Paragliding in Bali (and how I got scammed from it)

Oct 19, 2017
5 min read

Paragliding has always been at the top of my Bucket List. Be it paragliding, sky diving or even piloting a small plane, something about drifting mid-air into the sky with magnificent views underneath just gets to me, every time. So when I found out that Paragliding was in fact offered in Bali, I knew I had to do it.

I started researching about paragliding offers in Bali on my last night before leaving the paradise island. The prices set by competing tour operators are pretty standard, offering a 15 minute paragliding time for USD $100 - $110, with return transportation to and fro your hotel. After a few rounds of negotiations with one of the tour operators from WhatsApp, I finally managed to get the price reduced to USD $80, given the condition that I transport myself to and fro the paragliding place on my own. I was so happy, I thought I was getting a good deal.

The Paragliding

The paragliding place in Bali is located in the Badung Regency, South of Kuta. It takes a rough 45 minutes drive by a motorbike to get there from the central locations of Bali (such as Seminyak, where I was staying). Before getting there, I of course had to exchange my foreign currency into a local one since the only way of paying paragliding in Bali was through cash. All in all, I converted a little more than USD $80 to ensure that I have more than enough for my activity.

Upon reaching the paragliding spot after sitting on a speedy motorbike for nearly an hour, I can only describe the place as 'surreal'. I was standing on top of this cliff overlooking such a magnificent views of the ocean underneath, with coloured parachutes covering the clear blue skies above!

It only took me a few minutes of queuing time before I could finally be strapped on to a paraglide, but the experience felt amazing overall. I felt so free to be drifting so lightly over the cliff and into the open space overlooking the magnificent blue ocean. The flight itself felt smooth, unless you

It only took me a few minutes of queuing time before I could finally be strapped on to a paraglide and run through a cliff. The experience of running through a cliff and drifting into the clear, open skies overlooking the magnificent blue ocean underneath felt amazing, and I felt completely free throughout the entire time. It may just be a short 15 minutes of flight time, but it definitely felt much longer when you're up there. For those fearing of safety, the paraglide flight was smooth and the instructor was great as well. Although if you are feeling a little bit adventurous like me, you can let the instructor know mid-flight that you want a bit more 'fun', so the instructor will proceed into swaying the paraglide a little to the left and right, and it will give you the same 'falling' sensations as you get in roller coasters.... except in mid-air! Do take in mind that this can make a few people feel nauseous, hence a lot of people were throwing up as soon as the paraglide hits the cliff. If you don't think you are capable of handling all that sways, you can let the paraglide instructor know beforehand.

The Scam

Because I came alone to the hidden paragliding place, I had to leave all my belongings to the ground staff. It may not have been the most smartest thing to do, but what other options do I have? Plus, the ground staff seemed to be trustworthy in my opinion....

It was only during my paraglide flight that I realise I had not left my phone to the ground staff to take photos of me mid-air and landing! So I asked my paraglide instructor to contact the ground staff (through his paraglide walkie-talkie) to open my bag and take my phone out to take photos of me. Once my paraglide flight was over and I finally reached the ground and proceeded to pay them with cash, I opened my wallet only to find that I was short of cash than I initially brought with me. I was so shocked, I thought this couldn't have been possible, as I was sure I had more than this before my paraglide flight!

Because the location was hidden and out-of-reach from any convenient stores, and that the paraglide operators do not have credit card processing machines yet, I had no choice but to tag along in the back of one of the staff's motorbike in order to be dropped off to the nearest ATM machine to deposit the extra cash I owed them. I calculated the amount of cash that I 'lost', and it totalled to Rp 400,000.

Upon reaching my hostel, I let my friends know what had happened earlier in the paraglide place. After recalling through all the possible events that could've lead to the loss of my money, we end up with only 2 possibilities:

Before going paragliding, I had went to the beach with 3 of my other friends. Sure we would constantly leave our belongings with our friend each time we had to leave the beach spot for someplace else, so there could be a possibility that a friend stole my money. The only drawback to this possibility is the fact that all my friends seem trustworthy enough not to do such a thing, and that if we left all our bags together, I shouldn't be the only one with my money stolen.
The paraglide operators stole my money when I had to leave my belongings with them during my flight!

Conclusion

At the end of the day, we decided that the greater possibility was no. 2. Why? If you convert the amount of Rp 400,000 into USD, it roughly converts to more or less USD $30. Remember how I initially had to pay the paraglide tour operators a sum of USD $110 for my paraglide, but got 'discounted' to USD $80 instead? So how much discount was I entitled to? USD $30, which is the same amount of money I had miraculously lost from my wallet too!

Overall, the paraglide experience in Bali has been nothing but a dream. I couldn't care less about the amount of money I had lost, simply because I knew paragliding is something which I planned to do at least once in my life, and I was more happy about the fact that I can finally tick this off my bucket list! Paragliding in Bali is an experience like no other. Perhaps the view wouldn't be as promising compared to other top paragliding spots in the world (such as the one in Turkey) but it still was very magnificent to my eyes.

So in case you're planning to go Paragliding in Bali, it is perhaps a bit more wise to come with a friend to ensure your belongings are safe. Either way if you plan to go alone, do keep your bag padlocked when you are not anywhere near it. Otherwise, have fun!