What to know

Paragliding Valle de Bravo

Information you need as a pilot

An amazing site to learn to fly

 

Valle de Bravo is a world-famous place for paragliding and hang-gliding. Even though the place is known as Valle de Bravo, real flying is at the takeoff El Penon in the Temascaltepec area.

It is IMPORTANT to know the local rules of the Clubs and both takeoffs. 

There is a launch site in Valle de Bravo called La Torre (the tower) and it is used just for local tandem operation.

The main site is El Penon, where all the courses and competitions are organized.

Valle de Bravo is Mexico’s most famous and most flown paragliding and hang-gliding site. Apart of being the top Mexican paragliding spot, it is also world famous for its conditions for flying. Valle de Bravo has almost perfect climate for getting a lot of flying hours and learn to fly and it is top destination when you are bored of winter and snow. In one week you can get 30 hours of flight time! Really worth visiting!

Trans Alps Adventure
The Journey Begins Here
Things You Don't Want to Miss

How to get to Valle de Bravo?

Get your flight directly to Mexico City (MEX) or Toluca (TLC). Try to get your flight planned to land during the day. If you need to stay a night in Mexico City don´t stay close to the bus station! It will be cheap, but too dangerous at night for a foreigner so staying close to the airport should be a little bit expensive, but much safer. 

Bus is the cheapest ride to Valle de Bravo. The bus station name is "Observatorio" (Observatory). Take UBER to Observatorio from airport $300 Mexican pesos (around 15 euro) to catch the next bus going to Valle for $300 Mexican pesos. Taking the subway from the Airport is not recommended.

Once at the Observatorio bus station you will find only one bus line you can use for the Valle trip, it's called the Zinacatepec / Excelencia. You will find daily departures from 5:00 AM up to 5:00 PM, one every hour for Valle de Bravo. (For example, 5:15, 6:15, 7:15 and so on)
Be sure to buy and to ride the "Libramiento" bus route to Valle de Bravo (por la autopista / highway).
So, the "Libramiento" bus departing from Observatorio is a non-stop ride, cheap enough, safe, you can make it on time and you might be on Valle early enough for your first flight there before calling it a day, just spend those $300 Pesos on the airport cab to the Observatorio bus station, be safe, be comfortable, be wise...!

In Valle de Bravo you can use TAXI. There is price for standard route MX$25 and private ride. Ask before!

Tour and Stopovers

Paragliding sites around Valle de Bravo

Valle de Bravo has two very different paragliding flying sites; “La Torre” (The Tower), this is one is above town (30 minutes ride up). This is a ridge soaring area and then a flight over the town with a great view. During the weekend the site is too crowded with tandems so it is not recommended to go.

Launch site is small and windy so good kiting skills are required.
Beware the lake landing zone is small!

El Peñón, Temascaltepec

The main paragliding, hangliding, free flying site is the world famous “El Peñón” (The Big Rock). El Peñón is a competition level place and great for some good XC and about 14 km straight line from Valle. Cross country flight from El Peñón to Valle is a local tradition and even though is only 14 km; it is not so easy to make it. Valle de Bravo has its own tricks and getting there first time without help, first kilometers of XC will be hard to make. We recommend our XC courses to learn the tricks of Valle de Bravo.
Fly El Peñón early in the morning when the day just starts to turn on or late at the afternoon, at least a couple of times until you get familiarized with the place. First thermals go out at 9:30 and moderate ones are already at 11:00.
Avoid launching between 12:00 and 15:00 PM on sunny days of the high season. It gets very windy!

The area close to Crazy Thermal can be really strong and turbulent so if you are a beginner, take our classes or fly really high. Valle de Bravo has famous convergence and the winds tend to have different directions depending where and how high you fly. 

The piano landing zone of the Peñón is quite big and it´s over a plateau called "Africa" because of its shape. If you don´t like rough conditions try to land there before the noon or you will find thermal and wind boosting you up again for hours making your landing quite hard and scary.
Blue days during the winter time are very common in Valle de Bravo so try to learn to read the ground for thermal triggers as much as possible.

Taking our thermaling course in Valle de Bravo will teach you how to thermal excellent and our XC course in Valle de Bravo will boost tour kilometers instantly!

Useful Information

Weather

Central Mexico where the Valle de Bravo is situated has basically two weather seasons. Dry season (winter time, high pressure) and rainy season when the tropical convergence comes more north so we have a LOW-pressure system all the time. When it comes and when it go depends a lot on El Nino and La Nina's effects. Normally the years with less rain have more windy winters and vice versa.

Valle de Bravo is known for being not only a good place to fly but also for its consistency of many good and reliable flyable days. The best flying season for paragliding in Valle de Bravo starts on January and it goes until May when the rainy season starts. Rainy days are also flyable for a few hours, just don´t expect the best XC conditions. Rain season ends in September and from then to December days are usually very mellow and nice to fly perfect conditions for students, beginners or just relax flying. 

Basically, we have 300 flyable days during the year and from December to April. Almost every day is flyable. 

October is humid with low cloud base.
November is mild and still humid but the cloud base is getting higher.
December is mild but good for beginners of XC. Afternoon flights are also possible.
January gets good. High cloud base. No rain. Afternoon flights are possible.
February is stronger with moderate winds. Afternoon flights are possible.
March is windy and strong. Afternoon flights are possible.
April the winds are weaker but the thermals are stronger. Afternoon flights are possible.
May has less wind, more strong with a chance of overdevelopment.
June – October is with afternoon thunderstorms and the rain can sometimes last the whole day. Normally we fly in the morning from 9:00 – 14:00.

There is no like Valle de Bravo weather. Incredible 360 flyable days per year! IT IS JUST CRAZY GOOD!

We never cancel courses due to bad weather. There is NO bad weather in Valle de Bravo. When you book your course you can bet you will finish your training as scheduled. It really sucks when you travel to learn, and spend money, and then the weather messes it up. 

In the dry season, November to May, we fly from early morning till the evening, and in the rainy season May to October, we fly from early morning till early afternoon.

The daily temperature throughout the year is 20-33 C. Winter nights can be cold.

Useful Information
Moving around

How to move

Be careull in Valle de Bravo

Valle de Bravo is at 1800m ASL, takeoff at 2300 m ASL and you get heights up to 4500 m ASL so that means a lack of oxygen and you will need couple of day to adjust your blood cells. Also Jetlag is common if you come from Europe. Sleep a lot, eat a lot!


Another thing is not to carry expensive stuff in the night or far away from flying area. Don’t show the money and don’t go in the night alone. Also don’t go far and then getting back home late in the evening.

Ask TAXIS first the price always.
Ask always the price first at any shop.

Drinking alchohol on the street is not alowed.

Getting to the take off - pilot transportation

The first to do upon your arrival is checking Club Penon website and pay the takeoff fee for El Penon. www.clubpenon.org

Shuttles from the different local schools for both La Torre and El Peñón destinations depart from the Marina Nacional street or landing field Santa Maria. Penon shuttles leave 8:00 AM (FLUMEN) and 9:00 AM (SKYRIDES). La Torre shuttles leave 11:00 AM and later.

Usual fee is around US$5 for La Torre or US$10 to El Peñón. The there and back fee to El Penon is around US$15.

Other option for going to El Peñón from Valle de Bravo is taking Taxi that will normally charge you from MX$250-350 to the takeoff. The retrieve or going back depends where you have landed. 

Getting a cab to go to La Torre is not recommended.


FLUMEN PARATAXI tarrifs 

  • Valle de Bravo -  El Penon MX$ 150 / US$8
  • Aterrizaje Piano – Valle de Bravo MX$150 / US$8
  • There and back MX$250 / US$13
  • Gas station Fresno – El Penon MX$100
  • Landing Penon – Gas Fresno MX$100
  • Albarrada – El Penon – MX$50
  • Landing – Takeoff El Penon – MX$150

PARATAXI requires minimum number of people to go. It is not a private cab for anyone.

Similar Routes

Accommodation in Valle de Bravo

Cheapest accommodation options for logging in Valle de Bravo are finding a simple room. There are not formally Bed & Breakfast places in Valle de Bravo, but many people will rent a room at their homes for a really small fee, you can ask for these at the Santa María landing field or any local.

Usual fee would be around 25-50 euro the night. Hotels are spread all around the town, some of the cheapest are those you can find directly outside the Valle de Bravo bus station terminal, but I would recommend getting something closer to the landing zone to avoid long walks or unnecessary daily extra taxi rides.

They are some hotels at the Santa María landing zone or close to the local clubs, some of them really close to them! That's very comfortable because it will save you from long walks every day carrying your gear all around town.

Pilots most visited posada in Valle de Bravo is Charlie’s Place that has good location, relaxed atmosphere, its ok price and only for pilots

If you rent AirBnB in Valle, rent around Santa Maria area where the vans leave and come back.

Food and where to eat in Valle de Bravo

Valle de Bravo is diverse and vast when it comes about where to eat: you will find places to eat spread all around the place ranging from all kind of prices. It's possible to eat from non permanent stand carts on the sidewalks of some streets (specially early on the morning and at the afternoon until late at night) for only 2 or 3 euro for some "tacos" or a cheese hamburger and a soda drink, up to the best fancy restaurants in town where a full meal with drinks cost around up to 30 euro.

Most typical food in Valle de Bravo (cheap) will be the "tacos" (circular tortilla with meat) and "quesadillas" (elliptical tortilla), all kind of tacos and quesadillas taste very different and even the same kind of taco from place to place may vary a lot, and I mean a lot! Try to have some fun, taste everything it looks and smells good to you and ask what it is after eating it! Tacos will have different kinds of meat, for a more vegetarian choice ask for quesadillas, they are also very diverse. Visiting “Mercado” or the market place of Valle de Bravo is a must as they have good prepared food. Food cost around 50-60 MX and includes water so don’t get fooled.

Take in mind that you are changing the country and you can have stomach problems due to change of food, bacteria etc. Try drinking lemon water, put lemon in everything, eat chilly and wash the fruit before eating. Ask the local pilots where to eat. 

Water from the pipe is most of the year drinkable but not recommended for tourists.
In case of stomach problems buy Imodium in the pharmacy and Yakool in Oxxo.

Overall paragliding around Valle de Bravo

If you are a beginner, someone that wants to learn to fly, upgrade your level or just practice and fly Cross Country in Valle de Bravo you can contact us and we can offer you variety of services depending on your level and needs.

And why FLUMEN?

Because we can offer you best possible guidance and clinics by Marko Hrgetic who won almost all competitions here in Mexico. Because our student progress rapidly and safe!

Don’t hesitate and contact us!

Newsletter


Our website is still under construction, so some parts are still not finished completely or the info is not complete.

Follow us

Payments

PngItem 2918799

btc