Paragliding above Bellinzona

I am lucky enough to have someone in my life who is very passionate about paragliding and additionally, has a tandem paragliding license. What this means for me is that I get to go paragliding, basically whenever I want throughout Switzerland.

The other day we decided to take advantage of the unusually warm December weather and go paragliding from the top of Monte Carasso-Curzútt-Mornera. We first took the gondola up, where a little lodge was located – a cute spot where you can grab something to eat whilst sitting on a bench outside and enjoy the amazing view.

Once we reached the top, we then “hiked” for about 20 minutes before reaching the take-off spot. If you know me, you’ll know that I am not the biggest fan of hiking, so believe me when I say it was a very easy hike with few, if any, inclines (to my delight!). If you still don’t believe me, I’ll let you know that I was actually wearing a pair of Nike sneakers, instead of proper hiking boots, and I was completely fine.

One of the spots we passed while hiking to the take-off location was this semi-frozen pond. Honestly, it looked like a scene straight from a Disney movie. I felt like if I stayed there long enough, I would see Bambi coming out and sliding across the ice.

We then had a small picnic lunch on one of those oh-so-Instagram-worthy benches, then proceeded to get ready for take-off. Obviously, I was a big help in setting up, as I ran around snapping countless pictures of all the amazing scenery.

As I said before, it was a pretty warm day, but if you looked at me, you probably would have thought there was a blizzard going on.

Whilst the views from the mountain top were beautiful, there is nothing like the view from above. With the crisp, cool air in your face, and nothing beneath you, there is something truly breathtaking about the entire paragliding experience. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we were flying above classic autumn colors and the city of Bellinzona, which made for spectacular views whichever way we looked.

This was not my first paragliding adventure, and I’m sure it won’t be my last, but if you ever have the chance to take a flight, particularly in Switzerland (no matter the region) I highly encourage you to do so. Trust me, you won’t regret it!