Dominical is a small surfer town located at the pacific ocean in the south of the country. You take off at the mountain ridge set back from the coast and fly over the jungle before landing at either Dominicalito or Dominical beach. Because of the consistent thermals at the takeoff ridge, it is easy to get and stay up and have fun close to the takeoff.
If you are more into XC flying, you can follow the ridge to the north and south and make quite some distance. You’ve got a good takeoff altitude of 630 meters and are ensured spectacular views.
Map
Takeoff: Escalares
The takeoff is a private and well-maintained property. It features a tidy grass area for preparation and takeoff, a sitting area in the shade, and a (simple) sanitary facility. The launch is completely flat and you have to take care when you lift your glider because it will catch the wind quickly once it is rising.
We always experienced a nice wind of around 15-25km/h from the sea. Sometimes it was a bit gusty, in particular when the wind was blowing with a southeast angle. A good time to take off is around noon.
How to get there?
There are two main options: getting a lift from one of the tandem operators or taking a taxi. The two tandem operators are:
- Zion Paragliding (Zion on WhatsApp, +506 8711 5683)
- Tandem Paraglide Costa Rica (Alex on WhatsApp, +506 8345 5135)
For a taxi, you need to choose one of the 4×4/offroad taxis, the normal ones cannot reach the takeoff. You usually find them near the football field located on the main road of Dominical. Don’t assume that they are always available, we sometimes needed to look around for a while (some WhatsApp numbers of taxis: +506 8847 0231, +506 8779 3030, +506 8659 5959).
Maybe the best option, though, is to join the “Paragliding Domi Gang” group. Ask Zion (see above) for an invite. Most days people organize shared taxi rides to the takeoff.
Fees
A taxi was about 15.000 to 18.000 Colón (~ 30€). The takeoff fee was 5.000 Colón (~ 8€). You need to sign a waiver before takeoff. During the day there is always someone on-site.
Flying & Weather
Weather conditions are quite consistent because the takeoff is protected by a large mountain range in its back. Flying is supposed to be possible all year but we can imagine that it is also impacted by the rainy season.
After takeoff, you can soar along the ridge but the real thermals are usually a bit further out. If you fly there for the first time, watch the other pilots and birds to locate them. For beginners, it is recommended to stay between the radio tower in the south and before the gap in the ridge to the north where a venturi effect can be felt (see map).
The limiting factor we experienced was the low cloud base. We couldn’t head south on the days we flew there because of that. To the north, the terrain drops a bit, making it easier with the given weather conditions. Also, when staying close to takeoff, you should take care to not get sucked into the clouds for obvious reasons.
Reaching the front ridge close to the sea was never an issue for us, even when flying overweight carrying all our luggage. Making some height, flying to the front ridge, and tracking it north until landing at Dominical beach is an awesome experience for causal pilots and for getting to know the region.
If you are more ambitious, you can basically follow the ridge north and south as long as you like. There are plenty of landing opportunities, at least when you don’t fly too far away from the coast. When you fly to the south, you need to do a hop over the town of Uvita, which can be a challenge.
Landing
You can land all along Dominicalito and Dominical beach. But mind the tide, especially at Dominicalito space is very limited during high tide.
Between take-off and the coast is mainly jungle with very limited landing options. So you shouldn’t linger around for too long once under take-off height. There is a little football field towards Dominicalito beach which can be used as a backup. We never landed there but heard it can be quite tricky with thermal activity.
Further information
- Our Dominical experience
- Zion Site Guide
- SkyHigh Costa Rica (German)
- Get in touch with Zion via WhatsApp (+506 8711 5683)
- Get in touch with Alex via WhatsApp (+506 8345 5135)