Adventure Mode: Exploring mountain culture in Colombia

Most XC pilots know about Roldanillo in Colombia, but Jericó and Fredonia is an area further north, about 45km southwest of Medellin. The conditions are different – you’re not flying flatlands but mountains, so you have to deal with all that implies. 

The views are better, the weather requires a bit more thinking about, you don’t see quite as many pilots and it allows for some cool routes, although they are not necessarily the longest. It’s not the place to do big 200km triangles, it’s more somewhere you can do 80km or 90km with excellent views, while perhaps camping up in the mountains is also an option. 

I started going there four years ago with my paragliding tours and it seems to make a lot of people happy. Jericó is considered one of the most beautiful towns in the region, has a lot of history and shows off Colombian mountain culture. 

You can drive to launch at about 1,900m, which is 1,400m above the Cauca river in the valley below. There are a couple of privately owned launches with parking,Wi-fi, a nice restaurant, nice coffee, all the amenities to just hang out. And the take-off is nicely groomed. For any pilot, including beginners, it’s ideal. The house thermal is not very obvious though – it depends on the time of day you are there. And for experienced pilots it’s slightly challenging to fly far, but that to me is something interesting. And for the beginner, being able to do such a long top to bottom is also amazing. 

Across the valley is a take-off called Fredonia, which faces the sun a bit better in the mornings. From there you can fly some long XCs for sure, 100km towards Santa Fe de Antioquia, out-and-returns or triangles. It’s a beautiful region and where we held the SRS competition in January 2025.

Vol-biv is possible, but you need to be good at navigating and some areas don’t have too many tracks. Also, something very important to keep in mind is that if you land on the wrong side of the river, it may be a bit of a mission to get out of there. During the SRS we had to pick up some people by boat! So make sure you land on the same side as the road. But there are tonnes of places to top-land and there are also nice towns in the mountains. You can also try a mix of vol-biv and vol-visa. People just need to remember that it can be wild. 

Seb Ospina, local guide, Colombia/Switzerland

Colombia is a top destination for European pilots in January and February, but you can fly there year-round. Lots of companies offer tours, and it is worth looking around to find one that matches your level and goals. Check out colombiaparagliding.com and sebadventures.com

This article was first published in Cross Country Issue 262