Description
Guided Holidays for paragliding pilots at Algodonales, southern Spain
We offer paragliding tours at Algodonales and the surrounding areas; a paragliding guide service and thermal tuition which will allow you to maximise your time flying the best sites.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ WHY CHOOSE OUR SCHOOL?
More than 20 years of experience
Our paragliding school has been running courses since 2002 and it was the first Spanish local school to offer courses for foreigners in Algodonales.
>> Read here what past pilots think about us
You won't waste time trying to find the best places to fly every day.
There are more than twelve different flight spots on our radio of action and we fly not only in the mountains, but also on the coast, and we don't mind driving two hours to the place with the best weather if necessary!
We don’t want to be a simple “taxi driver”
We don't want to be just a driver and to show you where the landing field and the takeoff spot are. There are already some people who can do that... We want to go beyond and do it better.
In the daily briefings, we check together with the best weather forecast websites in the giant screen of our classroom, we visit the landing areas before flying and we advise you about the local flying at each site.
Our guided tours are run by experienced instructors who’s interest is not just with those pilots that fly the furthest, but they take an active interest in the ability and progress of everyone in the group.
You will benefit from the local knowledge of the instructors.
Most of the paragliding foreign guides and instructors come here just for a few months, during the winter season, and after that, they go back home... but our staff are Spanish. We were born here and we have learned to fly in these mountains. We know our place.
INCLUDES
WE OFFER YOU IN THE PACKAGE...
- Daily meteo briefing and site briefings.
- Shuttle to the flying sites & retrieves: we can fly in more than 10 different spots.
- Free Transfers from/to Malaga Airport (*Saturdays at 13h00).
- Accommodation (add-on option): We don't include your accommodation in the package because we don't want to increase the prices with something you may not need, but you can add a room to your package when booking online with us.
REQUIREMENTS
WHAT YOU NEED TO BE AND TO BRING
- You should have a Flight License and Third Party Insurance specific for paragliding.
- Bring your Flight Equipment, with a reserve parachute, helmet and Walkie VHF 2m
- Despite it is not mandatory, we highly recommend you have a Travel Accident Insurance with full rescue/repatriation cover. If you are a citizen of the EU, bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment.
⚠ This Guided Tour is for pilots 100% autonomous. If you are a novice or a rusty pilot and you still need help and supervision of instructors, then please book the Paragliding Coaching course for Low air-time Pilots.
⚠ This Guided Tour is more for flying locally in different spots. We also organise XC Camps which are focused on cross-country flights. The logistics are different, especially the retrievals after landing. If you like to fly cross-country please consider booking an XC Camp week instead.
The briefings are in English or Spanish. You must understand at least one of these languages.
GPS LIVE TRACKING
YOU JUST FLY; WE WILL BE WATCHING
ALGODONALES, SPAIN
FLY WHERE THE SUNSHINE!
WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE SPAIN?
- Because we have the best climate conditions for paragliding the whole year round.
- Because we variety of flying spots, on mountains, hills and coastal dunes.
- Because you will take advantage of the good weather and you will have more chances to complete your course in a shorter time than in other countries where it could take months.
- And it is not only about flying but you will enjoy the culture and real people of Spain.
Click on the upper tab to Know more...
In Andalucia, even in Winter, while the rest of Europe is frozen, we can fly at 20ºC. The Winter here is not cold and there are smooth thermal conditions. It could rain, but generally not too many consecutive days. In the Spring and Autumn, the good thermals offer high and long-distance flights, and the temperature is perfect. In Summer it is hot (very!) but we enjoy smooth flights during the long evenings until sunset.
The mountains around Algodonales have a wide variety of flying spots and the coast is just one hour away and offers two other easy coastal flying sites above dunes.
You can take advantage of these good weather conditions and you will have more chances to complete your course in a shorter time than in other countries where it could take months. It is likely to be more cost-effective to take a holiday with us compared to travelling back and forth to your local paragliding area.
Despite Algodonales is not a big town, you will find all you need for a comfortable holiday: there are supermarkets, local shops, several banks with cash machines, pharmacies and a health centre.
The village is full of restaurants and cafes, and they are open from early morning to midnight: you cannot miss tasting the fantastic local food and tapas at low prices: coffee or beer from 1.2€, tapas from 2€ and a daily menu by only 8-10€.
Algodonales is also ideally situated for visiting the surrounding great cities and sights of interest such as Ronda, Grazalema, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Costa de la Luz and Costa del Sol.
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SPAIN
We cooperate with local hosts who offer accommodation at Algodonales. Most of the accommodations in Algodonales are based on rooms in self-catering houses. All the houses have AC, Wifi, bed sheets, towels and kitchen facilities. The apartments and houses are in the town centre, very close to our paragliding school and the main square, where all the restaurants and shops are. The price is approximately 235 euros for 7 nights in a single room. If you require accommodation for couples or families there are double room options. The dates of your booking are the starting and finishing dates. You should arrive on the day before the starting date, at any time, and depart on the day after the finishing date. i.e. If your reservation is Sept 22th - Sept 27th you should arrive on the 21st. We start on the 22nd morning and finish on the 27th evening. You must check-out on the 28th. The shuttle service departs from Malaga airport on the arrival date (the day before the starting date, normally on Saturdays) at 13:00 h, and arrives at Algodonales approx. at 15:00 h On the check-out day (the day after the finishing date, normally on Saturdays) the shuttle departs from Algodonales approx. at 10:30 h and arrives at Malaga airport at approx. 12:30 h Please keep this time in mind when you book your flights. RENT A CAR: Hiring a car could be the best option and sometimes is cheaper than taking a bus. There are several Rental Car Companies in the airports which offer very good prices. You can find cheap offers on their websites. Please check the fuel policies (we always recommend full to full) and insurance options/costs for deposit or top-up insurance policies. TAXI: There is a taxi service at Algodonales and they offer the airport shuttle. The price from Malaga or Sevilla to Algodonales is approx. 120€. Sometimes, there are more people taking the same taxi and you can share the price with them. Ask for sharing the taxi when you make your booking. You can also take any other taxi at the airport, but ask for the price first!; it will be often much much expensive than the local taxi. You can book your taxi here: Algodonales Taxi driver's contact phone number: +34 695 39 66 34 (WhatsApp available) BUS: There are Bus Companies that make the route to Algodonales from Malaga or Sevilla. You may take a bus or a taxi from the airport to the main Bus Station in the town, then take a bus to Algodonales. If you can't find a direct line to Algodonales you can try to Ronda or to Olvera, which are close to Algodonales and change to another bus to Algodonales. Malaga Bus Station (Paseo de los Tilos, s/n. 29006 Malaga, Spain). Website: http://estabus.malaga.eu/ Sevilla Bus Station (Plaza Prado San Sebastián, s/n. 41004 Sevilla, Spain). Algodonales Bus Station: https://www.algodonales.es/algodonales/autobuses-y-taxi
ACCOMMODATION
ADD A ROOM TO YOUR PACKAGE
NEAREST AIRPORTS
WHERE AND WHEN TO ARRIVE AND DEPART?
AIRPORT SHUTTLE
FREE AIRPORT TRANSFERS
HOW TO GET HERE
OUR ADDRESS: Calle Ronda, 10. Algodonales. 11680. Spain
Frequently Asked Questions
Breakfasts and other meals are not included in the prices. Our paragliding school is recognized by several associations and federations (APPI, BHPA, FAI, RFAE). This means that you will qualify for a paragliding license with them upon completing your course with us. The fee to join any of these organizations is not included in the price of the course. Joining a federation is not mandatory, but recommended if you like to get a license. Paragliding is weather dependent activity so we have to be flexible when making plans. We try to seize the time to optimize the training practices, but on a normal day you can expect the following plan: We start at 9:30h with theory lessons at the school, and there is a briefing with the students, pilots, and instructors around 10:30h. After the daily briefing, we go flying. We provide transport to the flying sites; you don't need to drive your own car. The flight sites are around 30 minutes to one hour by car from Algodonales. Some days, if the weather is not good for flying in our area, we move to a different flying site; this could take one or two hours by car. If the conditions to fly are good, we can spend the whole day flying in the mountains (or the coast), up to sunset. But if part of the day is not good for flying we can organice theory lessons, ground-handling practices or just time off for you to relax or for visiting the areas around. We normally have a pack-lunch with us, but if there is a time we prefer to have lunch in a local restaurant to taste real Spanish food. On our return to the town, most of the people like to have dinner together. In the case of bad weather, we spend more time in theory lessons and we can organize an alternative activity for the group, or anyone can do whatever they want, such as a tourist tour, hiking,… or just resting for the next day. Pack adequate comfortable clothing: warm clothes if your course is in winter. You will need a jacket in spring; it can be cold at the top of a mountain. Bring walking boots (ideally with ankle support), a sun hat, sun cream, sunglasses, and a swimming costume, as there is a lake where you can canoe or swim. For students enrolled in a beginner's course, a long-sleeved t-shirt is a good idea for ground-handling practice. Long pants will avoid scratches on your legs. Light gloves are also recommended. We provide towels in accommodation. Bring your reusable bottle and help reduce single-use plastic. There are good water fountains here and you can also refill your bottle from the tap. Beginners Paragliding courses: Max. 6 students in a group with 2-3 instructors. Guided tours: Max. 8 pilots per instructor. XC Camps: Max. 8 pilots per instructor, and a driver who tracks the pilots with GPS. Only the students signed up for any of our beginner's courses have basic accident and third-party insurance included in the price. Anyway, buying your own accident and travel insurance is recommended. Read here the terms and conditions of the accident insurance. Qualified pilots signed up for holidays or tours should have their accident insurance, and full rescue/repatriation cover – specific to paragliding. For citizens members of the EU, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you’re in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. EHIC full info here. You can be sure that we never give up! If the weather is bad in our area, we are going to move to a different one, with better weather. There are more than ten different flying spots up to 150 km around Algodonales, at the coast or inland. The bad weather days can be also used for ground-handling practices or for theory lessons, and not only for the students but we also organise masterclasses for more experienced pilots. If some tasks of a course are not completed, because of bad weather, it is possible to complete them on a different day. Some people extend their days. Some people prefer to stay in the area for a few more days so they have more chances to complete the course or to fly and, in any case, they can spend this extra time on tourism. Anyway, in the very unlikely event that due to bad weather, we have to cancel some days during a weekly course or tour, we will give you credit that will be discounted from the price of your next booking with us. All are welcome. Algodonales is a beautiful area; There are massive amounts to keep everyone busy while you are flying. horse riding to kitesurfing. picnics & canoeing and beautiful white hillside villages of Andalucia, everything is out there to do and explore. We can organise tandem flights for non-flyers. They will need a car because we cannot guarantee a place for them in our vehicle. In the rare event of bad weather and the inability to fly, we have some alternative activities to keep you entertained: Touristic Routes, throughout typical white villages all over the Sierra, with visits to museums, Natural Parks, Gastronomic Stops,… You don’t. We provide transport to flying sites and for the retrieve. But if you want, you can hire a car to visit the surrounding areas, for your non-flying partners or if you cannot take on time our airport shuttle. Our shop is fully stocked with all the equipment you may wish to purchase for flying and all at good Spanish prices. If you are interested in buying a glider please contact us in advance due to it could take weeks to get the items here.
Restaurants and shops at Algodonales are not expensive. The accommodation has a shared kitchen with all facilities, so you can also cook your own food if you wish.
Visits to the nearest cities: Cadiz, Sevilla, Ronda, all of the great tourist interest.
Archeologic tours. In the nearby areas, there are many remains of ancient cultures such as Phoenicians, Romans, Moors…
Trekking: There are a lot of routes through Grazalema’s Natural Park with amazing landscapes, animals and forests.
Mountain bike: You can hire bikes to cross the routes through the Natural Park. One of which is an old disused railway with tunnels, bridges, stations,… and of course, always a restaurant to end your ride!
Canoe: You can also rent canoes enjoying the nearby lakes of Zahara.
