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View all Chiang Mai toursChiang Mai: Paramotor with Licensed Flight Instructors
Strap into a tandem paramotor and glide over Chiang Mai's rice paddies and rolling hills with a licensed instructor doing all the flying — no experience needed.
Highlights
- Tandem flight with a licensed paramotor instructor
- No flying experience or skill required at all
- Aerial views over rice paddies and rolling countryside
- GoPro/action-cam photos often available of your flight
- A true bucket-list adrenaline experience near Chiang Mai
Choose from 1 available option
Tandem Paramotor Flight with Licensed Instructor
Full description
There's a moment, just after your feet leave the ground, when Chiang Mai stops being a place you're visiting and becomes a picture you're floating through. That's what a tandem paramotor flight delivers: rice paddies stitched into green and gold squares, hills rolling off toward the horizon, and the occasional rooftop or buffalo shrinking beneath you as the propeller on your instructor's back hums steadily along.
You don't need any flying experience, and you don't need to be brave in the way you'd think. A licensed instructor sits behind you in a two-seat harness rig, handling the launch, the steering, and the landing, while you simply take in the view and remember to breathe. The flight itself runs 15-20 minutes in the air, bookended by a proper safety briefing and an easy walk or short transport to the launch site, so the whole experience comes together in about two hours.
It's the kind of activity that photographs itself — GoPro or action-cam footage is often available so you can relive the moment rather than just describe it later. For anyone who's circled Chiang Mai's countryside by scooter or songthaew and wondered what it looks like from above, this is the answer, and it's a genuinely different way to end a trip through northern Thailand.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Meet your instructor & welcome briefing
Arrive at the meeting point and meet your licensed flight instructor for a quick introduction and overview of how the morning will go.
Transport to the launch site
Short transfer to the open field used for paramotor launches, ideal in the calm early-morning air.
Gear up & safety briefing
Get fitted with the harness and helmet, and receive a full safety briefing covering the tandem rig, hand signals, and what to expect in the air.
Tandem paramotor flight
Take off and glide over Chiang Mai's rice paddies, hills, and villages while your instructor handles every control.
Land & photo review
Touch down safely, catch your breath, and review any flight photos or footage with your instructor.
Wrap-up & drop-off
Return gear, get any final flight images, and head back to the meeting point.
Detailed Itinerary
Your morning starts early, and for good reason: the air over Chiang Mai's countryside is at its calmest right after sunrise, before the day's heat stirs up thermals and wind. You'll meet your licensed instructor at the agreed point, get a short transfer to the launch field, and then go through a proper safety briefing — how the harness clips in, what the hand signals mean, how takeoff and landing feel, and what to do (which is mostly: relax and enjoy it) once you're airborne. The paramotor rig itself is a two-seat harness with the engine and propeller mounted behind your instructor, who controls the throttle, steering, and glide the entire time.
Takeoff is a short, brisk run across the field before the wing catches air and lifts you both smoothly off the ground. From there, the engine settles into a steady hum and the world opens up beneath you — checkerboard rice paddies, tree-lined ridgelines, small villages, and winding dirt roads, all rendered in a way you simply can't get from a viewpoint or a drone photo. The flight lasts roughly 15 to 20 minutes, gliding rather than rushing, with plenty of time to look around, wave at anyone below, and let the instructor bank gently for better angles if you want photos.
Landing is as controlled as takeoff, typically a gentle touchdown back on the same field, followed by a chance to unclip, catch your breath, and go through any photos or action-cam footage from the flight. Because conditions genuinely depend on wind and weather, morning slots are prioritized both for safety and for the stillest, most scenic light — if conditions turn unfavorable, your instructor may adjust timing or reschedule to keep things safe.
Includes
- Licensed tandem paramotor instructor/pilot
- All flight equipment (harness, helmet, paramotor rig)
- Pre-flight safety briefing
- Flight photos often included — confirm exact inclusion at booking
Excludes
- Hotel pickup and transport to the launch site (unless specified at booking)
- Gratuities for your instructor
- Personal expenses
- Additional photo/video packages, if charged separately
Important information
Meeting point
Flying Bird Corporation launch site, Chiang Mai (exact location confirmed after booking)
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Absolutely incredible morning. The instructor was so calm and skilled, I felt safe the entire time even banking over the rice paddies. Floating above the countryside in total silence (except the engine hum on takeoff) was surreal. They handed me a folder of GoPro photos afterward that I'll treasure forever.
My instructor flew this thing like it was second nature — smooth takeoff, gentle turns, and he even let the engine idle so we could just glide quietly over the fields. The view of Chiang Mai's countryside from up there is something photos don't do justice, but luckily I got a full set of action-cam shots included.
Never done anything like this before and was nervous, but the instructor talked me through everything calmly before we even left the ground. The 15 minutes in the air flew by (pun intended) — rice paddies, mountains, the whole countryside laid out below us. Worth every dollar.
Beautiful flight, very professional instructor who clearly knew what he was doing. We got a little delayed waiting for the wind to settle down that morning, but once we were up it was completely worth it. Loved seeing the patchwork of rice fields from above.
Booked this on a whim and it was the highlight of our Chiang Mai trip. The pilot was clearly experienced, made me feel completely in control despite doing zero work myself. Got some great GoPro stills of us mid-flight over the valley that I've already sent to everyone back home.
The sensation of running a few steps then suddenly being airborne is something else. Our instructor was excellent, very reassuring throughout, and pointed out landmarks over the intercom as we flew over the rice paddies. Highly recommend the morning slot for the light and calmer winds.
Great experience overall, the flight itself was smooth and the countryside views were stunning from that height. Photos took a little while to be sent over after, but the quality was good once they arrived. Would definitely do it again.
From the briefing to landing, everything felt well organized and safe. The instructor did all the actual flying so I could just relax and take in the rice paddies and hills stretching out below. The whole two hours flew by and the photos they gave us captured it perfectly.