Off-Track Backpacking » hang-gliding

Read Our Guest Post of The World Reviewer Today!

Tanya — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:26:30 +0000

My guest post on my hang-gliding experience in Rio last winter was featured on the World Reviewer today. Read all about it here.

Enjoy the weekend!

Hang-Gliding in Rio

Tanya — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:37:42 +0000

Rio de Janeiro is a city filled with places to see and things to do: ride on the cable car of Pão de Açúcar, watch the sunset from Arpoador, bike-ride around the lagoa, hop on a tram in Santa Teresa, visit the National Park of Tijuca, party in Lapa and of course, sunbathe on the famous beaches of Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema and Leblon. But what better way to experience Rio than from a bird-eye view? This being said, Rio is famous for one activity- an activity called HANG-GLIDING.

Hang-gliding is a sport where a pilot flies an unmotorized aircraft called a hang-glider. The pilot and passenger are both attached to the frame of the hang-glider using a harness.

Hang-gliding is popular in Rio due to the numerous hills surrounding the city. The normal price to hang-glide is R$240. Depending on the conditions, the ride can last anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes. Hang-glides take off from Pedra Bonita, on the edge of Tijuca National Park and 520m above the beach of Sao Conrado. You’ll fly over the forest and ocean as well as alongside the mountains before landing directly on the beach of Sao Conrado.

I think everyone should go hang-gliding when visiting Rio! The scariest part is take-off. You need to wait for the right winds and once they come, you need to run towards the cliff and then fly off! Check it out!

And oviously, once you’re up the in the air, the feeling is simply awesome! The view is gorgeous and the feeling of being up there is even better.

Still in Rio but Leaving for Bahia Tomorrow

Tanya — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:47:48 +0000

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. So much has happened since I last wrote. When I first got to Rio, I was a little scared and lonely- but so much has changed in the last few days! I met lots of people at the hostel and we spent an awesome New Year’s Eve together! After visiting the main touristic places at the beginning of the week, I spent the remainder of it exploring it my way! On my third day in Rio, I rented a bike and biked along Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches as well as around the lake. The funny part of the day was when a tv host approched us and asked us to be on live tv. I didn’t want to because I cannot speak Portuguese for the life of me but ended up doing it anyway. I made such a fool of myself. Thank god I don’t know many people in Rio! On Thursday Dec 30th, I was scheduled to go hang-gliding but it rained all day. Blah! The hostel planned a boat party so most of us backpackers ended up there. I guess it was one of the best ways to pass time on a rainy day!

Anyhow, all this to say that finally, Dec 31st came along. It was still raining in the morning so most of us were disapointed. But luckily, it cleared up by the end of the day. We all wore white clothing and headed to the beach. It will be an unforgetable night! I’ll post the video once I get back home. We were easily 2.5 million people on the beach. I’m so fortunate to have been surrounded by great people! The fireworks at midnight and the synergy on the beach were beyond spectacular. I cannot even write what I felt! To my surprise, I was woken up at 10am this morning to go hang-gliding. Considering that I am leaving tomorrow, I couldn’t pass the opportunity. So tired as I was, I spent the day with a few other people and the guide waiting my turn to go hang-gliding. WOW is all I have to say. The view was unbelievable. I’d really like to post some pics but the Internet here is way to slow. I’ll do so when I have high-speed Internet at my next hostel. Happy New Year to all!