Fly tandem with a local pilot, or bring your own wing. Lanzarote has twelve paragliding sites; here is the wind each one needs, today's forecast and a guide to every takeoff.
Saturday: 1 of 12 sites flyable, wind from NENever flown? In a tandem paragliding flight you sit in front and a professional pilot flies the wing. No training and no experience needed: you run a few steps at takeoff, then sit back above Lanzarote's cliffs, lava fields and the Atlantic.
Flights are flown by Venturi Paragliding, the leading tandem company on the island. You choose a date and pay on their site.
A smooth, relaxed first flight. Time to take in the silence and the view while you get used to being in the air.
See the discovery flight20 to 25 min
A dynamic flight with manoeuvres, for people who want strong sensations as well as the scenery.
See the action flight25 to 30 min
The longest, least hurried flight, with time to use the air currents and simply stay up there.
See the freedom flight30 to 45 min
No. Your pilot handles the takeoff, the flight and the landing. You run a few steps at takeoff and follow simple instructions.
Passengers from age 6 to 99. Children fly with parental consent. The maximum passenger weight is 100 kg; if you are close to it, ask before booking.
Flights only go ahead in suitable conditions. If the wind is wrong on your day, the flight is rescheduled or refunded in full.
Comfortable clothes in layers, because it is cooler in the air, and closed shoes such as trainers. All flight equipment is provided.
The island is small, but its coasts face every way, so almost any wind direction has somewhere to fly. The north-east trade wind is the common case; the areas below are where it, and the rarer winds, can be used. Tandem flights go wherever the day's wind works.
The Risco de Famara drops around 600 metres to the sea and is the best-known flight on the island. In north to north-west wind, pilots take off at Los Pechos or above the Ermita de las Nieves and soar the cliff towards the Mirador del Río, with La Graciosa below and Famara beach to land on.
Pechos / FamaraChimida / Cerro TerrosoLas Nieves
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Around the Mirador del Río and Órzola the cliffs face the north-east trade wind, with flights along the coast towards Punta Fariones. Órzola is closed from 15 February to July for the bird nesting season.
MiradorOrzola
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Tenesar is a low coastal ridge above black lava fields, with smooth lift in the trade wind and large landing areas. Nearby, El Cuchillo launches facing a volcanic crater near Tinajo in moderate northerly wind.
TenesarEl Cuchillo
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When the wind turns east or south, the south of the island takes over: coastal soaring from the cliffs at Playa Quemada, thermal flights from Macher in light south-easterly wind, mostly in winter, and the rarer south-westerly days at Papagayo and Femés.
Playa QuemadaMacherPapagayoMaciot / Femés
Read about this areaA classic takeoff beside the Presa de Mala dam, for north-east and east wind, landing on the plains in front. It is at its best from October to March.
Mala
Read about this areaBringing your own wing? These are 6 of Lanzarote's paragliding sites, and which one works depends on the wind. Between them they cover 13 of the 16 compass points. Each ring below is one site; the arc shows the wind it flies in.
The arrow is the forecast wind for Saturday, October 3, blowing from NE.
| Site | Wind | Speed | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orzola | NE | 15–33 km/h | Flyable 9h, 12h, 15h · 25–26 km/h NE |
| Mala | NE to E | 15–27 km/h | Almost 21 km/h NE |
| Macher | NE to E | 10–23 km/h | No 25–28 km/h NE |
| Playa Quemada | E to S | 13–29 km/h | No 23–30 km/h N |
| Pechos / Famara | SW to N | 10–24 km/h | No 25–26 km/h NE |
| Tenesar | NW to NE | 16–30 km/h | No 28–31 km/h NE |
Site names link to the guide. The forecast is a model, not a briefing: check the live stations and the site page before you drive.
Soaring forecast: RASP for the Canary IslandsThermal strength, cloudbase, boundary-layer wind and soundings, hour by hour, from a weather model run at 2 km over the islands. The picture to check before the day you fly.rasp.lanzaroteparagliding.comBringing your own wing? Start with these: when the island works, what you need to know as a visiting pilot, and how to read the forecast before you drive out.
A 3D model of Lanzarote with paragliders in the air over it. See the shape of the coast and the cliffs before you see them for real.
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