Imagine being propelled into the enchanting azure skies, hovering above the infinite blue stretch of the Bay of Bengal, getting a spectacular bird’s eye view of the ancient Buddhist site of Thotlakonda and descending down from a 500-feet altitude into the soft sands of the coast! All this is soon going to be a reality. Pushing the thrill for adventure a notch higher, Livein Adventures will be introducing aero adventure activities in Vizag, starting with powered parachute (PPC) and paratrike at the Mangamaripeta beach.
The activities will start in the next 20 days time, promising to give an exciting glimpse of Vizag to aero adventure lovers in a way never experienced before. “We have partnered with AP Tourism to promote aero adventures for the first time in the city. We will be getting one powered parachute and a paratrike in two weeks time following which aero adventure activities will commence,” says B Balaram Naidu, director of Livein Adventures. The two-seater powered parachute will be equipped with a 55 hp engine and will take people up to a height of 500 feet. With an experience of nearly a decade in the Indian Navy as a sky diving and aero adventure trainer, Balaram now wants to make Vizag as destination of adventure sports, bringing in a clutch of activities through his adventure company Livein Adventures. His passion has led to the creation of like-minded adventurers in the city who regularly converge at Mangamaripeta for kayaking and Kambalakonda for eco-friendly adventure sports activities like zip liner and Burma bridge.
Adventure sports zone
Mangamaripeta has become a hot favourite with adventure sports lovers after the launch of the go-karting arena three years ago and the start of water sports activities like kayaking that has been drawing local as well as outstation crowd in large numbers. “With the start of the aero adventure activities, Mangamaripeta will have a whole cluster of tourism activities. We are also in talks with the Indian Navy to get permission to give visitors a PPC ride over the Geo Heritage Site of the city’s famous Erra Matti Dibbalu (red sand dunes) which is adjoining INS Kalinga,” says Balaram. The secluded beaches and backwaters of Mangamaripeta draws 60 to 70 visitors on peak tourism periods, a majority of whom come from cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata to enjoy the water sports activities.
Best time
“With its placid water and moderate wind speeds, the place is very ideal to conduct aero adventure activities that will be an additional attraction for tourists. The months of November to February are particularly favourable for aero adventure sports when there is no wind turbulence seen and the wind speed is around 10 knots,” says the adventure sports trainer. With an investment of ₹40 lakh, Balaram is ready to give the city a whole experience of flying in the skies with his team that consists of a pilot, a co-pilot and one maintenance engineer. Each ride in the PPC or paratrike will be of 10 minutes duration and will be charged ₹1,500 per ride. The firm also conducts para gliding activities at Araku and Rama Naidu Studios on request.
Adrenaline rush
Powered parachutes are form of para-motoring activities that doesn’t require a dive from high altitudes and one where a motor provides the propulsion. It is an activity suitable for open spaces such as beaches.
(www.liveinadventures.com)
