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About the centre
Algodonales, Spain
Operated by Zero Gravity Paragliding, a partner of adventuro.
If you’ve recently qualified as a Club Pilot and want to continue progressing, this Post-Club Pilot Development Course is the perfect next step. Based in Algodonales, Spain, the course helps new pilots gain confidence, refine technique, and accumulate safe airtime in a supportive, structured environment guided by experienced instructors. Over six flying days and seven nights, you’ll advance your skills while enjoying one of Europe’s best paragliding destinations.
This course has been designed specifically for newly qualified BHPA Club Pilots who want to build confidence and gain further flying experience under professional guidance. Each day begins with meteorology and site briefings to help you understand the day’s conditions before heading to one of over ten potential flying sites across the region. Shuttle services are provided to reach each launch area, ensuring you experience a variety of landscapes and flight scenarios.
Throughout the week, you’ll receive tailored coaching from seasoned instructors who focus on helping you progress safely and steadily. Practical sessions cover flight planning, glider control, and decision-making, while daily debriefs help consolidate what you’ve learned. The course follows the BHPA Pilot Development Structure (PDS), ensuring a clear pathway for skill improvement through Foundation, Development, and Performance stages. Each stage includes specific exercises that build confidence, flight awareness, and technical ability.
The emphasis is on helping you become a self-reliant and thoughtful pilot. You’ll also benefit from flying alongside other pilots at a similar level, building camaraderie and sharing experiences as you develop. By the end of the week, you’ll feel more capable of making independent flying decisions and managing varied conditions with greater control.
Algodonales sits in southern Spain’s Andalusian region, an area renowned for its consistent flying weather and scenic landscapes. The surrounding mountains and open valleys make it one of Europe’s most popular destinations for pilots looking to improve. With its reliable thermals and gentle winds, it’s the perfect location to log more flights and refine your skills.
The town itself is lively and welcoming, filled with cafés, tapas bars, and local shops. Everything from the training sites to the accommodation options is conveniently close, making it easy to relax after a day in the air. Its friendly atmosphere, excellent weather, and accessibility create an ideal balance between focused training and a memorable travel experience.
Accommodation is not included in the course price, but help is available to arrange suitable local options. Most pilots choose shared, self-catered apartments in the town centre for the seven-night stay. Each property includes WiFi, comfortable beds, towels, and fully equipped kitchens, allowing you to prepare meals and unwind in comfort.
For those bringing family or friends, additional rooms can be organised so everyone can enjoy the trip together. All accommodation is within walking distance of the training base, restaurants, and local shops, making it easy to enjoy everything Algodonales has to offer. Staying in the heart of town means you’re right among the friendly local community and only a short stroll from the main square.
Safety and weather flexibility are key parts of the course. While flying conditions can vary, the team works hard to ensure you get the most from each day. If poor weather causes three or more flying days to be cancelled within the week, you’ll receive credit towards another course to continue your development later.
Your safety in the air is always the top priority. A live GPS tracking app is used so the team can monitor your location during flights and assist quickly after landing if needed. This ensures peace of mind while allowing you to focus entirely on flying and improving your skills.
To take part, you’ll need a valid BHPA Club Pilot rating and a BHPA Flight Licence with Third-Party Insurance. If it has been more than a year since your last flight, a quick chat before booking will help decide the best course option for you. Simply submit a booking request, and the team will guide you through the next steps.
All participants must bring their own flight equipment, including a reserve parachute, helmet, Walkie VHF 2m radio, and mobile phone. Equipment hire can be arranged if needed. Briefings are conducted in English and Spanish, so understanding at least one of these languages is required for safety and communication.
The centre has a long-standing reputation for supporting new pilots as they transition from supervised flying to confident independence. Each course is led by experienced instructors who understand the challenges faced by newly qualified pilots and tailor sessions to individual needs and comfort levels.
By combining expert guidance, structured development, and a friendly learning environment, the course offers a safe and rewarding way to progress. The reliable weather of Algodonales, paired with its wide range of flying sites, ensures that every day offers valuable experience, skill-building, and enjoyment in the air.
Because we have the best climate conditions for paragliding the whole year round, even in autumn and winter while the rest of Europe is frozen we can fly great thermals at 18-20ºC. And not only will you be flying but you will be enjoying the culture and the real people of Spain. In southern Spain, we can paraglide all year round! During winter, the flights are particularly calm, it is not too cold and there are smooth thermals. It could rain, but generally not too many consecutive days. In the Spring and early Autumn, the thermals offer especially high and long flights, the landscape becomes beautiful and the temperature is perfect. In summer it is hot!… but the conditions are not too strong to fly, especially in the morning, and we can enjoy smooth flights during the long evenings until sunset. The mountains around Algodonales are one of the best paragliding spots in southern Spain and one of the most popular in Europe. During the spring it is a great thermal site and has good cross-country potential, even for your first XC flight. But it is also an easy place for beginners, full of big landing areas. The coast is just one hour away and offers two other easy coastal flying sites above sand dunes.
All are welcome. Algodonales is a beautiful area. There is so much to do to keep everyone busy while you are flying. From horse riding to kitesurfing, picnics to canoeing and exploring the beautiful white hillside villages of Andalucia, everything is out there to do and explore. We can also organise tandem flight for non-flyers. They will need a car because we cannot guarantee a place for them in our vehicle. Despite Algodonales not being a big town, you will find all you need for a comfortable holiday: there are supermarkets, local shops, several banks with cash machines, pharmacies and a health centre. The village is full of restaurants and cafes, and they are open from early morning to midnight: you cannot miss tasting the fantastic local food and tapas at low prices: coffee or beer from 1.2€, tapas from 2€ and a daily menu for only 8-10€. Algodonales is also ideally situated for visiting the surrounding great cities and sights of interest such as Ronda, Grazalema, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Costa de la Luz and Costa del Sol.
If you come by plane, the nearest airports to Algodonales are Malaga, Sevilla, and also Jerez. The dates of your booking are starting and finishing dates. You should arrive on the day before the starting date, at any time, and depart on the day after the finishing date. i.e. If your reservation is Sept 22th – Sept 27th you should arrive on the 21st. We start on the 22nd morning and finish on the 27th evening. You must check-out on the 28th.
We provide airport transfer only from/to Malaga airport – we do not have a shuttle service to Sevilla or Jerez Airports – on the set travel dates, normally on Saturdays. The shuttle service departs from Malaga airport on the arrival date (the day before the starting date, normally on Saturdays) at 13:00 h, and arrives at Algodonales approx. at 15:00 h. On the check-out day (the day after the finishing date, normally on Saturdays) the shuttle departs from Algodonales approx. at 10:00 h and arrives at Malaga airport at approx. 12:00 h. Please keep this time in mind when you book your flights.
If you need to use our shuttle, please notice that it is absolutely necessary that you book a place online at least 72 hours in advance to guarantee you have a seat in the minibus.
If you cannot take our airport shuttle service then you can try another way to get here:
Breakfasts and other meals are not included in the prices. Restaurants and shops at Algodonales are really cheap; for example, a coffee costs 1,20€, a beer 1,5-2€, a breakfast by 2,5€, a dinner by 10€. The accommodation (booked separately) has a shared kitchen with all facilities, so you can also cook your own food if you wish. Our paragliding school is recognised by several associations and federations (APPI, BHPA, FAI, RFAE). This means that you will qualify for a paragliding license with them upon completing your course with us. The fee to join any of these organizations are not included in the price of the course. Joining a federation is not mandatory.
Paragliding is a weather-dependent activity so we have to be flexible when making plans. We try to seize the time to optimize the training practices, but on a normal day you can expect the following plan:
Pack adequate comfortable clothing: warm clothes if your course is in winter. You will need a jacket in spring; it can be cold at the top of a mountain. Bring walking boots (ideally with ankle support), a sun hat, sun cream, sunglasses and also a swimming costume as there is a lake that you can canoe or swim. For students enrolled in a beginner’s course, a long-sleeved t-shirt is a good idea for ground-handling practice. Long pants will avoid scratches on your legs. We provide towels in our accommodation. Bring your reusable bottle and help reduce single-use plastic. There are good water fountains here and you can also refill your bottle from the tap.
Only the students signed up in any of our beginner’s courses have a basic accident and third-party insurance included in the price. Either way, buying your own accident and travel insurance is recommended. Qualified pilots signed up for holidays or tours should have their own accident insurance, full rescue/repatriation cover – specific to paragliding. For members of the EU, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you’re in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.
You can be sure that we never give up! If the weather is bad in our area, we are going to move to a different one, with better weather. There are more than ten different flying spots in a radius of 150 km around Algodonales, at the coast or inland. The bad weather days can be also used for ground-handling practices or for theory lessons, and not only for the students but also we organise masterclasses for more experienced pilots. If some tasks of a course are not completed, because of bad weather, it is possible to complete these on a different day. Some people prefer to stay in the area for a few more days so they have more chances to complete the course or to fly and to do tourist activities. In the very unlikely event that, due to bad weather, we have to cancel some days during a weekly course or tour, we will give you credit that will be discounted from the price of your next booking with us.
In the rare event of bad weather and the inability to fly, we have some alternative activities to keep you entertained:
You don’t. We provide transport to and from our flying sites. But if you want, you can hire a car for visiting the surrounding areas, for your non-flying companions, or if you cannot take our airport shuttle.
Our shop is fully stocked with all the equipment you may wish to purchase for flying and all at good Spanish prices. If you are interested in buying a glider, please contact us in advance as it takes time to get your equipment in.
It’s not so much about how old you are, it is more about your general level of fitness and health. Although no medical examinations are officially required to learn to paraglide, you should be in generally good health. You should be fit and active and have good coordination. You must be able to run for around 5-15 meters on take-off and landing and you could be walking up hills carrying a 15-20kg rucksack full of paragliding equipment. If you suffer from any medical conditions such as epilepsy, heart conditions, osteoporosis or diabetes you should ask your doctor’s advice before taking part in a paragliding course. Your maximum weight must be 120kg.
