Ride to Glide
Who We Are: Mohammad Muneer, Anup Joshi, and Fawaz Ahmad of Guns Motorcycling
Riding: The Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS, Bajaj Avenger, and
Bajaj Pulsar 180
Route: Delhi ― Ambala ― Kharar ― Roopnagar ― Una ― Kaloha ― Kangra ― Matour ― McLeod Ganj
ThiS time when the mountains beckoned to us, we craved not just to ride but glide too. To glide above these majestic mountains — the best name that popped up was Bir–Billing. This beautiful village in the lap of the Dhauladhar mountains is a haven for paragliders. Billing, a village about 15 km from Bir, is the world’s second highest paragliding take-off platform 8,000 feet above sea level and offers among the world’s finest conditions conducive to paragliding. We planned a three-day ride from Delhi to Bir via McLeod Ganj in order to explore this amazing place.
We decided on an early start to avoid the heat and so fired up our engines at 5.00 am. From Mukarba Chowk, our rendezvous, we headed for NH 1. National Highway 1 is perfectly blissful to ride on in the morning owing to
sparse traffic. The weather was very clement and our machines were in fine fettle. Having ridden for more than 200 kilometres we decided to stop over for breakfast at Ambala. All our Bajaj motorcycles were perfect metal horses, enabling us to cherish every mile that we rode on these machines.
The stretch between Una and Matour was simply breathtaking: miles upon miles of smooth serpentine tarmac, lined on either side by deodar trees, that takes you through lush green tea gardens, orchards, and innumerable scenic views. It was pure bliss.
One day was devoted to exploring McLeod Ganj, taking in notable places such as the Dharamshala Stadium, Bhagsunag Falls, Naddi Sunset Point, and the Dalai Lama Temple and Monastery.
The last day of our trip was for paragliding at Bir–Billing, which is about 70 km from McLeod Ganj. The experience of gliding among the clouds, above those mountain peaks, was heavenly.
Needless to say, we enjoyed this ride to the hilt. We would recommend to all our fellow riders a similar bike ride crowned by the experience of paragliding at Bir–Billing.