Lima, Peru: Five best places to do
paragliding
Paragliding
tours are now one of the most popular activities and required by tourists from
all over. Lima, capital of Peru, has landscapes and attractions to enjoy an
intense and full of adrenaline.
When it has
already risen, on the beautiful coast of Lima or the impressive mountains of
Pachacamac, you will have a feeling of calm that will allow you to enjoy the
beautiful views of the city, the countryside, the sea, accumulating views and
emotions that you will never forget.
1. Miraflores-Costa Verde
The most
popular area of the capital to practice
paragliding, observe Costa Verde and the immense sea; It has a parapuerto,
designed and built for the paragliding takeoff and landing, located in the
Raimondi Park, next to the Parque del Amor. The flight time is 10 minutes and
can reach a maximum height of 250 meters.
The type of
flight in Miraflores is "Dynamic", in which paragliding pilots use
the sea breeze that hits the cliff and climbs up this to take height and stay
flying.
When good
height is reached and the wind allows it, it is possible to fly over the entire
Costa Verde, from the Chorrillos District to San Miguel (approximately 10
kilometers away). Miraflores has several tourist attractions that can be
observed from the air, such as the Parque de Amor, Larcomar, the Maria Reiche
Park, the Rosa Nautica, among others.
In this
flight zone, the practice of two-seater flights with passengers and sport
flights is intensive. Many foreign pilots visit this flying area, as it is very
well known in the world of paragliding.
2. Lurín-Cucuya:
40 minutes
from Lima, there are several paragliding centers practiced in the sand dunes.
The flight season is all year round, the maximum height is 50 meters and the
type of flight is descending. The trip takes approximately 5 minutes; You can
get off with or without an instructor, based on experience.
In the place
called Cucuya, the 30-meter-high sand dunes allow the first practices. The type
of descent flight, flights last approximately 2 minutes; and when there is good
wind, it is possible to climb a few meters and stay in the air a little longer.
The landing field is wide, you have to be a little careful with some rocks on
the way, but they are quite scarce.
The flight
zone is ideal to start the adventure; It is possible to fly all day, every day.
There is never a fog and the wind does not blow very hard. The maximum height
is 50 meters.
3. Pachacámac.
The
mountains of Pachacámac are 40 minutes away, or 35 kilometers from the City of
Lima. The point of departure or parapuerto is in the Punta Blanca Hill, located
5 kilometers from the Town of Pachacamac. You can get there by normal car,
better in a 4X4 truck. When walking, it takes 20 minutes. The flight is of
thermodynamic type; The maximum height of 1000 meters. The best season is from November
to April. It is the perfect option to fly when you can not fly in Miraflores,
which is during the summer months, usually from January to March-April.
In the
"thermodynamic" flight, the pilots use the wind that goes up the
mountains or the warm air currents, produced by the heating of the ground by
solar radiation, to take height and fly great distances.
The takeoff
has 200 meters of unevenness over the Valley of Pachacamac, the summits of the
mountains have an average of 500 meters of altitude and it is possible to reach
heights of 300 meters above the summits. Pilots who like active flights, high
altitudes and distance flights prefer this flight zone. The most important
paragliding championships of the year are organized in Pachacamac due to the technical
and exciting nature of the flight.
Pachacamac
is a desert flight site where you can enjoy spectacular views at the beginning
of the mountains, and the Pacific Ocean, when visibility allows.
4. Pasamayo.
The type of
flight in Pasamayo is "Dynamic", in which the paragliding pilots use
the sea breeze that climbs the slope to take height. The takeoff is 400 meters
above sea level, almost always flying over the sea and you can barely see the
trucks passing by on the highway. With good wind and some good luck you can
reach 1000 masl. It is easy to make "top landind" (landing in the
same place of takeoff), since there is a lot of space to land and the wind is
laminar. Pasamayo is at kilometer 55 of the Panamericana Norte.
The slope is
a giant dune 400 meters high with 10 kilometers long, although only the first 5
kilometers are easy to cover. The following 5 kilometers of slope are not
facing the wind, so it is very difficult to fly there.
This flying
area is ideal for students, because it is a large dune of loose or loose sand
that forgives many mistakes. In the summer (January to April) there is no good
wind to take height, a descent lasts 10 minutes; so that students can practice
various flight techniques. The rest of the year there is good wind to fly,
except when there is fog. With wind and good visibility, it is possible to
practice maneuvers and acrobatics, since it is flying high above the sea.
5. Cerro San Cristóbal:
The take-off
center is in Cerro San Cristóbal, district of Rímac, natural viewpoint of Lima,
allows to fly over the Historic Center of Lima. It is a favorite place for
paragliders from all over the world, due to its great height, excellent
geographical location and history. The "Parapuerto APU San
Cristóbal", thanks to the support of the Entel company and the enthusiasm
of the pilot Juan Ortiz, was inaugurated in 2015, allows observing the entire
city of Lima, has 3 take-off zones and is available every day from the 11:00 am
until 5:00 pm (or until the sun sets).
It evokes
the figure of Santiago de Cárdenas, a forerunner of aviation, who in 1750
devoted himself to studying the air currents in Cerro San Cristóbal and the
relationship they had with the flight of birds. At that time, he was convinced
that the same currents could use those currents to fly from Cerro San Cristóbal
with an airplane that he himself designed.
Link:
Paragliding, emotion without limits
References
Conoce los 5
lugares en los que puedes hacer parapente en Lima
Zonas de
vuelo de parapente en Lima
