FLYING THE AMERICAS From lakeside soaring in Guatemala to chasing distance across the flatlands of Brazil
IN NUMBERS
SECRET AMERICAS
35
The number of countries in The Americas. From tiny Saint Kitts and Nevis to giants Brazil, USA and Canada
985m
The total population of the Americas, including 569 million in North and Central America, and 416 million in South America
Panajachel
Full of magical energy and natural beauty Lake Atitlan in Guatemala offers flying in the shadow of dramatic live volcanoes. realworldparagliding.jimdo.com
30,000
The approximate total length in km of the Pan American Highway network of roads, which stretch from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina – minus a 106km stretch of roadless jungle at the Darién Gap, the break between North and South America
41
The total number of trips (so far) that legendary paramotor pilot Jeff Hamann has made in his mission to fly the length of the Pacific coast of the Americas – including flying across the famous Darién Gap
Hablas Español?
South of San Diego, USA, you’ll be speaking Spanish. Phrases you might need include: “¿Dónde está el aterrizaje? (Where is the landing?)”; “¿Hay algún espacio aéreo? (Is there any airspace?)”; “¿Qué hay detrás? (What’s over the back?)”; “¿Es seguro volar aquí? (Is it safe to fly here?)”; “El viento está demasiado fuerte (The wind is too strong)”; “¿Hay Wi-Fi aquí? (Do you have Wi-Fi?)”; “¿Puedo ofrecerle un trago a mis nuevos amigos? (Can I buy you all a drink?)” Brazil’s a different trip – you’ll need to brush up on your Portuguese.
764km
The longest hang gliding flight ever flown was in the Americas – by Dustin Martin in Texas, 4 July 2012. He and Jonny Durand battled it out all day but Dustin eked out his final glide by an extra 5km
CITY LIVING
San Felix
Medellin, Colombia is one of South America’s best cities. The flying site at San Felix is accessible by city bus, consistent, top-landable and on all year round. paraglidingmedellin.com
24,428km The number of kilometres to date that Jeff has flown in his quest, which started in 2003.
582km
The longest paragliding flight ever flown was in the Americas – by Marcelo Prieto, Rafael Saladini and Rafael de Moraes Barros, in northeast Brazil on 10 October 2019
68
Sacred Valley
Launching from the ramp in Rio de Janeiro is jaw-dropping. Even if you don’t manage to fly to the statue of Christ and back, it’s an unforgettable and unique location.
CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2020 AMERICAS
Soaring downtown Lima, Peru, a city of 9m people, is spectacular. There’s nowhere else you can get this up close and personal with a city’s high-rise buildings and hotels.
Cusco in the Peruvian Andes is the starting point for visits to Machu Picchu. You can fly here too – thermal above the ancient Sacred Valley with 5,400m mountains out front sayaq-seqe.com
