So what comes to your mind when you hear "Argentina"? Tango, wine, grilled beef, the Andes. The Andes? Big mountains? So there must be some paragliding to be done there, right? Oh yes, there is! Paragliding is surprisingly popular between Argentinians and many pilots from Argentina show up at world rankings. Argentina is blessed with outstanding natural wonders. It is one of the biggest countries in the world and spans from tropical jungle trough sky high Andean plateaus to never ending Patagonian steppe. We will admire the country's natural marvels from the air, from our paragliders. During our two weeks trip we will concentrate on country's best flying sites in central part of Argentina spread between Andean ranges and central sierras. We will spend between three and four days at each flying site and travel between the sites using scenic roads.

Our trip starts in Tucuman at the foot of the southernmost cloud forest jungle - yungas - 800 miles / 1300km from country's capital Buenos Aires. See the trip itinerary here. In Tucuman we will fly the site of this year's paragliding Panamerican championship - Loma Bola. From there we will travel in our vehicles across high ranges of the Andes and its wide desert valleys to little known picturesque Famatina where we will stay at a walnut ranch which functions as a boutique hotel. In Famatina we will enjoy soaring with condors. Then we will continue toward hot springs of Fiambala perched high in the mountains well above high altitude desert. Then we will cross plains toward sierras of Cordoba with its various world renowned flying sites like La Cubre, Mina Clavero and Merlo. In La Cumbre beside flying we will enjoy traditional Argentinian asado - a grill with lots of beef on it. We will end our trip in historical city of Cordoba where you can take your airplane back home.

Argentina's great variety of climates and environments will give us a rare opportunity to fly very distinct paragliding sites. Please find below a description of the sites we will visit.

Loma Bola, Tucuman
Loma Bola in Tucuman is a classical Argentinian flying location. It hosted Paragliding World cup a few years ago and this year in November it is hosting Pan-American Paragliding Championship. The flying site is located on the very first range of the Andes. The mountains are covered with lush green yungas - the Southern subtropical cloud forest. At the foothills there are endless plantations of lemons and every thermal is filled with their pleasantly sweet smell. The takeoff is a big grassy easy slope, lift is gentle and if you get high above the green jungle you can enjoy spectacular views of the high ranges of the Andes - Cumbres Calchaquies rising up to almost 16.000ft / 5000m. You can fly both the jungle covered hills and the flats in front. The most popular XC route goes south toward Famailla crossing canyon of Lules. Once the hills retreat back you fly the flats jumping between sugarcane plantations. The network of countryside roads makes retrieves painless. I have been flying from Loma Bola since many years and I won Argentinian Nationals there a couple of years ago in sport class. Every time I go back there during austral spring the first thing which hits me are nice smells of blooming oranges lining the city streets, the smells of tropical flowers during a ride up trough the jungle to the takeoff.

Sierras de Cordoba (La Cumbre, Mina Clavero, Merlo)
Mountains of Sierras de Cordoba stretching for over 130miles / 200km in central Argentina are ideal place for a long mountain XC flight with company of condors. Cloudbase there often reaches over 3000m during the season. There are green savannah plains in front of the mountains - pampas. With the prevailing northwestern wind pilots fly south following the Sierras. The classic route goes along Sierra de Comechingones from Mina Clavero to Merlo for 45miles / 70km XC and continues until the end of the Sierras 90miles / 140km. Multiple flying sites along the North-South oriented ridges allow for selecting optimal site for a given weather forecast. La Cumbre and its Cuchi Coral takeoff are home of a few paragliding celebrities who settle there: Hernan Pitoco - a world top acro pilot, Andy Hediger - former XC world champion who left his home Switzerland to live in La Cumbre. Mina Clavero hosted various world cup competitions with the most recent one in 2014. It prizes itself as the best place in Argentina for distance flying. Merlo at the opposite end of the sierras has unique microclimate and beautiful environment which make it a popular holiday destination.

Antofaya Expeditions
Antofaya Expeditions have years of experience in organizing paragliding trips. We strive to be the best in the business. Our fluent multilingual guides will make your flying vacation totally stress free by taking care of all the practicalities from the moment we pick you up at the Tucuman airport to the moment we drop you off two weeks later in Cordoba. We want you to fully enjoy your paragliding vacations whether it is staying in our excellent hotels, or traveling across beautiful Argentinian countryside in our comfortably vehicles, or during the retrieves from cross country outlandings.

Jarek Wieczorek
Jarek Wieczorek will be our primary paragliding guide for this trip. With his experience as a paragliding guide and trip organizer you can count on the quality of the adventure. He has been working with returning clients from across the globe. He is a flying site pioneer, XC coach, and respected expedition leader who loves to share his knowledge and experience with other pilots. In 2012 he won Argentinian paragliding nationals in Tucuman is sport class. As a long term resident of Argentina and Chile he has local knowledge and experience which are crucial for preparation and guiding unique paragliding tours. Contact Jarek Wieczorek

Experienced bilingual local paragliding guides will work with us depending on the number of participants. So every participant will get personal attention and coaching, both on the ground and in the air.

Dates
Fifteen days tour: 30 November - 14 December 2015
Arrival at Tucuman airport (code TUC) or bus station on November 30th
Departure from Cordoba airport (code COR) or bus station on December 14th
See the trip itinerary here.

Prices
To provide the best possible service we limit the number of participants. Therefore it is essential to reserve your spot at this adventure early. Additionally there is a discount for those who reserve their spot early.

If paid before September 1st
$2550 - double occupancy room^*
$2890 - single occupancy room^**

If paid after September 1st
$2650 - double occupancy room^*
$2990 - single occupancy room^**

^* "Double occupancy room" option is available if there is another participant who chooses this option.
^** Famatina is a small mountain village with limited accommodation options so for a couple of nights when we stay there you may need to share a room with another pilot.

For payments, please contact Jarek Wieczorek at jarek@antofaya.com or tel. (303) 800 6340

Included in the Price of the Tour
• Great flying adventure and your logbook full of new flights,
• Constant assistance of English speaking paragliding guides,
• Transfer from Tucuman airport (TUC) or bus terminal on the first day of the tour,
• Transfer to Cordoba airport (COR) or bus terminal on the last day of the tour,
• Transportation during the trip between flying locations starting at Tucuman and ending at Cordoba,
• Accommodation in quality hotels and guesthouse (breakfast included),
• Unlimited transportation to and from flying sites in comfortable vehicles,
• Cross country in-flight and on-the-ground guiding,
• Retrieves from landing zones and cross country landings,
• Services of drivers who are pilots themselves and know the area well,
• Flying sites beta (flying zone descriptions, local tips, and XC coaching),
• Extensive evening weather forecast and flight planning briefings,
• Paragliding competition instruction if desired,
• Special tour T-shirt,
• Traditional Argentinian asado - grill BBQ with lots of famous Argentinian juicy beef and wine,
• Transportation to restaurants, shops, tourists sights, etc. when flying schedule allows.

Airplane tickets
The airplane tickets are not included in the price of the tour. We will gladly assist you if you need help with booking of your plane ticket.

How to get to the startpoint of the trip
Argentina's capital Buenos Aires serves as country's entry point connected by many international airlines. The city deserves a couple of days stopover at the start or end of your trip. From Buenos Aires there are frequent flight to Tucuman and Cordoba. For our trip an open-jaw ticket Buenos Aires - Tucuman, Cordoba - Buenos Aires is recommended. You can also take one of the fast luxury overnight buses which leave from Buenos Aires to Tucuman (16 hours). For those who will travel from Iquique there is a bus Iquique - Tucuman/Salta. If you need help arranging your arrival and stay please do not hesitate to contact us and we will make sure all your needs are met.

Argentina is the world’s eighth-largest country with a population of just 40 million which makes it one of the least densely populated countries on the planet. Majority of Argentinians are of European decent, mostly of Spanish or Italian. Most citizens are Roman Catholic. Official language is Spanish spoken with singing accent. Argentinians are very warm and visitors are always welcome at their homes. Do not be surprised if you get invited by strangers for a sip of mate or a cup of coffee. Best known for its beef, Argentina produces also great wine, fruits and vegetables. It is said that Argentina is the most American of all European countries and the most European of all American countries. It describes its special and unique character. The country main feature outside its capital Buenos Aires are natural wonders, its big size, and the diverse wildlife inhabiting it. Those make Argentina exciting destination for any outdoors lover: horseback riding, trekking, rock-climbing, fly-fishing, wine tours, whitewater rafting opportunities abound. We will arrange any of those activities for our participants when they choose to give paragliding a day brake.

• Jarek Wieczorek
tel. in the USA: (303) 800 6340
tel. in Chile: +56 9-8269-6562
website: www.antofaya.com
e-mail: jarek@antofaya.com