Bir Billing: My first solo trip!

Bir Billing! This place will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my first ever solo trip! What an experience! What a place!

Bir is Himachal Pradesh’s perfect gift to visitors, a mountain town brimming with youth in its people, city glimpses in its cafes, and a peaceful happiness in its landscapes. It is renowned as the best paragliding location in India and also offers a wealth of trekking paths, waterfalls, and camping areas. Bir and Billing are actually two separate villages. The paragliding landing site is in Bir, and the paragliding takeoff is in Billing. The Bir Billing road provides excellent connectivity between Bir and Billing, which are separated by only around 15km.

So, without further ado, let’s deep dive into my first ever solo trip experience and a Bir Billing travel guide!

• How to reach Bir Billing
• Best time to visit Bir Billing
• Where to stay in Bir Billing
• How to get around Bir Billing
• My Bir Billing Itinerary
• Places to eat in Bir Billing
• Bir: Beyond The Paragliding Paradise
• FAQs

1. How to reach Bir Billing

So basically, this was a very unplanned trip. It was a long weekend and I had no plans, then, I saw a reel on Instagram and the guy was paragliding. And then all of a sudden, I made a plan to go to Bir – because what better place to do paragliding than Bir!

I booked an overnight semi sleeper Volvo bus from Delhi to Bir (Zingbus, Intercity, Laxmi holidays and City land travels are some of the best buses). It took around 13 hours to reach from Delhi to Bir. From Delhi to Bir, there are numerous overnight buses (both local and government-run), with prices ranging from INR 1000 to 1500, depending on the class and time of year. The Kashmere Gate Bus Stop and Majnu ka Tila in North Delhi are the two most commodious stops.

Other ways to reach Bir:

The nearest railway station to Bir is at Pathankot in Punjab, about 140 kilometres away. There are frequent local buses that travel from Pathankot to Bir. You can also board the toy train at Pathankot and disembark at Ahju, which is the closest toy train station in Bir.

Gaggal, also known as the Kangra Airport or the Dharamshala Airport, is about 65 kilometres from Bir and is the closest airport. There aren’t many buses that go from Gaggal to Bir, but it’s easy to find taxis there for Rs. 1500 (as of 2022).

The three largest towns closest to Bir are Baijnath (12 km), Joginder Nagar (14 km), and Palampur (30 kilometres away). Local buses that depart from the bus stop on Bir Road provide convenient access for everyone to Bir.

2. Best time to visit Bir Billing

I had obviously done no research on the best time to visit Bir as it was a very sudden plan but I had gone there in May and I felt it was a pretty good time to visit.

I honestly feel that Bir Billing is a location with various charms throughout the year. Although each month of the year is unique and lovely in Bir Billing, there isn’t just one ideal time to travel there. Here, the monsoon season is typically the least busy. Most of the people have left the streets and cafés, and some cafes are even closed from July through September during the rainy season. Yet, this can be soothing, and it’s frequently a nice time to discover peace and quiet when there are fewer tourists around. However, the drawback of the monsoon season is that you won’t be able to explore and do paragliding. In Bir, Himachal Pradesh, enormous grain or maize plantations are also visible during the monsoon season.

Yet if you want to see Bir in all its splendour, October to June is the perfect time to go to Bir Billing. With mild temperatures, the autumnal months of October and November are ideal for viewing Bir’s breathtaking sunsets (you will require only one jacket). Unlike other upper Himachali regions like Spiti Valley, Kinnaur, and Tirthan Valley, the winters are not overly cold here; Bir’s temperature rarely drops below zero. Yet the gorgeous snow-capped peaks and cosy winter sun are to die for!

In conclusion, if you’re wondering when is the ideal time to visit Bir Billing, I’d say all year long, however the best time for tourists is from October to June.

3. Where to stay in Bir Billing

So, I had booked the bus first and then on my way to the bus stop, I started looking for places to stay. Since it was a solo trip, only hostels came to mind, because these are the best places to stay and meet people while you travel solo!

Almost everything was booked as it was a last minute plan but I got a dorm room in GoStops Bir. It is a beautiful property with amazing hosts and amenities and I was so glad I booked it. The people I met here were amazing and the hosts were super friendly and always ready to help. I booked the dorm for 2 nights and 3 days.

Other options for places to stay in Bir:

Considering the city’s tourism growth, Bir Billing’s lodging options are many. There are several options for you to consider, depending on your budget.

Consider La Maison, Sang-e-Meel, Sukoon Baag, Hobknob Experience, and Zostel Plus Bir if you don’t mind a little bit of luxury.

Hostels like The Hosteller, The Bunker, GoStops and Sparrow House Cafe are fantastic choices for budget and solo travellers.

Check out homestays like Raahi Homestay, Mohinder and Mohindra Homestay, Maharaj Homestay, and Hari Om Homestay for mid-range choices and long-term rentals in Bir.

4. How to get around Bir Billing

I reached Bir at around 8:30am. I walked from the bus stop till my hostel as it was just 800m away. My check-in was at 11am so I sat in the common room and had breakfast. I got my dorm bed and locker keys and freshened up and then went downstairs to make plans for the day.

Since I had come here with no plan, I hadn’t still decided as to how I will explore places. I got in touch with the host at GoStops and she recommended me to get a scooty for the day. The scooty rental shop sent a guy to the hostel itself to deliver the scooty. I got it for 24 hours and I was set to explore the place!

Other ways to get around Bir:

In Bir, there are many ways to move around. Nonetheless, depending on your budget, renting a scooter or bike is the most practical option to travel the distance between Bir Billing and your location. The majority of rental businesses charge between Rs. 800 and 1000 per day for bikes, and Rs. 600 per day for scooters. For an additional Rs.400, you can rent a scooter for half a day.

To get around Bir instead, there are taxis that are easily accessible everywhere. A single journey through the Tibetan Colony and its neighboring settlements (Upper Bir, Suja, and Chougan) costs Rs. 100. Around Bir, buses are scarce and infrequent. From Chougan Chowk, buses can be accessed at specific times during the day. If not, the Bir Road bus stop is the best place to board a local bus.

Yet walking is still my preferred method of getting around Bir. Walking allows you to get to know a location very well and enables you to discover areas that you might otherwise miss while zooming by in a scooter or a cab.

5. My Bir Billing Itinerary

DAY 1

After I got my scooty, I set off to explore the place. I drove around a bit then stopped at the paragliding landing site in Bir, set up my tripod and took some pictures. The landing site was empty at that time since no paragliding was going on due to the cloudy weather. After the pictures and a few videos, I drove around and found a cute cafe called June 16. I stopped at the cafe for lunch and met a fellow solo traveller there. We had lunch together and she recommended a few places to visit in and around Bir. After lunch I went back to the hostel and I asked them to arrange paragliding.

Paragliding in Bir costs the same no matter where you book it from, the entire place has set a same price which is Rs. 3,000 including the GoPro video. There is a cameraman at the landing site and he clicks pictures of you in the sky and while landing and if you want those pictures, you have to pay extra Rs. 200.

The paragliding that GoStops booked for me was arranged for evening. Me and five other people had the same time slot so we all planned to go together to the take off site in Billing by a jeep.

The jeep from Bir to Billing costs Rs. 2000, that’s why it’s better to go in a group as the cost gets divided and it’s cheaper that way.

We had planned for the sunset paragliding as the views are most beautiful at that time. We left the hostel at 5:30pm and reached the take-off site in Billing in about 30 mins. The weather condition was bad that day as the wind was very strong so it was difficult to take off in such strong winds. We waited for about 20mins but the winds were still very strong. They told us that we will have to try tomorrow morning as the paragliding will not be possible now.

We then enjoyed the sunset from the take-off site and it was so beautiful! We clicked pictures and had maggi in a stall nearby. It was so windy that everything was flying off.

   

We then went back to Bir and went out for dinner to The Northern Cafe with a few more people from the hostel. We had local food – Siddu, Thukpa and momos! It was incredible and the view was amazing as we could see so many stars!

DAY 2

We set off for the take-off site in Billing once again at 6:30am the next day. The winds were perfect this morning and the paragliding was on. We signed a few forms and wrote our information, strapped on the helmet, the safety gear and got ready to take-off.

What no one tells you is that, you need to run with full force to take-off for paragliding, thankfully the instructor is with you and he will take care of it if you cannot do it properly but there are chances of you falling or not taking off properly if you don’t run and put force into it. So, then, I ran and we took off pretty smoothly. The first 10 seconds of take-off are scary but after that it’s smooth sailing and incredible views!

The duration was around 20mins. You can pay extra Rs. 500 and increase the duration as well but I didn’t do that. I landed in Bir and waited for others to land as well. All in all, it was an incredible experience, one that I can never forget!

After this, we had breakfast and a few people went off to a day trek nearby and the rest of us went to explore nearby waterfalls.

There are a few famous waterfalls in Bir, but the one we went to was a hidden one called Chobu Waterfall and it was beautiful! It’s near Palampur and you can go there by scooty. You have to park the scooty and treak down about 400m to reach the waterfall but the view is worth it.

We stayed at the waterfall for around 2 hours and then headed back to the hostel. I had a bus back to Delhi at 7pm and I left Bir with a bag full of memories!

6. Places to eat in Bir Billing

One of the greatest spots to visit in Himachal for café hopping and gorging on good cuisine on vacation is Bir, thus a significant portion of your trip there will be spent discovering the town’s culinary scene. Several of the young people who came to Bir from various Indian megacities have settled there and are establishing ultra-chic cafes. These are the ones I would recommend:

Avva Café is the place to go if you want South Indian food.

Silver Linings Cafe is the place to go if you want a more laid-back atmosphere where you can spend an hour or two reading a book or working while enjoying a cup of chai.

Musafir Cafe is renowned for its mouthwatering North Indian cuisine. You’ll be happy to try one of their Indian curries with sizzling hot butter rotis if you swing by for lunch or dinner. You’ll be pleased to meet the proprietor, Gaurav Kushwaha, who also oversees Musicathon, Bir’s thriving twice-yearly music festival.

The Northern Cafe is your finest option for sampling real Himachali food and taking in the calm vista for hours on end because of its magnificent mountain views and seclusion from the busy Tibetan Colony.

June 16 Cafe is the go to place if you want to feast on desserts and coffees, it is without a doubt the most well-known cafe in Bir.

There are so many more incredible cafes in Bir that you must try, just set out for a walk along the streets and try everything that catches your eye, that’s the best way to explore the cafes of Bir!

Bir: Beyond The Paragliding Paradise

I may be partial here but Bir is the most incredible and calming place I have been to. The vibe here such that it just naturally tells you to slow down and explore the place. It is so much more than just a paragliding paradise. Bir Billing has got so much to offer from waterfalls to monasteries to beautiful cafes to treks and the list goes on…

I would seriously recommend anyone to visit Bir atleast once in their life to experience the calmness and the adventure this place has to offer! I have so many stories to tell from this place that it’s a never ending tale!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

1. What is the best time to do paragliding in Bir?

The paragliding season runs from October to June. The optimum times for long trips are even October to November and March to June. The paragliding experience in December and January is distinctive since the surrounding mountains are completely covered with snow during those months, including Billing.

2. What are the do’s and don’ts of paragliding?

Be calm and don’t panic. Don’t eat large meals just before a paragliding session. Do pay attention to your instructor and follow their instructions. Don’t hesitate, and remember that there is always a first time.

3. Why is Bir Billing famous?

Bir is a village in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh that is situated to the west of the Joginder Nagar Valley. Bir, known as the “Paragliding Capitol of India,” is renowned for being a centre for meditation, spiritual research, and ecotourism.

4. Which airport is near to Bir Billing?

The closest airport that connects Bir to the rest of the world is Kangra Airport, which is located 67.6 kilometres from the destination. Airports at Chandigarh (290 km), Amritsar (260 km), and New Delhi are also nearby airports to Bir (520 km).

5. Is there snowfall in Bir Billing?

The elevations of Bir and Billing, respectively, are 5000 and 8000 feet above sea level. When 3–4 feet of snow falls, Billing receives considerable snowfall whereas Bir receives very little. And very heavy snowfall can be encountered if you travel past Billing.