VANAMCOVE 
The thermals over the Pawana valley make Kamshet one of India's best tandem-paragliding sites. If you've always wanted to fly, this is the weekend.
Why this weekend?
The 3-day plan
Friday · Night drive + briefing
- Arrive at the flight school campus
- Weather briefing for the next morning
Saturday · Flight day
- 6:30 am launch — calmest air of the day
- Tandem flight over the valley (10–20 min)
- Evening cycle or lakeside walk
Sunday · Second flight & return
- Optional morning flight or training session
- Lunch, easy drive back
Historical significance
Kamshet's airborne history began during World War II, when the British Royal Air Force built an airfield here in 1943 for training and transport along the Karachi–Madras route; the runway's skeleton survives, and the site has long been associated with flying. In the 1990s, international paragliding pilots discovered the hill's reliable thermals, and Kamshet grew into India's premier paragliding school town. The region's older history is carved in stone nearby: the Shelar (Bhaja-Kondhane group) caves, Buddhist rock-cut monasteries from the 1st century BCE, part of the same monastic network as the Karjat caves, with chaitya halls, stupas and viharas overlooking the Ulhas valley. The juxtaposition — Buddhist ascetics and glider pilots, both launched by the same winds — is the town's quiet thesis.
Geographical significance
Kamshet sits in a valley of the Sahyadri foothills where the plateau edge and the Deccan Trap basalt hills create a natural amphitheatre of launching hills, catching the sea breeze thermals that rise predictably from the heated valley floor — the meteorological accident that made it a world-class paragliding site. The town overlooks Pawana Lake, a reservoir of the Indrayani river, whose meandering, sunlit backwaters fill the valley in the dry season. The surrounding hills are covered in scrub and dry deciduous forest, and the region's rainfall comes overwhelmingly in the monsoon, when flying stops and the valley turns green and swollen.
Where to stay
Things to do
Eat & drink
- Kolhapuri misal at Kamshet village
- Simple Maharashtrian meals at the campus
- Chai at the launch site — the ritual
Practical tips
- Fly in the first launch window (6:30–9 am) — afternoon winds get rowdy
- Book tandem slots 1–2 weeks ahead on weekends
- Weight limit is ~90 kg for tandem; confirm at booking
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to visit Kamshet?
Oct–Mar; thermals are reliable in winter
When should I avoid visiting Kamshet?
Monsoon — flying is off
How do I get to Kamshet from Mumbai?
2–2.5 h via Expressway (99 km) Kamshet station — 1.5 h from Mumbai Not needed
What does a weekend in Kamshet cost?
₹2,500–4,000 per night
What should I know before visiting Kamshet?
Fly in the first launch window (6:30–9 am) — afternoon winds get rowdy Book tandem slots 1–2 weeks ahead on weekends
Kamshet mornings are designed for adrenaline: the launch hill fills with gliders, and the first tandems go off into a valley still cool and quiet, the canopy snapping open overhead and the ground falling away with a softness that feels like a trick. From the air, the Sahyadri spreads out like a rumpled green carpet with Pawana's blue water winding through it, and the silence of free flight — broken only by wind on fabric — is the closest thing to levitation you'll find in Maharashtra. Afternoon rides to the Shelar caves climb through sun-dappled forest to rock-cut halls where the silence is a thousand years old. Kamshet leaves you with a slightly altered view of your own smallness, which is, on balance, a good thing.
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