Come join Paracrane on a paragliding tour to Costa Rica in the spring 2022. We missed 2021 due to Covid-19 after 15 years straight of leading tours to Costa Rica. But we're back! We lead small groups to a variety of wonderful flying sites from Mount San Miguel, Jaco and Caldera to Escaleras de Dominical to Fox’s Leap. While paragliding in Costa Rica is always an adventure, it's great whatever your skill level.
Your tour leader is Nick Crane, USHPA Advanced Paragliding Instructor and Tandem Instructor. We'll have two several 10 day tours in the spring of 2022. You fly into San Jose, Costa Rica and take a pre-paid taxi to your first hotel which is covered in the tour fees. We pick you up the next morning with your fellow tour pilots and head to our first flying site. Most tours will be 3-4 pilots, but we can accommodate up to 8 people with 2 guides and two 4-wheel drive vehicles. While most launches are a 2-wheel drive up, some require 4-wheel drive, so we are always prepared to access the best sites to paraglide Costa Rica at the optimum times with the best equipment.
A TYPICAL TOUR PARAGLIDING in COSTA RICA
Because we know the area, and we always have a small group, we are flexible in our flying plans. You will fly the best sites in the most optimal conditions. You will have access to many private sites unavailable to traveling solo pilots. While Mother Nature has no guarantees, we fly virtually every day, and average 1 or 2 no fly days in a whole season! Most tours start in the Caldera area, with 6 great sites within a 10 to 45 minute drive. Then we travel to Dominical, 3 hours south of Caldera for a 3-4 days, one of the most beautiful flying areas you'll ever experience, with 4 sites and more we develop each year. You can fly every day for hours, or take a break for a day or an afternoon and explore a cloud forest, go rafting, surfing, take a Spanish lesson, or chill at the beach. The areas you will visit are remarkably diverse, with some dry forested cliffs with cactus, mixed tropical forest and lush rain forest. You will see iguanas, monkeys, pelicans, frigate birds, hawks, eagles, vultures and crocodiles (from a bridge!) and often macaws and toucans.
SITES for ALL LEVELS
Most sites are P-2 friendly depending on conditions, with plenty of fun and challenge for experienced pilots. You will be flying both oceanside soaring sites and inland thermal sites. The soaring sites give you a great opportunity to hone soaring skills and practice top landing as well as a chance for experienced pilots to do maneuvers over the water. The inland sites give you a chance to refine thermalling techniques, active piloting and fly cross country. Every year we pioneer new sites in Costa Rica. The spring 2008 season saw the development of a great mountain site, "Lobo's launch,"with fine XC potential, and 5 different LZ's. The local community has been extremely supportive, and invited us to fly during their annual local fiesta. There was even a guy who's sole job was to halt all fireworks during paragliding approaches and landings! In 2009 we vastly improved the launch at one of our favorite sites, Danny Mann's, and we started flying a new site on the Nicoya peninsula at Lepanto. 2010 found better access to Parrita, one of our favorite advanced sites, and return to Rana Roja, and 2011 Nick pioneered 2 new sites to the south, 3500’ vertical site at Dos y Media, near the Panama border. In 2013 and 2014 we pioneered flying “Salto de Zorro”, or Fox’s Leap, with numerous XC flights of 15-30+ km heading both north and south. My driver Carlos saw an ocelot or “manigordo”on his drive down, and we saw a puma or mountain lion on another trip up to launch.
ACCESS to ALL the SITES
Many paragliding sites in Costa Rica are privately owned and are accessible only with a guide. You will have unique access to all the great sites on a tour with Paracrane. We work hard to maintain good relationships with land owners, as well as contributing to local causes, like the small local school near Dominical. We urge all visiting pilots to respect sensitive flying sites wherever you fly, especially Costa Rica!
FOOD & WATER A typical Costa Rican breakfast is a hearty combination of rice and beans, called pinto, with your choice of eggs, bacon, tortillas or toast, at a local soda (Costa Rican cafe). Lunches we usually grab on the go, such as fresh fruit or snacks. We usually share a relaxed dinner at one of several local restaurants, where a great locally caught fish dinner and a beer is around 10 bucks. You CAN drink the water, it's treated in the whole country, but in some places the bottled water tastes better.
PRICES
Prices are $2800 for 10 days of flying and 11 nights hotel per person, double occupancy ($400 extra for single occupancy) Non-flying spouses are welcome. All transportation in Costa Rica, all lodging, guiding and coaching are included. Come join us paragliding in Costa Rica.
EQUIPMENT DEALS
Nick is west coast importer for Niviuk Paragliders, and Apco Paragliding Equipment, as well as Costa Rican Ozone Importer, so if you're itching for a new wing, let's talk!
CONTACT
Let's paraglide Costa Rica! For more information and updates on Paracrane Tours call Nick at 541-840-8587 or email us at nick@paracrane.com to join our mailing list!