A tandem paramotor flight takes you a few hundred metres above the rice fields around Chiang Mai. You sit strapped in with a pilot who handles the take-off, steering and landing, under a paraglider-style wing pushed along by a motor. Flights leave from flat fields outside the city, early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and last about 15–25 minutes in the air.
Several small operators fly around Chiang Mai, most of them from San Kamphaeng to the east, with others in Ban Thi (Lamphun) to the south-east and Mae Taeng to the north. This article compares them on what they publish: where they fly, flight windows, age and weight limits, and whether they pick you up. It doesn’t rank them.
Prices, time slots and limits change, and some details below come from third-party listings, so check with the operator before you book. You’ll also see these flights sold as “paragliding” or “paraplane”. At the operators below you fly with a motor and take off from a field, not from a hillside.
What a tandem paramotor flight is like
Operators fly two windows a day: early morning and late afternoon, when the air is usually calmer. None of the operators we checked fly at midday.
A morning flight can mean a hotel pickup at around 05:30–06:00. At the field you get a safety briefing, a helmet and harness, and then the flight itself. With transfers, plan on 2–3 hours in total, or about half a day if you fly from Mae Taeng.
Two operators give a flying height of around 1,500 feet (about 450 m). From there you see rice fields, orchards and villages, and on a clear day the mountains to the west. Some operators lend you an action camera to film your own flight, so ask whether it’s included.
Where to fly around Chiang Mai
San Kamphaeng (east of the city)
The flat farmland east of the city has the most operators, about 30–40 minutes’ drive from the Old City.
- FlyingBird Paramotor flies from Mae Pu Kha. Its website lists morning flights 06:30–10:00 and evening flights 16:00–18:00, 15–20 minutes in the air, a minimum age of 12 (children need parental consent) and a general weight limit of 100 kg. It offers free pickup within Chiang Mai city.
- Blue Sky Paramotor flies from Huai Sai, about 40 minutes from the Old City. A July 2026 listing gives ages 5 to 80 in your own seat, a 110 kg limit, and children from age 3 on a parent’s lap within a combined weight limit. No hotel pickup is advertised, so plan your own transport.
- Chiang Mai Sky View Paramotor Academy flies from Rong Wua Daeng and also runs training courses. A December 2024 article listed daily morning flights and late-afternoon flights on some weekdays, with views over rice fields and the Huai Lan reservoir. Confirm current days and limits directly.
Ban Thi, Lamphun (south-east)
Upper in the Air flies from the Lamphun provincial aeronautic sports club field in Ban Thi district, which it says is about 30 minutes from Chiang Mai city (other listings say 30–45). It lists morning flights from about 06:00 to 09:00 and evening flights 16:00–17:30, with 15–20 minutes in the air, or 20–25 on its sunrise and sunset slots. The limits are 120 kg and ages 12–70 in your own seat, and children aged 6–11 can fly on a parent’s lap within the same 120 kg. It offers free pickup from hotels in Chiang Mai city.
Mae Taeng (north)
SkyExtreme Thailand flies from a rice-field strip at Inthakhin, about an hour north of the city. Its standard route passes Wat Ban Den, a large hillside temple complex near the strip. A July 2026 listing gives 20–25 minutes in the air, ages 12 and up, 30–120 kg, and hotel transfers included, with morning pickups around 06:00. We couldn’t find a working official website, so check the details before you book.
Age, weight and health limits
Each operator sets its own limits, and the pilot has the final say on the day.
- Weight: 100–120 kg per passenger is the usual cap. If you’re close to it, say so when you book.
- Age: 12 is the most common minimum for your own seat. Some operators take younger children on a parent’s lap.
- Health: Upper in the Air rules out serious heart conditions, epilepsy, breathing problems, high blood pressure and pregnancy. It advises against flying over 70, and asks for a medical certificate if you do. FlyingBird asks you to tell the team in advance about any medical condition or pregnancy.
Safety: what to ask before you book
Paramotoring is an adventure activity, and Thai media have reported paramotor accidents in the Chiang Mai area in past years. Nobody can promise a risk-free flight, so ask a few questions before you pay:
- Which licence does the pilot hold, and is the aircraft registered with Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT)?
- Is insurance included, what does it cover, and does it cover you as a passenger? Several operators say insurance is included. Ask for the details in writing.
- How long has your pilot been flying tandem passengers?
- If the weather is unsuitable, do you get a new date, a transfer or a refund?
Operators describe their pilots as experienced, and some list competition results. Those are their own claims, and we haven’t verified them.
When to fly
Season.
- November to January: cool, clear mornings. These are the months operators recommend.
- February to April: burning season. Smoke haze can hide the mountains, and air quality is often poor in March and April. Check the air quality before you commit to a flight.
- May to October: green season. The fields are at their greenest, but rain and wind cancel more flights.
Time of day. In the cool season, morning flights often have mist lying over the fields. Afternoon flights end around sunset. Some operators sell separate sunrise and sunset slots, and some of these take only a few passengers.
Weather cancellations are routine. Wind or rain cancels flights in any season. FlyingBird says it reschedules for free. Upper in the Air offers a new date or a transfer of the booking, or a refund if neither suits. Book a day or two ahead and fly early in your trip, so a cancelled morning can move to another day.
How to get to the field
Check first whether your operator picks you up (see the list above).
Operator pickup. The simplest option if you’re staying in the city. If your hotel is outside the pickup area, ask before you book.
Grab or Bolt. Works if the operator doesn’t pick you up. The fields are out in farmland, so book your ride back before the flight ends and ask the operator for a map pin.
Your own car or scooter. Fine if you’re comfortable driving before dawn on country roads. Get a map pin from the operator.
Car with driver for the day. Handy for families or groups who want to see more than the field, for example the umbrella village at Bo Sang on the way back from San Kamphaeng. Arrange it in advance, and check that the pickup time matches your flight slot.
What to wear and bring
- Closed shoes that stay on, and comfortable clothes that suit the weather.
- A warm layer for cool-season mornings. It’s colder in the air than on the ground.
- Sunglasses and sunscreen. Leave nothing loose in your pockets.
- Your phone only if it’s secured. Upper in the Air allows personal devices if they’re firmly attached.
Combine it with nearby places
San Kamphaeng. Bo Sang, the umbrella-making village, is on the road back to the city. The San Kamphaeng hot springs are further east, in Mae On district.
Mae Taeng. Wat Ban Den is close to the strip, so you can walk around the temple you just flew past.
For another way to see the forest from above, read our Chiang Mai zipline article. If some of your group are too young to fly, our water parks article covers a day they can enjoy.
FAQ
Is this the same as paragliding? Not quite. Paragliding usually means launching from a hillside without a motor. The operators in this article fly with a motor and take off from a flat field, even when a listing calls it “paragliding”.
Can children fly? Some operators take children in their own seat from age 12, and some take younger children on a parent’s lap. Limits differ, so ask before you book.
What if I weigh more than 100 kg? Limits run from 100 to 120 kg depending on the operator. Tell them your weight when you book.
Do I need to book ahead? A day or two ahead is usually enough, but sunrise and sunset slots are small. Keep a spare morning in case the weather cancels your flight.
Questions before you go?
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Photos are stock images for illustration. Only the rice field and mountain views are from northern Thailand.
