Roldanillo is famous around the world as an awesome paragliding spot. The climate and terrain provide plenty of opportunities for long cross-country flights along the Cauca Valley. Easy transportation and low prices round up the package. Roldanillo was also part of the Paragliding World Cup 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2022 which boosted its popularity so that nowadays up to 1000 pilots stay there at a time, mostly in January and February when the conditions are at their peak.
We visited Roldanillo at the end of February/beginning of March with the rainy season about to start and were already feeling some FOMO. And the 3 weeks we stayed, conditions really haven’t been at their best with lots of rain, thunderstorms, and a low cloud base. But based on the stories of other pilots, we were still happy not having been there earlier. Conditions generally have been hit and miss this season and during the busy months, accommodations, restaurants, bars, and cafes must have been totally overwhelmed. Not to talk of the crowds at the takeoff and in the air. Even if we would have loved to see the spectacle.
We met a lot of other pilots including a German instructor working for Papillon (Wasserkuppe) staying in Roldanillo every winter, a travel group from Germany, and a bunch of pilots from Sweden, the USA, and the UK. Since the city was comparatively void of tourists we not only met them at the takeoff but often bumped into each other in town. We quickly formed a small community drinking beer and coffee together and playing chess (we only watched).
Even though the conditions were not as favorable, I still managed to do some long flights I’m quite happy with. The takeoff is located on the ridge next to town which extends North and South for many kilometers. At the launch, you look out into the vast Cauca Valley often without being able to see the ridge on the far side. After taking off, you need to clear a ridge in front of you and a huge power line which can be intimidating. On my flights, I mostly followed the ridge north crossing multiple gaps where the valley cuts deep into the ridge. Always present and often a bit unnerving: the powerlines. One of the aspects that wouldn’t let me recommend Roldanillo for beginners.
To fly a triangle (which is usually the ambition in XC flying) and because of a strong westerly wind called Pacifico that sets in in the afternoon, I then crossed into the open valley at some point. And suddenly I needed to switch my mind from ridge to flatland flying. I haven’t had much experience of that so far so it was great practice. Instead of studying the shape of the terrain, it is more important to watch the clouds and the kind of surface below (the jackpot were sugar cane fields that were currently harvested). Immensely helpful were the birds which clearly indicated thermal activity and saved me from bombing out plenty of times. It’s a huge reward to get back to cloud base circling in a flock of birds after expecting an imminent landing.
The weather, in particular the wind situation, often changed quite rapidly. Multiple times I had to flee from massive dark clouds that were forming and navigate around rain showers. And trying to fly back to Roldanillo in the afternoon can not only become dangerous but is often just impossible because of the strong Pacifico headwind. Already on my first flight, though, I found my preferred landing spot at a football field down the road to Roldanillo where it was easy to get a lift back home. And it was not only my preferred spot because that’s where I, by chance, found the paragliding group mentioned above, packing up after landing there as well.
Another infamous sight where the sugar cane fires. Environmentally immensely harmful, unnecessary, and a hazard for paragliders that I very much stayed away from. More than once, though, I by accident flew through light ash clouds caused by one of those fires. This was not problematic but simply unpleasant.
There are two flights I want to tell you a bit more about. The first one is an exception to the rule that you don’t need to worry about coming back to Roldanillo wherever you land in the Cauca Valley. I took off with a group of local pilots and followed them for a while in weak conditions crossing above the town. Compared to many of the other pilots I managed to stay up until conditions got stronger, flew back to the ridge, and followed it north as far as the airspace would allow. Even then, there were no clouds in the valley and I expected weak conditions. Because I expected the Pacifico to set in soon I flew out anyways, but didn’t manage to fly back South at all. I landed in a field close to a town called San Francisco. It took me 2ยฝ hours on buses and motos (motorbike taxis) to get back home because I needed to change vehicles at every other town.
The second notable flight was my longest with over 5h and 68 XC kilometers. It wasn’t a gimme by any means. There were quite a few spots where I had to work hard and be very patient to stay up. But that makes the flight all the more rewarding. On this day I attempted that classical Roldanillo FAI ~100km triangle. For that, you fly north to Torro, then back and to the South a bit (which I didn’t do), across the valley to Sevilla (which I almost reached), and then back as far as the headwind allows.
While I was out flying, Katy unfortunately still needed to be easy on her ankle. From another pilot, we heard about a good physiotherapist in town and decided to go there together. Katy for her ankle, and I for my hip that was still hurting regularly after overtaxing it during a hike in Costa Rica. It was only 7โฌ per hour and became a habit for the following 10 days (“Nos vemos alas cinco!?”). At least after we realized that the doctor expected us to come back more than a few times. We always got a cold & hot treatment, followed by a massage or electric stimulation and some exercises along with six other patients. All the while the doctor and his assistant were passing idle time on their phones.
The doc was only 27 and loved rock and metal music. When he learned that we share that preference he started playing Rammstein (of course) and other artists (Disturbed, System of a Down, Linkin Park, etc.) for everyone. Loved it ๐ On one Saturday, Katy received an additional session at the doctor’s home (he got a training room there). It was a bit awkward initially but they had a good time playing some more rock music and Katy tried to translate “Du Hast” (Rammstein) into Spanish โ with limited success.
Next up for us was Piedechinche (Santa Elena) further down the Cauca Valley. We needed to delay our departure by one day, though, because Katy, unfortunately, got very sick. Ironically, through a home-cooked dish (probably some uncooked lentils). On the positive side, our hosts went out of their way to help Katy. They prepared water with natron & citrus and even cooked a delicious soup for her with chicken, potato, and cilantro. We were really thankful for their friendly aid!
P.S.: We are happy to be back after the laptop disaster ๐
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