|
PARA-GLIDING
 Riding the warm thermal currents of the air is perhaps the closest that man has ever come to sailing the skies free as a bird. Almost at will, you dip and wheel high over the hills and valleys.
The bald peak of Billing, above the Buddhist monastery of Bir in Kangra, has been the venue for five national and three international hang-gliding rallies since 1984. The site is perfect for para-gliding too.
Para-gliding slopes are also available at Bundla Dhar near Bilaspur, in the Kullu valley and at Intkali in the Pabbar valley near Rohru in Shimla district.
Himachal Tourism sponsors training programmes and events at various times of the year, in different places. There is an Adventure Sports Hostel at Dharamsala (Kangra) and an Aero Sports Complex at Bir. For details of training facilities, contact sports associations or Divisional Tourism Development Officers of Himachal Tourism.
ANGLING
 An angler’s paradise, Himachal has several spots for trout and mahaseer as well as other fish. Acclaimed as the best sport fish in the world, both brown and rainbow rrout are to be found in Himachal's streams. Upstreams of Rohru in the Pabbar valley (Shimla), there are several spots ideal for fishing. Chirgaon has a trout hatchery and other sites are Seema, Mandil, Sandsu, Tikri and Dhamvari – all are within 5 to 25 km of Rohru (Shimla). Kinnaur's Baspa river in the Sangla valley also holds trout. Fish also abounds in Uhl river near Barot. Good spots on this beat are Luhandi, Puran hatchery, Tikkar and Kamand. The upper reaches of the river Beas in the Kullu valley and its side streams such as the Sarvari, Parbati, Sainj, Hurla and Tirthan, especially the areas around Aut, Patlikuhl, Katrain, Raison and Largi are excellent for the sport. These are all upstream of the Pandoh reservoir and are close to, or on the Mandi-Manali highway.
In the Kangra valley, the reservoir of the Maharana Pratap Sagar right up to the town of Dehra has good spots for tackling the mahaseer river carp. Nadaun along the river Beas has some good beats, besides Chamba Pattan near Garli (accessible from Nadaun or Jwalamukhi), Amtar (2 km from Nadaun), Harsi Pattan (30 km from Tira Sujanpur) and Lambagaon (15 km from Tira Sujanpur).
On the river Giri, Gaura (30 km from Solan on the Rajgarh road) and the beat near Dadahu (5 km from Renuka lake) and the river Yamuna, downstream of Paonta Sahib (Sirmour) are also good spots for mahaseer. The waters of the Gobind Sagar near Bilaspur also have a variety of fish.
Fishing fee are nominal. The trout fishing season is from 31 March to 31 October.
WATER AND RIVER SPORTS
The Maharana Pratap Sagar reservoir in Kangra with its 42 km length and 2 km breadth, offers a variety of activities in close collaboration with the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. Year long activities include swimming, water-skiing, surfing, kayaking, rowing, canoeing and sailing. Three levels of courses are conducted – beginner, intermediate and advanced. Similar activities are also available on the waters of Gobind Sagar near Bilaspur, the Chamera lake near Dalhousie (Chamba) and the Pandoh lake on the Mandi-Kullu National Highway.
River-rafting or white-water rafting is swiftly making Himachal a focus for the sport. For a torrent of adrenaline, you can race over the State's river rapids in an inflatable rubber dinghy. River rafting is available on the Sutlej near Shimla, on the Beas near Kullu, the Ravi near Chamba and Chandra in Lahaul. Possibilities are also being explored on the river Spiti. This sport takes a break during winter and during the monsoons.
Himachal Tourism sponsors courses in river rafting, and several private operators too offer the experience.
|
