Paragliding Near Barcelona: What It Costs and What It’s Like

An hour inland from Barcelona, near Igualada, people fly. Not metaphorically — there are thermals over the Anoia countryside good enough that this is one of Catalonia’s centres for air sports, and you can go up there yourself, strapped to a pilot, having never done anything like it before.

We did. Here’s what it’s actually like, and the practical things you need to know before you book.

The essentials

• Where: near Igualada, in the Anoia region — about an hour from Barcelona by car
• Who: Parapent Barcelona (parapentbarcelona.com). We flew with Fernando, a certified tandem pilot ranked 18th in the international PG tandem rankings
• How long you’re in the air: 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the weather and the conditions at the site
• Experience needed: none at all. That’s what tandem means

What actually happens

You don’t jump off anything. This is the thing people most misunderstand, and it’s worth saying first because it’s the thing that puts them off.

A tandem paraglider takes off by running. The wing is laid out on a slope behind you, the pilot inflates it, and the two of you jog a few steps down the hill until the wing lifts and your feet stop touching the ground. There is no drop, no freefall, no moment of falling. One second you’re running, the next you’re sitting in a harness, and the ground has simply gone away.

Then it goes quiet. That’s the part nobody prepares you for — there is no engine, so once you’re up there is almost no sound at all beyond the wind in the lines.

The landing is the same in reverse: the pilot brings you in low over a field and you touch down at walking pace.

Is it frightening?

Less than you expect, and for a specific reason: there is nothing to fall off. Fear of heights is largely about edges — a balcony rail, a cliff, a glass floor — and once you’re in the air there is no edge anywhere near you. Several people who describe themselves as afraid of heights are entirely fine paragliding.

What might actually bother you: the thermals. Rising air is what keeps you up, and it isn’t smooth — the wing moves, sometimes sharply. If you get motion sick, say so to your pilot beforehand; they can fly more gently and avoid the turns.

How safe is it? Tandem paragliding is a regulated activity flown by certified pilots with a reserve parachute, and the equipment is checked. It is an air sport and it is not risk-free, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What you should do is check that your pilot is certified and insured — which is a reasonable question to ask, and a good operator will answer it without being defensive.

Before you book

• The weather decides, not you. Paragliding needs the right wind, and flights are cancelled or moved at short notice. Don’t plan it for your last day in Catalonia — give yourself a spare day to rebook into
• Morning and late afternoon are usually the flying windows, for the same reason as hot-air balloons: the air behaves
• Confirm age and weight limits when you book, not when you arrive.
• Ask what’s included — photos and video are often a separate charge, and you will want them

What to wear

• Trainers or walking shoes. Not sandals, not anything loose — you’re running on a slope at both ends of the flight
• Long trousers
• Layers. It is meaningfully colder in the air than on the hill, even on a warm day
• Sunglasses — proper ones, secured. The light up there is strong and there’s nothing to shade you
• Nothing in your pockets. Anything loose is gone. Attach your phone to you or leave it in the car
• Tie long hair back, properly, before you put the helmet on

With children

What’s worth saying regardless: watching is free and genuinely good. A take-off site with several wings laid out and pilots launching in sequence is a real spectacle, and children who are too young or too light to fly will happily spend an hour watching it from the hill. If only one adult is flying, the rest of the family has something to do.

Getting there

About an hour from Barcelona by car, inland towards Igualada.

Make a day of it. Igualada is the capital of the Anoia region and there’s more there than a hillside:

• The REC district — the old leather tannery quarter, a whole neighbourhood of industrial buildings, strange and rather beautiful, and completely off the Barcelona tourist circuit
• The European Balloon Festival — Spain’s biggest hot-air-balloon festival, held here every July. That’s not a coincidence: Igualada is a centre for air sports because of the air over the Anoia, which is the same reason the paragliding is here

If you’re coming in July, you can watch a hundred balloons go up in the morning and fly yourself in the afternoon, in the same town. There cannot be many places where that’s true.

Would we do it again?

Yes. It’s one of those things that sounds extreme from the outside and turns out to be gentle — a run, a quiet, and a slow walk down out of the sky.

The honest caveat: 15 to 30 minutes is short, the drive is an hour each way, and it’s weather-dependent. Treat it as the centrepiece of a day in the Anoia rather than an errand, and it’s worth every bit of the trip.

All our days out of Barcelona, compared.

About our tandem pilot.

Fernando is a certified tandem pilot, with 18th in ranking on PG tandem, he won different prizes with his friend, here in Spain and Europe.

https://www.xcontest.org/2019/world/en/ranking-pg-tandem/

Every tandem pilot must take various training courses, need hard skills, complete various examinations, and safety tasks to become a certified one.

If you can read in Spanish, then you will find out interesting this information in the article about Fernando.

More you can find on their website: https://parapentbarcelona.com/

Or on their socials: https://m.facebook.com/parapentbarcelona/

https://www.instagram.com/parapentbarcelona/

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Frequently Asked Questions about Paragliding Near Barcelona

Is paragliding safe for beginners?

Yes, tandem paragliding with a certified pilot is very safe and suitable for beginners.

Where can I go paragliding near Barcelona?

Great paragliding sites are located about an hour from Barcelona, near Igualada city, offering ideal hills and open spaces.

How long does a typical tandem paragliding flight last?

The average flight lasts between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on weather and site conditions.

What should I wear for paragliding?

Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes. Layers are recommended as temperatures can vary in the air.

Do I need any experience to try paragliding?

No prior experience is needed. Tandem flights include full instructions from your pilot.