RIVAS XC CLINIC

This 8-day cross country clinic is designed for serious pilots who are ready to fly higher, further and for longer at the best XC site of Central America

CLINIC 1 : February 17 - 24 2024

CLINIC 2: Feb 24 - March 2 2024

Clinic OVerview

Packages start from just $2000

Join our top guides, Zion and Will in Rivas, Costa Rica for a 8-day XC clinic. The team have developed a programme to get you flying your personal best distance and to learn how to see the skies, so you can keep flying great flights. The Rivas valley is paragliding’s best kept XC secret of the Americas'.

Your Guides

Get to know the fun and qualified crew that will be guiding you in the air and on the ground as you tour along the beautiful South Pacific coast of Costa Rica

ZION SUSANNO

Owner and Founder of Zion Paragliding, APPI Paragliding Instructor, APPI Pro Tandem Instructor

XC and Paragliding World Cup Pilot

  • Zion has been flying since the age of 15, giving him a total of 12 years flying, over 10,000 flying hours and has flown with more than 2000 passengers in tandem. Zion is a qualified instructor through APPI, which offers the highest standard of instructor training international. As an instructor and a Costa Rican, you are in the best hands when it comes to local flying knowledge combined with expertise for teaching and in-air guidance. Outside of teaching and flying tandems, Zion enjoys XC paragliding, competing and hike and fly missions - what can we say except the guy loves to fly and that’s why he’s the World record holder for the fastest ground speed on a paraglider, and longest distance and triangle in Central America.

  • Owner and founder of Zion Paragliding

    APPI Paragliding Instructor

    APPI Pro Tandem Instructor

    Number 1 ranked pilot in Costa Rica

    First Aider

    Bilingual in Spanish and English

    Second to none local knowledge of flying sites and weather

William Pardis

Advanced Paragliding and Tandem Instructor, Tour Guide

XC and Paragliding World Cup Pilot, All Round Adventurer

  • Will, a dual national of the USA and the Philippines, learned to fly in 2015 and has been hooked ever since. In just 6 years will has racked up over 2000 flying hours and gone from a novice, to tandem instructor, competition pilot and now a serious hike and fly pilot, hoping to make it into the X-Alps one day. Will has been working with Zion since 2018 and has extensive knowledge of flying in Costa Rica. Will’s precision in flying and his calm, laid-back demeanour, translates in the sky to a relaxed flight when under his guidance.

  • Holds USHPA Advanced and Tandem Instructor Ratings in the USA

    World Cup Competitor

    Gin Gliders R&D Test Pilot

    Number 1 ranked pilot in the Philippines

    First Aider

    Bilingual in English and Filipino

Next Clinic Dates

XC Clinic 1: Feb 17 - Feb 24 2024

XC Clinic 2: Feb 24 - MarCH 2 2024

About The CLINIC

The XC Clinic has been created to give pilots the tools to fly cross-country after the clinic has finished. Zion and Will have designer the clinic to start each day with a thorough weather briefing and flight plan, including time for Group input and questions. The briefings will get technical offering pilots a chance to see into the minds of how an expert reads the sky and makes a plan for a cross-country flight.

The days of flying start by deciding a flight plan for the day, following the daily weather briefing and assessment of how it will potentially develop. The group will get ready to fly after the briefing and be prepared to launch, choosing the optimal moment to make the most of the XC potential.

Your guides will join you in the air and guide you along the flight plan explaining what they see and flight decisions as you all go together.

A variety of different types of flights will be flown across the week, including out and back flights, triangles and distance flights. Giving the group a real taste for XC and what is possible.

As the group flies over the valley, the retrieve vehicle is never far behind. It follows close by for anyone that lands out and is ready to pick you up with cold drinks to hand.

Prepare to be amazed at your potential to fly the distance when learning with Zion and Will.

The Destination

Costa Rica is best known for its eco-tourism, biodiversity and friendly locals. As you spend time in the local town of Rivas on this 8-day tour you will get to see for yourself the rich nature this land is home to. With plenty of free time for optional activities like waterfall tours, hikes and river trails, you will fall in love with nature too as we spot birds, sloths, monkeys and much more wildlife together.

What makes Costa Rica so special for paragliding is its consistent weather conditions from December through to April, making flying possible almost every day in the dry summer season. We also believe Costa Rica is a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to flying, meaning minimal to no queues on take-off, plenty of air space for everyone and uncharted potential for what pilots can really achieve here.

The Flying

Rivas delivers the best XC flying in Central America, with possibilities for triangles, out and back, and linear distance flights, your only limit will be meeting the border in Panama 165km away.

The Talamanca Mountain Range is what makes flying in this valley possible. The highest peaks of 3700m block the prevailing wind from the Atlantic ocean, creating a magic bowl where the winds are gentle and the thermals are smooth. You can expect friendly climbs up to 4.5m/s and a cloud base between 1800-2500 meters depending on the daily forecast.

Compared to flying in other places around the world, flying in Costa Rica starts early. You can expect to arrive at the launch for 9am with time for the daily weather briefing and flight plan and question time, before we get set up and ready to launch when the day switches on. Launching is usually between 10am and 10.30am in Rivas to make the most of the best flying conditions. In this clinic we will be using the two main take-off sites of Los Indios and Alex’s Launch depending on the day’s forecast and potential flight plans.

The valley here is typically used for farming cattle, coffee, bananas and pineapple with many options for landing zones between. Each small town has its own soccer field and the locals are more than friendly when you land out. Our retrieve vehicle won’t be far behind once you have landed to come and get you.

Tour ItinerarY

Day 1 | Welcome Meeting

Early Evening

  • Group welcome meeting and dinner in Rivas

  • Meet your instructors and the tour group before the flying begins

Day 2 | First Flights in Rivas

AM

  • 8:00 AM: Early pick-up from the hotel for landing briefing and orientation of the flying valley

  • 9:00AM: Arrive at the chosen take-off of the day for the weather and flight plan briefing.

  • 10:00AM: Be prepared to take-off as the day switches on

PM

  • Post-flight group lunch and debrief

  • Free afternoon and evening to explore or relax.

Day 3-7 | XC Flying

AM

  • You can expact a similar routine each day with the flying site and flight plan changing depending on the weather forecast.

  • 9:00AM: Arrive at the chosen take-off of the day for the weather and flight plan briefing.

  • 10:00AM: Be prepared to take-off as the day switches on

PM

  • Post-flight group lunch and debrief

  • Free afternoon and evening to explore or relax

Day 8 | Final Clinic Day

AM

  • Prior to flying today the group will need to be checked out of the hotel with bags in storage at reception, unless straying additional nights.

  • 9:00AM: Arrive at the chosen take-off of the day for the weather and flight plan briefing.

  • 10:00AM: Be prepared to take-off as the day switches on

PM

  • Post-flight group lunch and clinic debrief

  • Onwards journeys or shuttles back to San Jose can be arranged once you are here.

Tour Details

What’s Included

  • 8 days of guided XC paragliding in Rivas, Costa Rica

  • 7 nights accommodation in Rivas.

  • Daily weathers briefings and flight plans on launch

  • Launch fees

  • 1-to-1 time with an instructor to discuss your current level and any goals you are working towards.

  • Daily shuttles to the launch site.

  • Landing zone pick-up and retrieve.

  • Cooler of drinks in the retrieve vehicle.

What You Need

  • Minimum IPPI ParaPro 2 paragliding certification or international equivalent such as USHPA P2, with at least 50 flights and 30 hours of flying including 10 hours in thermic air.

  • Your own paragliding equipment including:

    • Certified EN B paraglider or above

    • Harness

    • Reserve parachute

    • Helmet

    • Dual-band VHF radio - we recommend the Yaesu FT-65

  • Ability to confidently take off and land on your own

  • USHPA does not cover third-party insurance outside of the USA. Travel insurance - find out more

  • Clothes for paragliding that protect from the sun

  • See our FAQs regarding the current requirements for foreigners entering Costa Rica.

Who is the 8-Day Adventure Tour Right For?

  • IPPI P2, P3 and P4 Pilots or national equivalent license holders, who want to learn and improve their thermalling technique and XC skills - From experience, we have noticed that all pilots learn more when in a group of mixed abilities

  • Pilots who want to fly further than they have done before and learn from professional world cup pilots.

  • Pilots who can launch and land with minimal or no help

Not Included

  • Shuttle between San Jose Airport/City and Rivas - we can arrange a shared shuttle if there is enough interest

  • Airplane tickets to or from Costa Rica

  • Food and drink (except where breakfast may be included in the hotel stay)

  • Cost of any additional or optional activities

  • Insurance

  • Any additional nights accommodation if you arrive early or leave late

Pricing

All prices are subject to local tax at 13% for card or paypal payments

$2500 Shared Room

What’s Included

  • 8 Day Tour

  • 7 Nights Accommodation in a shared room

  • Includes everything listed under tour details

$2900 Private Room

What’s Included

  • 8 Day Tour

  • 7 Nights Accommodation in a private room

  • Includes everything listed under tour details

$2000 Tour Only

What’s Included

  • 8 Day Tour

  • Choose and book your own accommodation if you’re coming with family, a partner or prefer to do that

  • Includes everything listed under tour details except for accommodation

Register Your Interest

2025 Clinic Dates Coming soon

Use the form below to ask our team any questions about the tour and to be the first to find out when new dates become available to book.