Patnitop

• Patnitop or Patni Top is a hilltop tourist location in Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir state of India on National Highway 1A 112 km from Jammu on the way from Udhampur to Srinagar. Situated on a plateau in the Shiwalik belt of the Himalayas, Patnitop sits at an altitude of 2,024 m (6,640 ft). The river Chenab flows in close proximity to this location.
• The name 'Patnitop' is a distortion of the original name of the place, "Patan Da Talab" meaning "Pond of the Princess". In olden times a pond existed in the meadows and a certain princess often used to bathe there. Some part of the pond still exists near the local youth hostel. It may be the case that the British had difficulties recording the Indian name correctly in their revenue records. Hence, over the years the name has changed from "Patan Da Talab" to Patnitop.
• One can enjoy the thrill of flying, at Patnitop. The paragliding joyrides rides are conducted at Dawariyai, 2 km landmark, on the Patnitop-Sanasar road. One can ask for paragliding at the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) barrier.
• The takeoff site is at Dawariyai, on the Patnitop-Sanasar road. The area often called as the Billoo Di Powri point. Approx 400 plus steps have been carved out along the rock face to make the steep slope negotiable. The stairs eventually leading to Dawariyai, the "gateway". The exact dating of the work is still debatable. Any tourist can experience paragliding accompanied by a pilot. The flight takes off from Patnitop and lands at Kud. The flight lasts for 7 to 15 minutes depending upon the wind conditions. One is retrieved by car to the takeoff area. The organizers also give a good quality video of the memorable flight.
• Takeoff is from Natha Top and landing at Kud. The flight can be from 15 minutes to an hour depending on the wind conditions.