The Chicamocha Canyon, a 1,524-meter-high vertical wall, is one of the most breathtaking sites of Colombia. The Chicamocha River winds its way southeastward through this impressive canyon. The panoramic view from the rim extends for hundreds of miles across towering mountain ranges and deep valleys bathed in tropical greens and blues. Set up very carefully for your best forward launch and wait for a cycle. If you are lucky the wind might come up from the canyon, but more likely you will be waiting for the tail wind to drop to zero. Run as fast as you can. Check your wing. If you get to the edge and everything isn't perfect, stop! That next step is 4,000 feet straight down. Really, there is plenty of room here to get your forward in shape before the edge. It is a good long run down a gently sloping grass field. Once you clear the edge, look down. Look way down. Most likely you will soon catch a thermal and rise over launch. Just follow the chulos. The launch is 5,700' MSL on the Mesa de Los Santos, world famous for its delicious organic coffee. The climate is perfect for coffee and very pleasant for pilots, too. The cool morning gives way to clear skies and sunshine. Just when it is about to get too hot, the clouds gather over the mesa and cool things down again. No wonder it is such a popular weekend getaway for Colombians. Already, Europeans and North Americans are snapping up properties to build vacation homes here. Richi and Annie have purchased a property right on the edge of the canyon. When they finish building their house and grading a launch, it will be paraglider heaven. You will be able to sit on the veranda sipping your morning coffee and watching the cycles. When everything looks perfect, stroll to your waiting wing and join the chulos in the air. Fly the 25 minute sled ride to the LZ below, or circle above and top land near the house. Or, go XC and land by the golf course. Unusually, the thermal cycles coming up from the canyon weren't able to break the prevailing wind from the west this morning. We wait for a couple of hours and watch the windsock. The wind continues to blow off the mesa. Parawaiting in Colombia. Richi gives us the option of going back to Ruitoque for some afternoon flying, but we elect to hang out at the Casa Vuelo Libre. An afternoon break from flying. A nice long siesta in a comfortable hammock in the cool temperatures of the mesa. This was the only day we didn't fly in the whole trip.
One of the most famous spots in the department, it is an incredible geographic feauture near the capital city of Bucaramanga. Many activites can be enjoyed here, including: rafting, paragliding and hikings. There is a hiking trail that starts in los Santos town 1500 meters above sea level, and goes down to the canyon and up to the Chicamocha Canyon National Park through a beautiful trail built in the 1860’s by the German Georg von Lengerke. Being a 32 km long trail, starting with temperatures of 18C and going up to 32C in the bottom of the canyon, carrying water with you during the way is a must. The way down finishes in Jordan town, where you can enjoy a medieval bridge built by the Irishs in the 1870, as well as typical old houses. From here the trail goes up towards the Chicamocha Canyon NP. Also for sale along the road is the local specialty. Hawkers come to the car with plastic bags of snack food hanging from long poles. The local snack is unique to this area and is something everyone should try once. Deep fried and salted hormigas culonas literally means big ass ants. I think they taste like the unpopped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the container. They are reputed to be an aphrodisiac and are often served at wedding banquets. These leaf cutter ants are the biggest in the world. We were still hot from packing up in the sauna-like temperatures of the LZ, so the thing to do is cool off in the cool waters of the river. The water flows down from high peaks and is just the refreshment required at a time like this. There are numerous stops along the road where we can jump in for a quick dip, even when the park is closed. Not far below Chiflas Restaurant on the south ridge of the canyon is the South Launch. The launch is a short hike from a parking area at 5,000' MSL. The LZ is the same as the Mesa Launch, 3,300 feet below. Unless you take the high route and fly across the canyon to the Mesa for a much cooler landing, as Russell did. Last week, Richi and Russell arrived here to find the army doing exercises. The young soldiers enjoyed watching the group launch. This week we arrived to find a swarm of small children chasing a soccer ball around the parking area. With a 3,300 foot drop off the edge, I am sure they learn excellent ball handling skills very early in life.
Last night, we had a good home cooked meal at our hostel: sweet salsa porc chops with the house special salad and a fresh blackberry smoothy. YUM! We are truly treated like members of the family by the female owner and her main helper. They even made our laundry and insist that we have a full breakfast every day before we leave to fly. Our overloaded van for the road trip This morning, the whole gang left early to meet Michel and I at our hostel on the way to one of the great natural wonders of Colombia: Chicamocha Canyon. The road trip there was about an hour, yet the landscape changed dramatically as we climbed up the long twisting roads to the canyon. Michel being a wise assOnce there, I was totally taken back by the breathtaking beauty of the site and VERY intimidated by the gigantic proportions of the place we were about to fly... I have never flown boxed into such a huge landscape. Chicamocha Canyon launch right view Anyway, I let more experienced pilots go first and soon followed with a perfect launch over the hidden 90 degree drop of a cliff just in front of the launch!!! The panoramic view all around was amazing and really brings things into perspective. The landscape, vegetation and climate were totally different from Bucaramanga: the hills were dry and covered with dense forests of super high cacti - many hidding just beneath the canopy of the few trees which survive there. I flew all along the ridge on one end and got many strong thermals along the way (including one consistent one just above a big red cellular antennae) and even as I was sinking out, I spotted Nova turning a thermal just in front of me, jumped in myself and regained all my lost altitude. We did have a time constraint though as the sun was crossing the sky... We launched around 9:30 and had to be on the ground around 12:00 before the wind switched directions 180 degrees. So, after exploring that side of the canyon with my colleagues, I decided to follow Michel on full speed bar and jet accross the wide canyon to the other side. Long winding road just in front on other sidUnfortunately, I discovered that the other side was boxed in between two giant power lines and I was too low to fly above them. So, I started my slow downward approach to the landing zone right next to the river. It reminded Michel and I a lot like the nice landing stretch at La Troncal, Ecuador last year. Anyway, this was an AWESOME experience and I am very satisfied. The river water was also crystal blue and cool, but the current was too strong to swim in, so I just washed down my face and arms instead. We also had lunch at a small restaurant just before our regular flying site and I had a very nice lake fish cooked in tomato and onion sauce with a side order of fries and a very refreshing lime smoothy. The only downside is that the bottom of the canyon was scorching hot and I think I got some mild heat sickness which I am trying to wear off by drinking lots of water and not flying for the rest of the afternoon. Next time, I'll bring sandals and shorts like everyone else.
