Paragliding / Parapente - Sites, Schools, Tandems & Information for Granada, Sierra Nevada, Spain

www.flygranada.com, the definitive guide to paragliding in Granada

General Info

Tandems

PARAGLIDING SITES NEAR GRANADA

Note : All of these sites are free for visiting pilots. If somebody asks for money, DON'T PAY. Ask to see their national identity card, and write down the name and number. I've only heard of it a couple of times, but it is a scam.

Site Name	Alfacar
Site Coordinates	37° 13' 60'' N,3° 34' 0'' W
Type of flying	Thermic; Soaring
Orientation	South->West
Good when?	Light S wind; light W wind; Nil wind; Summer evenings
Bad when?	E wind; N wind
Take-off altitude	1200m
Landing altitude	700m
Height difference	500m
Pilot Level	Intermediate to Expert
Observations	This is a very scenic site with great view of Sierra Nevada, Granada and the surrounding villages. It is on the boundary of a national park. It is particularly good on summer evenings. The restitution is excellent, and in summer you can often fly until sunset. The landing is a little tricky for beginners.

Site Name	Cenes de la vega
Site Coordinates	37.1°N 3.3°W
Type of flying	Thermic
Orientation	West
Good when?	Nil wind; light W to N wind; Light east wind
Bad when?	Moderate/Strong S wind; Strong E wind
Take-off altitude	1200m
Landing altitude	700m
Height difference	500m
Pilot Level	Beginner to Expert
Observations	This is the main flying site in Granada, and the starting point for good cross-country flights when the conditions are good. Don't be fooled by the low starting altitude: you can be up at 3000m in minutes. In the summer months, this is usually the best take-off.


Site Name	Sabinas
Site Coordinates	37.1°N 3.5°W
Type of flying	Thermic
Orientation	West->North
Good when?	Nil wind; light W to N wind
Bad when?	Strong wind; E wind; S wind
Take-off altitude	2100m
Landing altitude	1300m
Height difference	800m
Pilot Level	Expert in anything but NIL wind.
Observations	IMPORTANT INFORMATION: It is prohibited and illegal to take off at Sabinas at the moment. The take-off is inside the national park, and negotiations to open it up again are ongoing. At the moment, however, you could experience problems with the national park agents if you try to take off. This is just a couple of km east of the 'Cenes de la vega' take-off. It is also 900m higher! Usually it is not necessary to go here because on a descent day you can fly there in 10-15 minutes. It takes longer to get here than 'cenes' (on the same road). If there is a moderate W wind, you may not make the landing, and the 'emergency' landings are for expert pilots only. The benefit is that, in strongly inverted conditions, the take-off is often above the inversion.

Site Name	Otivar
Site Coordinates	36.4°N 3.3°W
Type of flying	Thermic
Orientation	South
Good when?	Nil wind; light E wind; light south wind
Bad when?	Moderate/Strong S wind; Strong E wind; Moderate/Strong W wind; N wind
Take-off altitude	750m
Landing altitude	400m
Height difference	350m
Pilot Level	Intermediate to Expert
Observations	This site is very scenic as you can see the Mediteranean and the surrounding mountains are spectacular. Often you can fly to the beach. In the winter months it is a good bet, as the lower take-off altitude allows better height gains before hitting the inversion. The landing field is too small and committed for beginner pilots.

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