If you Google the top things to do in Medellin, Colombia, you are bound to see “paragliding” pop up. Thanks to its geographic location surrounded by hills, Medellin is the perfect place to knock paragliding off of your bucket list while getting the best view of the city. I never thought I’d be paragliding in a Colombia when I originally booked this trip, but it ended up being one of my favorite activities! Here’s everything you need to know about paragliding in Medellin:
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The Cost of Paragliding in Colombia
There are several paragliding companies in Medellin, all of which jump from the same location just outside of Medellin in a city called San Felix. They are all pretty similarly priced no matter which company you choose to fly with. I went with The Dream of Flying since they were highly rated on Viator. For a 15 minute flight it costs only $59! There are options of a 20 minute flight for $75 as well as a 30 minute flight for $119.
I went with the 15 minute flight since it was my first time, and, just in case I didn’t like it, I didn’t want to be stuck in the sky longer than I had to. No matter which length of flight you choose, they are all incredible values. For comparison, a tandem paragliding flight in Washington state costs $259!
I have my own Insta360 x3 camera to record the experience, which I literally bought two weeks before the trip because I booked this paragliding excursion! If you don’t have an Insta360 or GoPro camera, you can rent one for only $16 and all the videos and photos are downloaded onto your camera at the end of your flight before you leave. My godsister rented one, and I saw loads of people with other rented GoPros while I was there too.
How to Get There
Getting to San Felix from Medellin seems simple enough, but is a little tricky. It’s a 40 minute car ride from El Poblado (where most tourists stay) to San Felix. You can get an Uber up there for roughly $12, but since it is outside the city limits, Uber will not pick you up from there, the company warned us. There is a public bus that goes up the hill to San Felix, but it involves transfers and would eat up more precious time.
Luckily, The Dream of Flying offered to book us a roundtrip private car for roughly $35 cash. You pay for the car, not per person and you can fit up to 4 people. If you have a larger group, they do offer bigger vehicles that accommodate up to 6 people for $40.
They arranged everything and all we had to do is pay at the end. It’s by far the best option since, depending on the paragliding conditions, you may be forced to land in the city instead of the original take off point. No matter where you land, the pilot is in contact with the driver and the driver will pick you up and take you back to your hotel. Our driver was a young woman about our age who spoken broken English, but was the most fun, kind, and accommodating person!
Before You Get There
A few days before you booked paragliding experience, you’ll get an email from the provider with all the info including how to get there (explaining the options I went over above) and the safety information as well.
Be sure to pack leggings or pants to avoid chaffing from the harness and, depending on the weather, a light jacket. Closed toed shoes are a must too since you’ll need sturdy shoes for takeoff and landing. I wore my ¾ workout leggings, a short sleeve crop top, a sports bra, and my yoga jacket. It wasn’t as cold as I expected, but was comfortable with what I was wearing. I also brought my sunglasses which helps with both the sun and the wind in the face.
It’s also important to note that there is no wear to store your belongings during your flight. Take as little as possible with you. I did a fanny pack for my wallet and phone and hotel room key, and kept my selfie stick and camera in hand. Backpacks are not recommended since you lean back in the harness during the flight. Essentially, it’s either a zip up pocket or fanny pack situation, unless you want to take turns with a friend while they watch your stuff.
Time Slots
You can book anytime between 9am and 3pm. We did 10am, but arrived early since the private car picks you up an hour and a half before your reserved time. There was hardly anyone before us, so it was nice being able to start after right after signing forms, grabbing a few photos, and using the restroom. By the time our flights were over, we noticed it started to get busy and there were many people waiting for their turn to paraglide.
As always, there are pros and cons to everything. The only downside of going early in the day is that some of the fog did not burn off yet, so the view could have been even better later in the day, but you could also wind up waiting and wasting more time. Plus, the sky was far more crowded with other paragliders after we finished our flights. It was nice having pretty much the whole sky to yourself early in the morning.
The Paragliding Experience
Our diver picked us up from our hotel exactly an hour and a half before the time slot we booked. She was friendly and we spoke Spanglish with her during our 40 minute ride up the mountain to San Felix. The drive is a lovely one as you pass by the neighborhoods on the side of the mountain. I did fall asleep for a bit which is thanks to the Dramamine I took knowing it was going to be a long drive and that I struggle with motion sickness.
We arrived at a gravel parking lot in front of a little restaurant and our driver informed us that we needed to climb the stairs across the street to reach the actual site of paragliding and that she would wait for us here when we are finished. Those stairs were no joke. It took over 7 minutes of climbing (and breaks) but we made it to the top.
Up there all the paragliding companies are lined up one after the other. Fortunately there is one check-in for all of them, which made things easy. They took our passport numbers and had us sign forms then let us know it would be a few minutes. We used the restroom and bought some water before snapping a few pictures of the view. There is a little bakery and a bar up there too. Pretty sure the bar is for after your flight since I don’t think paragliding with a buzz is recommended, but I guess some people might need a bit of liquid courage too.
Our pilots came and got us shortly after, and we were helmeted and harnessed up for our flights. It happened so quickly that before I knew it, my pilot was telling me to run and we took off. There wasn’t any safety briefing, but he did tell me where to put my hands and when to lift my feet. It was probably for the best, since you don’t even have a moment to get nervous before you’re up in the air.
After the initial adrenaline rush of jumping off the side of a cliff wore off, a wave of calmness came over me as I sat back and relaxed. I felt like a bird just floating in the air. My pilot had a speaker playing a Bob Marley playlist during my flight, including “Three Little Birds (Don’t Worry About a Thing)”, which was the most fitting music ever for this scenario. The pilot does everything for you so, you really don’t have to worry about a thing.
He pointed out a waterfall below us and checked in regularly with me. I was able to see the city below in the distance and cows and birds below us. It was so very peaceful. I thought to myself, “In the next life, I really want to be a bird”.
It wasn’t all peaceful though. There was a little turbulence for a brief moment, but that just added to the fun. The only time I felt uneasy was when we entered a cloud. It’s every little kid’s dream to be in a cloud, but let me tell you it’s a very unsettling sensation.
I was excited at first, but after a minute of not being able to see anything but whiteness all around, it gets to you. Not knowing which side is up or down and feeling movement, but not moving (at least that is what my motion sick brain was convinced of), was a complete mind f$%k. I was relieved after over what seemed like an eternity in the cloud, to see blue sky above me and green hills below. I asked my godsister later if her flight went into the cloud, and she said no. Only, I was lucky enough to get the unsettling experience apparently.
I calmed down again to enjoy the rest of the ride. At the end, my pilot told me to keep my legs up and we came gently down onto the top of the hill where we started. After de-harnessing and high fiving each other, I made my way to side to wait for my godsister who was still up in the sky. The flights are estimated times, so whereas mine was roughly 16 minutes, my godsister who took off after me ended up flying for over 20. Each experience is a unique one depending on the air, conditions, and other factors which makes it all the more fun.
Things to Consider While Paragliding
I have to take Dramamine for everything because I struggle with motion sickness. Even with Dramamine, I started to feel a bit motion sick during my flight. My godsister, who normally doesn’t have motion sickness, got pretty nauseated towards the end of her experience despite having a great time initially. Even if you don’t normally get motion sick, I recommend taking Dramamine beforehand, just in case. It’s a unique and new sensation that may trigger nausea. Be sure to have a light meal and stay hydrated before too.
I absolutely loved paragliding and am so happy my first experience was in such a cool place like Colombia. The entire time I felt safe and taken care of by the pilots at The Dream of Flying. I can definitely see why it’s considered a must do while in Medellin! If you want the best view of Medellin, you have to take to the skies!
