First stop in Valle de Cauca, colombia
Piedechinche
January 2022, 2023, 2024
Trip Cost
Flight = $400 RT from US
Hotel = $20/night
Meals = $10-15/meal
Total Cost = $1,000 for 2 weeks
Trip Duration
2 weeks is perfect for 1st visit
Subsequent visits, 1 week is enough!
Season
January 15 – end of February
Second season in June/July
Pilot Profile
Beginner friendly! All levels
Advanced pilots tend to spend more time in Roldanillo
Getting There
Fly into Cali airport and then take a cab another hour to Santa Elena, in Valle de Cauca ($25 USD). The cabs are distance limited to their regions, so you’ll need to take one to the nearest crossroads and then get a second cab to Santa Elena. The best landmark to use is the hotel Siga La Vaca when asking for a ride.
Our driver James always hooks us up with a ride to and from the airport, so once there, your daily driver can arrange the ride back.
Launch & logistics
It’s not necessary to arrange a daily driver ahead of time; once in town the hotel can help get you a ride to the LZ in the morning, where it’s easy to get a ride up.
We go up every day at 9 AM, and usually wait an hour or two for the day to develop, launching around 11 or 12 PM. There’s two launches, #7, which is the most popular due to its shorter ride up, and Bello Horizonte, which has a scenic view and is less crowded. It’s a little harder to get a ride to Bello if you don’t have a set driver, but try out both launches to see which you prefer. The cost is similar, $3-4 for a day pass.
Santa Elena is a cash-based place with the ATMs perpetually empty, so take out all the money you need at the airport in Cali. Additional money can be exchanged at Siga La Vaca if needed.
the Flying
It’s such a great beginner site because rides are readily available all day from the landing zone, and there’s an easy starter cross-country flight back to town – that LZ changes year to year but is always close to Siga La Vaca, so check with local pilots where people are landing near town. The official LZ has a great cafe across the street to hang out and eat lunch at.
Huge, gentle thermals (400-600fpm) start rolling in around 11 AM and are marked by beautiful puffy clouds. We didn’t have any overdevelopment while we were there the past couple years, and have only had rain once which was easy to see at a distance.
We fly all day, and explore triangle routes to Palmira, out-and-back north to Buga, or try the big flight all the way to Zarzal, almost to Roldanillo. We land in any field available without tall sugar cane growing. Try to land near a road with some traffic!
The weather is always beautifully warm, and I fly in short sleeves with a windbreaker and no gloves.
Where we stay & extras
The biggest pilot hotel by far is Siga La Vaca – you’ll likely need to book in advance to stay there. It can be a bit loud by the road, and the neighbors really like to party so that can be problematic if you are a lighter sleeper. 10 min walk into town. Pros, it’s a hub. You’ll be there anyway even if you don’t stay there. Breakfast’s included and easy to get rides, there’s hot water and A/C. There are plenty of other places to stay with no advance booking if that’s not your vibe. In 2024, the rate was $30/day.
We love Hostal Joshe which has several small pools as well, and is cheaper. Breakfast isn’t included but we like to go into town every day for more variety. 2 minutes from town; no hot water or A/C. Joshe has lovely fruit trees of all kinds and feels like an oasis! They’ll do your laundry for a generous tip of a couple dollars. In 2024 the rate was $20/day.
Food-wise, we go into town to eat meals. Dedalos, the cafe by the LZ, has the best (and practically only) salads – so get your veggies fix there.
Line trimming and parachute repacks are readily available with a little advance notice to Miguel, who travels between Piedechinche and Roldanillo during the season. Laser trimming is $100.