Valadares and Quixadá are two different kinds of paragliding, and you go to them in different months. Valadares is gentle mountain thermals in February–April. Quixadá is record-breaking flatland cross-country in November.

Ask about dates Format and price All destinations

Oct–Mar

trip window

€1 310

Guiding format, from

1 : 4

one guide per four pilots

experience of strong conditions

pilot requirements

SkyAtlantida › XC trips worldwide › Brazil

Site

Valadares and Quixadá: numbers, not impressions

Valadares

launch Pico do Ibituruna

about 860 m above the terrain, landings at 144–171 m

Valadares: cloudbase

1500–2300 m

wind 8–12 km/h, wide and gentle thermals, 3–4 m/s

Quixadá

flatland launch

typical landing at about 300 m, cloudbase in November up to 3500 m

Quixadá: routes

200–300 km from east to west

the trade wind blows constantly from one direction

Duration

12 days

Trip window

October–March

Meeting hub

Araxá, Andradas or Baixo Guandu

the country's hub, not a fixed launch — we pick the valley from the forecast about a week before departure

Level

flatland / long-distance XC

Photo gallery

What it looks like

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 1

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 2

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 3

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 4

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 5

XC trip to Brazil — two different kinds of flying — photo 6

Photos from our XC trips · 6 pictures

Why fly here

What this place gives you

Strengths

Valadares: over 90 % flyable days from January to May, gentle thermals, light wind — a place to build confidence in long flights
Valadares: the classic “milk run” — 100 km south along the road to Caratinga
Quixadá: the site with the most flights over 400 km; experienced guides average 250 km there
Quixadá: flying starts as early as 07:00, cloudbase rises to 3000 m and above

What is dangerous here

Quixadá: in November and December the wind is regularly over 50 km/h; a hired helper lifts the glider on launch in the lulls between gusts
Quixadá: landing far from roads in the hot, dry sertão, temperatures up to 40 °C
Quixadá: green fields can turn out to be swamps, harvested ones have corn stalks sticking up
Quixadá: roads are poor, the average retrieve speed is 40 km/h — for flights beyond 200 km we plan an overnight stop on the route
Valadares: airspace restrictions near the airport, flying over the river and the town is prohibited

Routes

What people fly here

Valadares — a hundred kilometres south: Engenheiro Caldas, Dom Cavati, Inhapim, Caratinga. Quixadá — Quixadá–Quixeramobim–Tauá–Picos and Quixadá–Nova Russas–Pedro II.

Competitions. The Paragliding World Cup is held in Valadares; the average task distance is 75 km.

Format

Dates, price and what is included

Guiding

€1 310per pilot, EUR

Guiding + stay

€1 750twin/shared for the whole trip

Group

4–8 pilotsratio 1 guide : 4 pilots; a second guide joins the larger groups

Deposit

30 %non-refundable — except when the group does not form and we cannot run the tour

The Guiding format includes: a guide on site for the whole trip, weather briefing and the task of the day, shuttle to launch, retrieve from the landing, radio guidance and live tracking, track debrief every evening. Accommodation and meals are yours.
Guiding + stay: twin or shared for the whole trip, price in the table above.
Not included: flights, insurance, personal equipment, visa fees, local site fees — cable cars, launch fees, forest and park fees.
Booking and invoicing are handled by the manager. This is a partner site, so the final price and deposit are confirmed by the manager — the price in the table is valid at the time of publication.

Groups of 4–8 pilots; a trip runs from four. Dates inside the window are adjusted to the group that forms — tell us the month and we will schedule the trip. The 30 % deposit per pilot secures your place and is non-refundable, except when the group does not form and we cannot run the tour. What to bring — on the pilot requirements page, full rules — in the XC booking terms.

Preparation

Visa, weather and non-flying days

Visa

Russia — visa-free 90 days. Ukraine and Georgia — visa-free 90/180. Kazakhstan — visa-free, but only 30 days.

Rules change — check the primary source before buying tickets. If you need help with documents, write to us.

Weather in the window

Valadares: February 33 °C, March 32, April 31; moderate rain. Quixadá: importantly, February–April in Ceará is the rainy season, 20–21 days with rain. That is why Quixadá is scheduled for November, when there are only three rainy days.

If we are not flying

Belo Horizonte from the Valadares side; Fortaleza from the Quixadá side.

Read before the deposit

Insurance, documents and rules

Insurance that covers paragliding is mandatory — at least €100 000, with search and rescue, helicopter evacuation and repatriation. Before the trip every participant signs the participant document and sends it to us together with a photo of their passport and licence.

🪂

Pilot requirementsLevel, equipment, radio, insurance, emergency procedure

📄

XC booking termsVersion 1.3 of 21 Aug 2026, 23 sections

⚠️

Safety briefing“You are the pilot in command”, weather, radio

✍️

Participant document (RU)PDF · filled in and signed once before the trip

Where else

Other destinations

There is a flying destination in every month of the year. If your dates do not match this window, look at the neighbouring ones.

Georgia Kazakhstan India Turkey France Spain Italy Slovenia Alps / Andorra Colombia Nepal North Macedonia Greece Bulgaria Romania Pakistan All destinations and seasons →

Tell us your hours and the dates you are looking at

We will answer straight: whether you are ready for this destination now or should first take a step down. In Russian and English.

Message on WhatsApp Academy and courses