Weather is truly reliable. One can fly almost every day.

As far as the flying is concerned, one of the best things about Valadares is its consistently reliable weather. During February, March and April the wind is usually weak, thermals are big, smooth (2-5 m/s) and relatively calm. It is a fantastic place to develop and fine-tune your thermalling skills. With cloudbase normally reaching about 1,800 meters above the ground, you will have plenty of time and space to polish up your technique.

Governador Valadares is a place in Brazil where there is:
-          no cold,
-          no limit of airspace,
-          no work,
-          no stress,
-          no husband/wife…

but

-          weather is flyable nearly every day,
-          soft and consistent thermals help you to fly through the sky, 
-          there are paragliding-lover ‘urubos’ (vultures) to fly and thermal with them,
-          you can taste the freedom and exotica of Brazil…

Who could ask for anything more?

Valadares is rightly described as a Mecca for paragliding. Countless national and international competitions are held here, year after year. Valadares once again hosted the PWC in March 2009, the World Championship in 2005 and it has also been the venue for the World Air Games.

Governador Valadares is an especial city built around an island in the yellow red color Rio Doce (Sweet River), in about 580 kilometres distance from Rio de Janeiro. The landscape is chiefly plan or rather undulating, but one can take off from the Ibituruna Peak (1,123 m asl) and join the group of kilometre-hunter pilots in cross-country flights.

Ibituruna is a huge lump of volcanic rock, towering 990 metres above the city and the landing field at Feira da Paz. Because of its height above the surrounding landscape, it tends to act like a magnet, drawing all the thermals in the vicinity towards its peak. It is an exceptional starting point for those big XC flights.

Whether you come here with 10 hours or hundreds of hours, Valadares has a lot to offer and provides an excellent opportunity to increase those personal bests. Valadares is generally considered to have some of the best cross-country flying in the world.

We spend or last day in Rio de Janeiro visiting Corcovado and the statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the new seven wonders of the world! The views of Rio de Janeiro, Sugarloaf Mountain, and the Rio beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana are amazing from the top.
If weather allows, we never miss a great flight from Pedra Bonita. Its altitude is 520 meter (1675 feet) and the landing zone is directly on the beach! It is dreamlike to glide over the Tijuca's National Park Mountains, the largest urban rainforest in the world.

Peter Simonics, our tour leader is an expert of Brazilian flights since he set up a World Record of Straight Distance to Declared Goal in Ceara, Brazil, in 2002! During the last 16 years, altogether he has visited Brasilia to fly more than 40 times and from this 20 times Governador Valadares.