Costa Rica is a comparatively uncharted country in terms of paragliding but has a good variety of flying spots, motivated local pilots, and tandem operators. The country is very scenic, safe, and easy to travel to. It’s also one of the most expansive countries in central/southern America — prices are comparable to Europe.
Below we want to share information and insights we gained from the spots we have visited. Please always get in touch with locals before flying there since we only spent limited time in each spot, and things might have changed since our visit in early 2023.
Site Guides
- Dominical — coastal flying, XC flying opportunities, touristic surfer town
- Rivas — mountain XC and flatland flying, cooler temperatures
- Caldera — coastal ridge soaring
- Jacó — touristic party town, hot and dry, easy landings (we haven’t been here long enough for a proper guide, but take a look at the one from Zion)
Our Impression
We had good fun in Costa Rica. Flying along on the coast is always special and the tropical vibes, good food, and relaxing atmosphere allow for a good vacation, not only for paragliding.
The locals were nice and friendly and it was easy to get in contact with people and the local paragliding scene. Getting around was no issue, because of the friendly people and good infrastructure. The healthcare system seems to be quite good (from what we’ve heard) and we always felt very safe.
We liked Dominical the most and would like to come back in the future. In Rivas, we would like to try our luck again with XC flying.
General Landing Information
In many spots, you fly above the jungle which might be intimidating at first. However, we always found safe, while sometimes constrained, landing spots. These mostly included:
- Beaches (check the tide!)
- Football fields
- Cattle grazing
Football fields are public spaces in Costa Rica. In Rivas in particular, those were our main landing spots. Almost every little village got one so as long as you have a village in sight you should also find space to land. They are often fenced in but not locked. Don’t be afraid to land while a game is going on — at least in the Rivas region they are used to it and will happily pause their game for you.
We generally never had an issue with landing out. People were friendly and supportive.