Algodonales – Site guide

Within a 30km radius is a series of launches for every wind direction. Have a look at http://flyalgo.com/gps.html for a list of launch codes for the each wind direction. But many of the sites away from the main 3 are soaring sites only.

The village of Algodonales is at the foot of a large ridge mountain with 3 launches (East, West, and the smallest one to the North).

Typically it’s East in the mornings, and that’s where the nicer landing zone is apparently. And West in the evenings. The West LZ is a postage stamp surrounded by power lines, barbed wire, trees and crocodiles. – well, apart from the crocs.

To get to launch I found it easy to hitch with the Spanish pilots. They co-ordinate car pooling up the hill from the West LZ, and that’s a good place to camp if you have a campervan. I tried offering a share of diesel money but they wouldn’t have it. Instead be prepared to run them back up in your vehicle to retrieve the car if no one manages to top land.

The season starts around October, and actually it’s flyable all year, but the best times are Spring and Autumn. June, July and August it’s unpleasantly hot.

Not sure what the classic cross country routes are, but people seem to try to fly to the other sites. But the landscape invites you to go anywhere.

Hitching is Spain is slow going, bring a graphic of a paraglider to hold up, or write Parapente on a piece of cardboard might help. The car park is 3km uphill off the main road. It’s a tough walk from where you’re likely to be dropped off, and alternatively there are plenty of guiding outfits in the town and you can arrange retrieves with them. It’s also worth checking in at JJ’s Bar in town run by Dutch pilot Johan who can give you advice on weather and transfers.

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2 responses to “Algodonales – Site guide

  1. There are some great hikes here too. From the West LZ to launch (2000ft altitude gain) the track takes you via some ruins. It’s a long hike 1hr+. There’s also a hike from town up to launch which is steeper but shorter.

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