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| View of the grounds and the round house at Sirkot. |
BabuAdventure Link
Blue Sky Expedition Link
Sirkot
is the sort of flying destination that only an ambitious daydreamer
would concoct, the sort of place I don't think anyone could have
imagined success for twenty years ago when paragliding was an odd
fringe sport. The proprietor here is the famed Babu Sunowar Sherpa,
who made a big splash several years ago with his summit-to-sea
expedition in which he and a partner flew, cycled, and kayaked their
way from the summit of Everest to the mouth of the Ganges, without
the assistance of big sponsors or logistics teams.
Located
several hours Southwest of Pokhara by Jeep, this is not a place
you'll be able to find with public transportation or possibly even
with a good map. Your best option is to contact Blue Sky Paragliding
in Pokhara who regularly arranges trips there. It may also be
possible to collaborate beforehand with other pilots through the
“Paragliding Nepal” group on Facebook.
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| Jeep ride en route to launch. |
At
Sirkot a regal-looking roundhouse perched scenically along a terraced
ridge serves as a lodge for the nearby launch that is the preferred
starting point for an appx. 40 km XC flight back to Pokhara. Both
the views and food here are great! A tail wind reliably nudges
flight paths towards Pokhara, and a series of four ridges
perpendicular to the route provides lift for crossing the valleys in
between.
One
should not attempt to fly from Sirkot without receiving a briefing
from a local pilot/guide who will introduce you to the logistics of
this somewhat remote area. If you don't have XC ambitions, of course
you can still fly here, but the area is remote and is not as
conducive to the kind of independence that pilots can enjoy in the
outlying areas of Sarangkot. From Sirkot there a number of pre-set
LZ's that you can be picked up from by Jeep should your long-distance
plans for the day not pan out.
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| On glide towards Pokhara...! I didn't make it. Bummer. |
Hazards:
The
usual precautions regarding rotor and developing weather apply. Here
in the more rural areas of Nepal there is an additional hazard less
common around Pokhara: wires,
good lord, the wires. Electricity is distributed in a sort of
spider-web arrangement from small generative sources in these areas,
and one may encounter electrical lines strung high across valleys
where it makes no sense for electrical lines to be. Always assume
that there are wires strung across the otherwise appealing folds of
the mountains where you would normally go to seek lift.
Also,
I witnessed an accident at launch here in which a newer pilot was
blown behind the ridge to a hard landing within a minute or so after
launch. It was totally unnecessary and pilot error, but it should be
noted here that the ridge is indeed steep and and narrow.
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| Hope you like daal bhaat, I sure do! |
Opinion:
As
lovely as my trip to Sirkot was, it also so ended up being somewhat
unexpectedly my most expensive several days in Nepal. For this
reason I am hesitant to recommend it as a destination unless you have
a serious desire to attempt the XC flight back to Pokhara. While I
understand the reasons behind the relatively high costs, I remain
opposed to the idea of daily fees for airspace usage and supervision-
not my cup of chiya
masala.
Were there facilities at launch to maintain that would be one thing,
but there are decidedly not. Here's my tally for three days and two
nights:
- Food (daal bhaat): 250 Rs per meal (x5 meals total $12.50 US )
- 1st day Supervision fee for instructor/guide (one-time, mandatory): 30 Euro ($40.00 US)
- Airspace usage fee: 10 Euro per day (x2, $25.00 US)
- Jeep transport one way to/from Sirkot: 1000 Rs (x2, $20.00 US)
- Jeep transport from LZ back to Sirkot: 500 Rs (x2, $10.00 US)
- Camping fee: 400 Rs/night (x2, $8.00 US). Rooms available for appx. $12.00 US/night.
I
recall forking over somewhere around $120.00 all together for my
several day trip to Sirkot, in contrast to Pokhara where I was able
to live very comfortably for between $5.00 - $10.00 per day for all
food, lodging, and transport. The time I spent flying around Sirkot
was amazing and well worth the trip. Undoubtedly a similar trip
almost anywhere else in the world would cost five times what I spent.
I'm
glad I went, but I can't say I'm inspired to go again. Good luck and fly safe!
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