Upper in the Air Paramotor

Upper in the Air runs its tandem flights from the Lamphun Provincial Paragliding and Aeronautic Sports Club field in Ban Thi — over the provincial border but only 30-45 minutes from central Chiang Mai, with free hotel pickup folded in. It’s the value pick among the area’s paramotor operators: 3,500 THB for a standard flight booked direct, against the 4,300-4,900 THB platform packages elsewhere.

The flight

The standard flight buys 15-20 minutes over the Ping valley’s rice fields and lamyai orchards; the 4,500 THB special slot stretches to 20-25 minutes at sunrise or sunset, when the air is calmest and the light does the work. Pilots run visible pre-flight checks and brief you on the launch — a few running steps, then the wing does the rest. Staff handle GoPro and phone camerawork, and for 2,000 THB a professional photographer can fly alongside.

Worth knowing

Flights run daily in two windows, 06:30-09:00 and 16:00-17:30, and cancel in wind or rain — book with 1-2 days’ notice and keep a spare morning free. Limits are ages 12-70 and 120 kg maximum, with kids aged 6-11 flying on a parent’s lap for 1,500 THB. TripAdvisor reviewers rate the sunrise slot as the one worth paying up for. The honest trade-off against the bigger operators: the scenery here is farmland and low hills rather than a marquee temple flyover.

Insider Tip: The morning pickup starts dark, around 05:30-06:00 from town. Skip the hotel breakfast box and eat after — Lamphun’s morning market stalls are excellent, and you’ll be back near town by 09:30 with the whole day intact.

Compare SkyExtreme in Mae Taeng, whose route overflies Wat Ban Den, and FlyingBird in San Kamphaeng, the strip closest to the city — or the full airborne menu in flying over Chiang Mai. Lamphun itself deserves a slow half-day — see our Lamphun guide.