Paragliding Switzerland: A Tandem Flight Over Interlaken

Switzerland is where this starts.

Switzerland is where a great many people take a tandem paragliding flight for the first time in their lives, and Interlaken is the country's clearest example of why. The country has other launch sites too, from Wengen to the Lauterbrunnen valley to higher alpine ground, and people fly from all of them.

Interlaken itself sits on the flat valley floor between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, with mountains rising on both sides and the Jungfrau massif standing at the head of the valley to the south. The name means exactly what it looks like on a map: between the lakes, and the flat ground between them is why the town, rather than a slope, is where a flight can land.

Beatenberg is the village on the slope above Lake Thun, north of Interlaken, and it is where every one of these flights actually leaves the ground. The village above sees the launch, and the town below, on the valley floor, sees the landing.

The booking, from meeting point to launch.

The whole booking runs about ninety minutes, guided in English or German. It starts with Skywings at the meeting point in Interlaken, then a drive of about twenty minutes by van up towards the launch, and a five-minute walk on foot to the take-off point above Beatenberg.

At the launch the pilot checks the wing and straps you in, and the two of you run off the slope together. Hiking boots, the flying equipment and transport up to the launch are all included, along with the pilot themselves. Free cancellation is offered on the booking.

The day breaks into four short legs: about twenty minutes by van up to the drop-off, about five minutes on foot to the take-off point, around fifteen minutes at Beatenberg for the launch and the flight itself, and a further five minutes down onto the Hoehematte.

Landing in the middle of a town.

Most tandem flights end on a hillside, a field, or a patch of ground some distance from anywhere useful. This one ends on the Hoehematte, the large public meadow in the middle of Interlaken, with the town's streets, hotels and restaurants a short walk away rather than a taxi ride.

That is the single fact that separates this flight from most of the alternative launch sites Switzerland has to offer. A flight that lands where the town already is removes the awkward last leg that ends most tandem days: waiting at a remote pickup point for a driver to arrive.

The same corner of the meadow, in front of Restaurant Schuh at Hoheweg 56, also happens to be where a summer booking begins. Meeting point and landing point sit only a few paces apart, inside the same public space in the middle of the town.

What is included, and what is not.

The booking includes the paragliding flight itself, a qualified pilot to fly it with you, hiking boots, the flying equipment, and transport up to the launch above Beatenberg. Nothing about the flying part is left for you to source separately.

Digital photos and videos are not included. They can be bought on site, by cash or card, once you are back down on the Hoehematte. Anyone who wants a record of the flight should plan for that rather than assume a copy is emailed afterwards.

Free cancellation is offered on the booking itself, on top of everything already arranged before you arrive: the boots, the equipment and the transport up to the launch. The only thing left to sort out yourself, if you want it, is a record of the flight once you are back on the ground.

Who this flight is not for.

This record carries the fullest set of restrictions on the network, and they are worth reading before you book rather than after. The flight is not suitable for children under five, pregnant women, people with heart problems, people with epilepsy, or people with mobility impairments.

There is also a hard weight limit: people over 91 kg, or 200 lb, cannot be booked onto the tandem seat. Bring a jacket, weather-appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes. None of these are optional extras, they decide whether the flight happens at all, and each one is worth checking before you commit to a date.

None of the three items on the bring list ask for anything special: a jacket, clothing suited to whatever the day brings, and closed-toe shoes for the walk up to the launch above Beatenberg. Nothing on that short list needs buying specially for the day.

The meeting point changes with the season.

From April to October, Skywings runs the desk at the landing area itself, in front of Restaurant Schuh at Hoheweg 56, on the edge of the Hoehematte. That is where a summer booking begins, not at a separate office across town.

From November to March the desk moves indoors, to the Skywings office on the corner of the landing field, on the bottom floor of the large pink Savoy building. It is a small detail, but it is the difference between finding the right door and standing in the wrong place in the cold.

Both the summer and winter arrangements sit within the same small area around the landing field, so whichever season you book in, Skywings is easy to find once you know which door to look for that month.