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Can I paraglide on a day trip from Bishkek?
Yes, at Chon-Tash, 45 minutes from the city, $170. Be aware those flights are short — 5 to 15 minutes. Karakol is the better flying and a 6–7 hour drive away.
In detail
Yes. A 4x4 takes you up to the Chon-Tash ridge above the Ata-Beyit memorial, about 45 minutes from central Bishkek, and you fly out over the Chui valley. Whole thing is around two hours.
The honest caveat: Chon-Tash flights are short. It is a glide with a view rather than a thermal flight, and if what you want is time in the air, Karakol is the answer and it is a six-to-seven-hour drive or a shared transfer away. People who fly Chon-Tash expecting Karakol come down disappointed, so we would rather you know now.
If you only have one day in the country and you are in Bishkek, Chon-Tash is a real flight and worth doing. If you have three days and are going to the lake anyway, wait.
One thing worth separating. Short flights at Chon-Tash are a tandem fact, not a site fact. For pilots with their own wing, Chon-Tash is the best cross-country launch in the country by the public record — the top-scoring flights of both the 2025 and 2026 seasons started on this hill, the best of them 110 km in over six hours. Same hill, entirely different day. If that is you, start at the pilot pages.
Related
- How much does paragliding in Kyrgyzstan cost?
- Is paragliding in Kyrgyzstan safe?
- When is the best time to paraglide in Kyrgyzstan?
- Do I need any experience to fly?
- What are the weight and age limits?
- What should I wear and bring?
Tell us your dates
Send the dates you are in the country and we will come back with the slots that have the best chance of usable air. A person reads it and answers within one working day.
Or just get the season report
One email at the end of each season with the flyable days we actually logged, and one more if the SIV course opens. Nothing else, ever.