BHPA Development Post-Club Pilot Course

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:

• Rent a Car: Hiring a car could be the best option and sometimes is cheaper than taking a bus. There are several Car Rental Companies in the airports which offer very good prices. You can find cheap offers on their websites. Please check the fuel policies (we always recommend full to full) and insurance options/costs for deposit or top-up insurance policies.
• Taxi: There is a taxi service at Algodonales and they offer an airport shuttle. The price from Malaga or Seville to Algodonales is approx. 120€. Sometimes, there are more people taking the same taxi and you can share the price with them. Ask for sharing the taxi when you make your booking. You can also take any other taxi at the airport, but ask for the price first! It will be often much much expensive than the local taxi. You can book your taxi here: Algodonales Taxi driver’s contact phone number: +34 695 39 66 34 (WhatsApp available).
• Bus: There are bus companies that make the route to Algodonales from Malaga or Sevilla. You may take a bus or a taxi from the airport to the main bus station in the town, then take a bus to Algodonales. If you can’t find a direct line to Algodonales you can try to Ronda or to Olvera, which are close to Algodonales and change to another bus to Algodonales. – Malaga Bus Station (Paseo de los Tilos, s/n. 29006 Malaga, Spain). Website: http://estabus.malaga.eu/ – Sevilla Bus Station (Plaza Prado San Sebastián, s/n. 41004 Sevilla, Spain).

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:

• We start at 9:00h-9:30h with theory lessons at the school, and there is a briefing with the students, pilots, and instructors around 10:30h.
• After the daily briefing, we go flying. We provide transport to the flying sites; you don’t need to drive your own car.
• The flight sites are around 30 minutes to one hour by car from Algodonales. Some days, if the weather is not good for flying in our area, we move to a different flying site; this could take one or two hours by car.
• If the conditions to fly are good, we can spend the whole day flying in the mountains (or the coast), up to sunset. But if part of the day is not good for flying we can organise theory lessons, ground-handling practices or just time off for you to relax or for visiting the areas around.
• We normally take a packed lunch with us which you can order from a local cafe at breakfast, but if there is a time we prefer to have lunch in a local restaurant to taste real Spanish food.
• On our return to the town, most of the people like to have dinner together.
• In the case of bad weather, we spend more time in theory lessons and we can organise an alternative activity for the group, or anyone can do whatever they want, such as a tour, hiking, or just resting for the next day.

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.

• Beginners Paragliding Courses: Max. 7 students on a group with  2-3 instructors.
• Guided Tours: Max. 8 pilots per instructor.
• XC Camps: Max. 7 pilots per instructor, and a driver who tracks the pilots with GPS.

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:

• Tourist trips: To the white villages across Andalusia, with visits to museums, national parks, and gastronomic stops.
• Visits to the nearest cities: Cadiz, Sevilla and Ronda.
• Archeological Tours: In the nearby areas, there are many remains of ancient cultures such as Phoenicians, Romans, Moors…
• Trekking: There are a lot of routes through Grazalema’s Natural Park with amazing landscapes, animals and forests.
• Mountain Biking: You can hire bikes to cross the routes through the Natural Park. One of which is an old disused railway with tunnels, bridges, stationss. And of course, always a restaurant to end your ride!
• Canoeing: You can also rent canoes enjoying the nearby lakes of Zahara.

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.