Paramotor in Chiang Mai: Three Flights Compared

A paramotor flight is the closest you get to flying like a bird over Northern Thailand. You sit in front of a certified pilot, with a small motor behind you and a wing above, and the rice fields, temples and mountains open up below. You need no experience at all: the pilot flies, you look.

We sell three paramotor flights, each from its own airfield around Chiang Mai: Fly Zone in San Kamphaeng, SkyExtreme in Mae Taeng and Upper in the Air in Lamphun. They differ in how long you are in the air, what you see on the way and whether hotel pickup is included. This guide puts them side by side so you can pick the right one in a few minutes.

The short answer: for the easiest half day with pickup, take Fly Zone. For the most time in the air, take SkyExtreme's Riverdale route (almost an hour). For sunrise or sunset light and photos, take Upper in the Air.

What is a paramotor flight?

A paramotor is a paraglider wing with a small engine and propeller worn on the pilot's back. The engine is what makes the difference to classic paragliding: a paraglider has to launch from a hill and needs rising warm air to stay up, while a paramotor takes off from a flat field after a short run and can fly where the pilot chooses. That is why all three flights start from grass airfields in the countryside rather than from Doi Suthep.

Every flight we sell is a tandem flight. You sit in a harness in front of the pilot, who steers, controls the engine, takes off and lands. Your job is to run a few steps at take-off when the pilot tells you to, and then enjoy the view at a few hundred metres above the fields.

The three flights at a glance

All three fly every day, in a morning and an evening session, when the weather allows.

Price per minute in the air

Prices look alike at ฿3,500, but the time you actually spend flying does not. Dividing the price by the minutes in the air makes the difference visible:

Two things the table does not show: Fly Zone and Upper in the Air include the hotel transfer, while at SkyExtreme a transfer is extra. And Upper in the Air's sunrise and sunset flights are priced for the light, not the minutes.

Fly Zone: the easy half day with hotel pickup

The simplest choice if you want the experience without planning anything. The driver collects you at your hotel (around 05:30 for the morning session, around 16:00 for the evening one) and takes you to the airfield in San Kamphaeng. After a short briefing you put on the flight suit and helmet and fly for about 20 minutes over the countryside and hills east of the city. You are back at your hotel about three and a half hours after pickup. Insurance and a video and photos of your flight are included.

Good for: a first flight, families with children from age 4, anyone who wants pickup sorted. Read more on the Fly Zone paramotor flight page.

SkyExtreme: the longest flight, over Mae Ngat Dam

The one to pick if you want real time in the air and the most varied views. SkyExtreme flies from Mae Taeng, north of Chiang Mai, over Mae Ngat Dam, the Blue Temple (Wat Den Sali Sri Mueang Kaen), rice and flower fields and towards Chiang Dao mountain. There are two routes:

• Sky High: about 25 minutes and up to 38 km, ฿3,500.
• Riverdale: the extended route of about 55 to 60 minutes over 55 km, ฿5,500.

You book the morning or evening session and we confirm your exact take-off time the day before. Early morning flights can pass over a sea of mist in the valleys. Transport is not included, and taxis and ride apps rarely want the trip back from the airfield, so message us when you book and we arrange a round-trip transfer with the operator.

Good for: anyone who wants the longest flight, landscape and temple views, families with young children. See the SkyExtreme Mae Ngat Dam flight.

Upper in the Air: sunrise or sunset over Lamphun

Upper in the Air flies from the field of the Lamphun Provincial Paragliding and Aeronautic Sports Club in Ban Thi, with the mountains right behind the runway. Two flights:

• Normal flight: 15 to 20 minutes, ฿3,500, in the morning or evening session.
• Sunrise or Sunset flight: 20 to 25 minutes, ฿4,500, timed for the best light. Only a few go each day, so book early.

Hotel pickup in Chiang Mai city, a GoPro recording of your flight (sent to your phone after landing), coffee and a snack are included. We confirm your pickup time the day before.

Good for: photographers, couples, anyone who wants the golden light. See Upper in the Air's sunrise and sunset flight.

Which one should I choose?

• First flight, short on time, or travelling with children: Fly Zone. Pickup, a 20-minute flight and back in about half a day, from age 4.
• You want to fly as long as possible: SkyExtreme Riverdale, almost an hour in the air and the lowest price per minute.
• You want temples, a lake and mountains in one flight: SkyExtreme, either route.
• You are here for the light and the photos: Upper in the Air's Sunrise or Sunset flight.
• Over 120 kg: SkyExtreme, the only one of the three that lists a higher limit (150 kg).
• Travelling without your own transport and you do not want to arrange any: Fly Zone or Upper in the Air, both with hotel pickup.

Sunrise or sunset?

Paramotors fly when the air is calm, which in Northern Thailand means early morning and late afternoon. In the middle of the day the sun heats the ground, the air gets bumpy and the wind picks up, so no operator flies then.

Morning is the calmest and coolest air, often with mist lying in the valleys and soft light on the fields. It means an early start: pickups are around 05:30. Evening gives warm, golden light as the sun goes down behind the mountains and no early alarm, but slightly more chance of the wind ending the day early. If you can only do one, morning is the safer bet for the flight going ahead; evening is the more relaxed day.

The best time of year to fly

• November to February (cool season): the best months. Dry, clear and calm, with green fields after the rains and mist on cool mornings.
• March and April (hot season): flights go ahead, but this is the burning season in Northern Thailand and haze can make the views much shorter.
• May to October (rainy season): the countryside is at its greenest. Showers and storms come mostly in the afternoon, so morning flights are the better choice and a weather change is more likely.

What a flight day looks like

1. Pickup or arrival. Hotel pickup with Fly Zone and Upper in the Air; at SkyExtreme you arrive yourself or with the transfer we arrange.
2. Briefing and gear. The pilot explains take-off and landing, you put on the flight suit, helmet and harness.
3. Take-off. A short run of a few steps on the field while the wing fills above you, and you are in the air.
4. The flight. 15 minutes to an hour depending on the flight you booked, at a few hundred metres above the ground.
5. Landing. The pilot brings you down on the field, usually on your feet or seated in the harness.
6. After landing. Photos and video, and at SkyExtreme and Upper in the Air a snack and a drink, before the drive back.

Is it safe?

Every flight is a tandem flight with a certified pilot in control the whole time, every flight starts with a safety briefing, and insurance is included with all three operators. The pilot decides on the day whether the weather is right, and flights only go in calm, dry conditions. As with any adventure activity there is some risk, which is exactly why the weather rule is strict: if the pilot says no, it is no.

Who can fly, and what to wear

Not suitable during pregnancy or with serious health conditions such as heart problems, high blood pressure or epilepsy. If you are unsure, message us before you book and we ask the operator for you.

Wear and bring: closed shoes (required at Fly Zone and sensible everywhere, since you run at take-off), long comfortable trousers, a light jacket for the cool morning air, sunglasses and sunscreen, and your passport or ID (a photo on your phone is fine), which the insurance needs.

Weather, rescheduling and cancellation

Paramotors only fly in calm, dry weather, and the pilot decides on the day. If the weather stops your flight, the operator moves you to another day; at Upper in the Air you can also choose a full refund instead. Book your flight early in your stay, so there is time for a second try if the first morning is windy.

Paramotor flights around Chiang Mai in one view

• Fly Zone, San Kamphaeng: about 20 minutes, ฿3,500, hotel pickup, from age 4.
• SkyExtreme, Mae Taeng: 25 or 55 to 60 minutes, ฿3,500 or ฿5,500, over Mae Ngat Dam.
• Upper in the Air, Lamphun: 15 to 25 minutes, ฿3,500 or ฿4,500 at sunrise or sunset, hotel pickup.

Questions about which flight suits you? Message us and we help you choose.