.

    Weather: flights stop for wind, rain and the monsoon closure (about mid-July to mid-September).

    Read our Bir Billing paragliding safety guide before you book.

How far is Bir Billing?

FromDistanceDrive timeNotes
Dharamshala~65 km2–2.5 hrsVia Palampur
Palampur~35 km1 hrVia Baijnath
Manali~200 km6–7 hrsVia Mandi
Jibhi~150 km5–6 hrsVia Mandi and Aut
Delhi~520 km11–12 hrsOvernight Volvo
Chandigarh~250 km6–7 hrsVia Una or Bilaspur

Bir Billing tour packages

All Bir Billing trips

Indicative “from” prices per person. Your planner confirms the exact price for your dates on WhatsApp.

Bir Billing FAQ

Is paragliding at Bir Billing safe?

Tandem flights with a registered operator and a certified pilot have a good record here. Check the operator’s registration, the pilot’s licence and the reserve parachute, and accept that flights stop for bad weather.

How much does paragliding at Bir cost?

A standard tandem flight of 15–20 minutes is about ₹3,000–5,100 depending on the operator and length, with video extra. It is included in our Bir Billing and Palampur trip.

When is the paragliding season at Bir?

October to June. October and November have the steadiest air. Flying stops from about mid-July to mid-September for the monsoon.

How far is Bir from Dharamshala?

About 65 km, 2–2.5 hours by road via Palampur.

How do I reach Jibhi?

By the Manali Volvo from Delhi to Aut (about 11–12 hours), then an hour up the Banjar valley. Jibhi is about 150 km from Bir if you combine them.

Sources

Roads, weather and permit rules change. We check them before you travel; please confirm locally too.

Last updated

Bir Billing: read before you go

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Plan your Bir or Jibhi trip with a local

Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling. We reply on WhatsApp with an itinerary and a clear price.

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