I made my first visit in 2000 for a P1 course. I came back in 2002 to do P2 and after that made a long solo visit (January to March 2003). I was back in 2004 and planning for another trip soon...

I will be back, that’s for sure. Thank you guys from Nirvana for a really good time in the Western Ghats! Besides the smooth flying the beautiful landscape and seeing authentic Indian rural life was and always is a great experience.

This was my third trip to Kamshet. We flew almost every day. The days we didn’t fly were by choice and not because of weather. Everyone achieved their own personal goals and frankly, what more can you ask for. On top of that throw in some of the nicest people you could meet, the best food and drink, and more sunshine than you can throw a stick at...

It’s a cool bunch that makes up the Kamshet flying crowd, which really adds to the experience of flying here. We were warned for a culture shock visiting India, but you may well find that it is only on return back home that it hits you.

Native Place a guest house run by Astrid Rao is very clean, and feels like a retreat center and party house at the same time. I was never wanting for friendly conversation, company, a variety of delicious Indian meals, some cooked up activity or a place to sit quietly alone.

Denmark is a flat country and there is not much possibility to fly there. It was great learning in these mountains.

I had my first ever sunny Christmas, ate great food everyday, played cricket with the local kids, flew everyday gaining a lot of airtime and completed the mandatory 2 top landings to make the club pilot rating.

I would recommend Nirvana to anyone who would like to learn to fly or even more experienced pilots I believe there is potential for cross country flying (an English guy Tim landed on the lake front last week after flying from tower hill 9 km away as the crow flies) Tower hill has a road up to it and is a short walk ( about 10 mins) across the top to get to the take off.

Weekends when Sanjay the owner is here it’s a feast. Sanjay often cooks dinner and lays it out on the terrace. You meet up with the rest of the guests and pilots under the stars where you may spot a shooting star or two if you are lucky.

There is always a loyal band of school kids from the village nearby, willing to carry bags for a set fee. A 16 year old called Vijay became my carrier. He’s saving to go to college so he can become a teacher of Marathi, the local language.

In the Alps there are strong winds, and conditions change quickly. Here the weather is always like June in Italy – great for flying. I love the evening flying at Shelar site – so beautiful and then there is the evening pilot get-together where there is always great food lots of friends and new pilots and students to meet.

Thank you for a fantastic stay in India with lots of nice flying. The Shelar site looks worth coming back for so … Was it quiet after we left…? is that possible in your part of the world? We miss Nirvana and all of it be sure. The flight back home was OK but the weather…. + 5 rain and wind 15-25 m/s. It was lovely to see our two small boys again though.

Happy Christmas and New Year.

I’ve been to India before but my friends had never ventured this far. I spent my time on the hill and they enjoyed exploring the area, being invited into villagers homes (all conversations took place in sign language) and shopping sprees in Pune. The flying is great but I’d come back just for the food.

A cold hello from France... it is snowing and raining everywhere, except in my area where I was lucky to find the great colors of a beautiful sunset. But this morning the weather is completely grey, and I am thinking about the wonderful sunny days at Nirvana. It was a real good trip, incredible flying and wonderful time spent at Native Place with all of you.

Nirvana is a pilgrimage every free spirit must undertake at least once in their lifetime