Travel: Para in Rio

The birds of prey looked at me with the curiosity you'd expect encountering a two-bodied animal with a luminous pink wing that spans 35 feet'

“It’s easy. All you have to do is run off the end of the cliff.”

That was the beginning, middle and end of my training. The cliff in question was what they would call a traditional type – very high and very steep. Running off the end of it was a terrifying prospect, weirdly enough. But then that’s what you’re in for when you try out paragliding in a place like Rio.

I’d been told it was a unique combination of thrills, freedom and views. It also sounded like the perfect way to end a holiday in Rio during the city’s famous carnival. Holidays in Rio are renowned for relaxing on endless beaches by day and partying in the streets and clubs at night, but taking a step back (or up) to see the stunning sprawl of the city is a must. The Rio landscape consists of a liberal sprinkling of bays and islands around a stunning coastline overlooked by the world’s two largest urban forests.

To really appreciate Rio’s scenery you have to get high. You can fight the crowds of tourists around the Christ the Redeemer statue or in the cable cars ascending to Sugarloaf Mountain. But if you want a more peaceful, memorable view you take to the skies.

Rio’s most popular launch pad for paragliding is Pedra Bonita (‘Beautiful Rock’) in the Sao Conrado region. Set amid steep mountains at a height of 1,700 feet it offers more than enough altitude and a landing on nearby Praia do Pepino (Cucumber Beach). How I looked at that beach with longing as I waited for my flight.

After what felt like an eternity my ‘instructor’ finally signalled that my moment had arrived. I was buckled into a harness and a helmet was placed on my head. My instructor then casually pointed to the edge of the cliff top and said, “Wait there.” I walked to the cliff edge in anything but a casual manner.

From my new vantage point I could see that the cliff top sloped down for what I estimated to be about 10 strides worth of distance. I made my mind up that I was going to run those 10 strides like my life depended on it – quite easy in the circumstances – and launch myself into the abyss.

A quick click of a buckle behind me and I was attached to the paraglider and my instructor.

“OK, Dan, get ready.”

This is it.

"3-”

Run fast.

“2-“

Run very fast.

“1. Go!”

Aaaarrrgggh!

My first stride was quick, my second stride less so, and by my third stride I was staggering around like a drunk in a headwind. By moving forward I had tightened the chords to the canopy, causing it to billow into life with incoming air. The resistance this caused made achieving forward momentum difficult. As I pawed at the ground with my fourth and fifth strides, the paraglider rose off the ground and by my sixth stride I was airborne. And then…silence.

The noise of life at ground level was left behind, my heart stopped thumping and my mind freed itself of thoughts of frayed chords. The sense of peace I felt as I floated through the skies was unforgettable.

At first we went up rather than down. Thermal air currents raised us above our take off point and among condors. These birds of prey have a magnificent wingspan of 9-10 feet and swirl effortlessly around in the warm South American air. I looked at them with awe. They looked at me with the kind of curiosity one might expect a bird to display when encountering a two-bodied animal with a luminous pink wing that spans 35 feet.

Once out of the thermals, gravity gently took control and the instructor used the brakes he had in each hand to steer us in leisurely circles as we descended. Our journey was so gradual and our position so high, that I did not feel like I was moving, but simply hovering above a slowly rotating landscape. It wasn’t until we were about to land, that reality set in and the ground rushed up to greet us.

My time in the air only lasted 10 minutes (paragliding companies in Rio promise 10-25 minute journeys depending on air currents and winds), but that was enough time to gain a telling insight into Rio life. I drifted over an azure sea, beaches teeming with people and a serene forest. The wealthy elite waved up at me from their swimming pools and the neighbouring residents of a favela (a shanty town) went about their business oblivious to my prying.

Rio has many paragliding operators; two of the most popular are listed below.

www.bigfly.com.br
www.justfly.com.br

Expect to pay about £70 for a flight. Photos, video footage and transport all cost extra so ask your operator about these prices before committing. Booking the day before was sufficient notice during carnival season, so there is no need to reserve your flight before leaving home.

Operators will also tend to offer hang gliding. Hang gliding works in a similar way to paragliding – staying airborne in lifting currents of air – but the pilot is suspended face down in a harness below the wing (unlike the comfortable sitting position used in paragliding) and steers by shifting his weight along the control bar.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to try paragliding or hang gliding closer to home then the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association’s website is a great source of information.
http://www.bhpa.co.uk/bhpa/learn-to-fly/

However, with rain and high winds the enemies of paragliding you may need to leave Blighty’s shores to avoid the disappointment of a cancellation. With over 50 launch sites for paragliding and several operators, you could do worse than head to Rio and make like the condors do.