Parasailing in Goa
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal!”– Paulo Coelho
Adventure tourism stands for travelling for an experience which you don’t get in your normal routine, something which you do out of your comfort zone. Adventure tourism is gaining popularity all around the world as travellers these days don’t want to travel to a destination, sleep, eat and come back. They like to have different experiences wherever they go.
Adventure tourism in India is developing at a fast rate. India offers a wide variety of adventure tourism opportunities due to its diverse geography. Adventure tours in India offer everlasting memories and help you to rewind and refresh when you’re your life becomes monotonous. You can enjoy the adventure tours either with family or with a group of friends.
Most Popular Adventure Tourism Destinations in India
- Ladakh: Ladakh with its beautiful terrain on high altitude and cold climate makes it one of the popular destinations for adventure tourism lovers. Ladakh is popular for adventure tourism activities like snowing, mountain trekking, etc.
- Rishikesh: Rishikesh is located in the beautiful state of Uttarakhand and is a well-known pilgrimage site for travellers. The weather in Rishikesh is very pleasant and it’s an all-season destination for an avid traveller. River rafting, rock climbing, rappelling are the popular adventure activities in Rishikesh.
- Lonavala: Do you love to have a fantastic ride on a Hot Air Balloon? Come to Lonavala which is only a couple of hrs from the busy Pune city. Lonavala offers serenity to the city life with a 2050 altitude from sea level with a moderate climate.
- Kamshet: One of the most popular paragliding destination in India with its pleasant climate as the temperature even in winter is just about 10c. The Sahyadri ranges add to its enchanting beauty. Best time to visit for a paragliding adventure is from October to April.
- Kolad: river rafting on Kundalika River offers a thrilling experience. It’s a place for eternal relaxation as well.
- Goa: Goa excites almost every traveller, whether you are travelling for relaxation, fun or for a little bit of adventure. The water-based adventure tourism industry is quite mature and competitive in Goa which offers thrilling adventures such as parasailing, scuba diving, jet-skiing, banana boats, fly boards, etc. Best time to visit is from October to April.
- Kovalam: Kovalam is a small beautiful beach destination in the southern tip of the beautiful lush green state of Kerala. Adventure tourism in Kerala has never been something people looked forward to until lately. With the introduction of Scuba diving, Kovalam is also listed in the India adventure tourism map as a popular diving destination with its rich marine life. Recently Kovalam also witnessed the launch of parasailing whereby you get to see the beautiful Kovalam beach from where god sees it. Adventure tourism in Kovalam is offered by a Bond Safari Kovalam and Bond Adventures through its brand name flykovalam. Best time to visit is from October to April.
There are more thrilling places to visit in India apart from those listed above offering a plethora of adventure tourism activities.
Types of Adventure Tourism in India
Let’s look at some of the most popular adventure activities which can be done in India as its gaining its popularity at a fast pace.
Trekking
Trekking is something which allows you to be as close to nature as you will be walking on the nature bed and experiencing the real beauty of the place so closely with your eyes. Ranging from the Himalayas to lush green Kerala, India offers many trekking opportunities. Trekking through the foothills is not a much of a challenge, but it becomes harder once you ascend deeper into the mountains. Some of the very popular treks in India are:
Valley of Flowers: A beautiful enchanting place which is rich in flora and fauna with exotic flowers in almost all seasons. It’s a good trek especially for the beginners to get the feel of a trek. It is located in the beautiful state of Uttarakhand. The flowers will be in full bloom from July to September and it’s the most recommended time to visit and the place may not be accessible in other months due to heavy snowfall which cuts the access to the valley of flowers. The flowers in full bloom will be a fascinating sight for an avid travelling enthusiast.
Kashmir Great lakes: Kashmir has always been one of the most popular travel destinations due to its serene beauty with snow-filled mountains and glacier-filled terrains you can experience while trekking. Summers will be the best time to visit Kashmir.
Hampta pass: This trek is not for the beginners as it’s quite challenging and strenuous to get through. If you are an advance trekker, this place is a must-visit. The beauty offered to you at this trek is simply breathtaking. It also doubles up as a nature walk for nature lovers. Summers are the best time to visit as winter can be extremely challenging and almost non-accessible.
Wayanad: Situated in the beautiful south Indianstate of Kerala, Wayanad offers a fantastic wild trek whereby you will be able to see the varied wildlife of Kerala during the trek. Thick forest trekking can be challenging at times but can be completed with the support of experienced guides.
River Rafting
If you are seeking thrill and adventure at the same time, River rafting is one of the best adventure activities you can choose. It’s quite popular in North India and recently some destinations in south India also started offering river rafting adventures.
River rafting is mostly done on not so friendly waters and it can be unpredictable at times and requires a bit of skill to control the boat. You should always wear a life jacket while on the raft.
Top Destinations for River Rafting in India
Depending on the topography and water current, river rafting experiences vary from site to site. Some of the most popular destinations are:
Kundalika River, Kolad: Kolad situated in Maharashtra offers a thrilling experience to the river rafting enthusiasts. The topography offers a scenic and rugged experience at the same time. The water is coming from the river Ganga and it’s surrounded by majestic hills as it passes through thick forest.
Ganga River, Rishikesh: With the lush green hills and water flowing from the Ganga River, Rishikesh offers amazing river rafting experience to the adventure seekers. September to June will be the most ideal time to experience this fun ride
There are also other interesting spots too to enjoy river rafting in India.
Hot Air Ballooning
Hot air ballooning is a family adventure where each member can enjoy an amazing flying experience in a hot air balloon over scenic places. In India, it’s offered as an activity in many places out of which Jaipur and Lonavala are the most popular ones. The experience will take about 3 hrs to complete and you will be flying at about 1200 ft. This activity is also offered in Goa whereby you will be flying over the amazing landscape of Goa.
Scuba Diving
Scuba diving in India is quite popular due to its expansive coastal line of about 7500km. Some of the most popular destinations are Alabamans, Lakshadweep, Goa and Kovalam in Kerala. Our sea life is quite amazing with quite rich and varied marine life and each location is different in its own.
SCUBA, an abbreviation for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Scuba diving is different from other watersports as it allows you to be in the water for long periods as you will be carrying a natural air cylinder with you and it can last for many hrs depending on the usage. It’s quite flexible that you can move like a fish under the water and see the mesmerizing beauty of the underwater world up close.
Parasailing
This is another water-based adventure whereby you will be using a parachute tied to a boat using a winch. The takeoff and landing will be from a custom made parasail boat and it is controlled by the captain of the boat. You can also request to dip in the water while landing and it’s an amazing experience to fly like a bird in the sky and experiencing the beauty of the landscape. There is also beach parasailing where the takeoff and landing happen on the beach.
You can experience parasailing at Goa and other destinations such as Kovalam in Kerala.
So as we discussed above Adventure Tourism is developing at a fast pace in India and people prefer to experience different activities. More and more players are coming to the industry with new technology and thrill to cater to the adventure seekers in India. India will soon become an International adventure Tourism destination at this pace.
Adventure tourism also offers a lucrative career opportunity for students who just complete 12th STD. There are different adventure tourism courses one can pursue to make a career in this industry. The adventure tourism industry offers high paying jobs in the tourism sector. Adventure tourism jobs in India are now much sought after since more people have started travelling.
You can check my article on career opportunities here.
For more details, please email the author at travellertechy@gmail.com