Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro

The launch is the part people remember. You stand on a wooden ramp on the side of Pedra Bonita, a granite dome in the Tijuca National Park, clipped in beside your pilot under a hang glider. On the count you run hard, a few steps, straight off the edge. Then the ground drops away, the running stops, and you are lying face down in a harness over the treetops, with the curve of São Conrado beach, the favela of Rocinha on the hill and Pedra da Gávea's flat summit opening up ahead. Then the pilot brings you down onto the sand.

It is short. The whole flight usually lasts about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the air. For many people that is enough; others come down wishing they had booked a longer paraglider flight instead.

Hang glider or paraglider?

Both launch from the same ramp and land on the same beach, and many pilots fly both. The hang glider has a rigid wing, you lie prone beside the pilot, and it feels faster and closer to flying like a bird. The paraglider is a soft canopy, you sit in a harness, and the flight is slower and gentler, and in good lift it can stay up a little longer. Anyone nervous about the run should know that both need a committed sprint off the ramp; stopping halfway is the one thing the pilot asks you never to do.

The weather decides

Flights depend on wind direction and strength, cloud on the mountain and rain. Wind that is too strong, too gusty or from the wrong side of the mountain can ground everyone, and so can cloud sitting on the ramp, and after heavy rain the ramp may stay closed. Mornings tend to be calmer, but there is no rule. Pilots decide on the day, sometimes on the ramp itself, and a postponement is normal. Build a spare day into your plans, and don't book the flight for the morning you fly home. Our best time to visit guide covers the rainy summer months, when cancellations are more frequent.

A word on safety

Tandem flights have launched from Pedra Bonita for decades, and the ramp is managed by the local free-flight club. It is not risk-free. In February 2026 a tandem hang glider came down in the sea just off the landing beach, killing both the pilot, an experienced instructor, and his passenger; the club suspended flying for several days and the cause had not been made public when we last checked. We still think a flight with a properly qualified pilot is a reasonable choice for a healthy adult, but it is an adventure activity, and you should choose the pilot as carefully as you would a dive centre.

Who it suits: anyone who can run a few steps and does not mind heights. Who it doesn't: people with back or neck problems, heart conditions or serious vertigo, and pregnant travellers. Pilots also have weight limits, so ask before booking.

Almost all tandem flights are sold by individual pilots or small outfits, directly or through hotels and agencies. The price normally includes pickup from the South Zone, the drive up through the forest to the ramp, the flight and the transfer back from the beach. Photos and video from a camera on the wing tip are usually extra.

Before you pay, ask:

• for the pilot's name and tandem credential. Commercial pilots at the ramp should be accredited by the ABVL, the Brazilian free-flight association, and registered with the club that runs the site. A good pilot shows this without fuss.
• which aircraft you fly, hang glider or paraglider, and with whom (the person who sells the flight is not always the one who flies it)
• what happens if the weather cancels: a new date, or a full refund
• about weight, age and health limits
• whether insurance is included

Ignore offers from people approaching you on the beach at São Conrado. Book in advance, and confirm the evening before, since pilots often reschedule by message once they see the forecast.

• Wear trainers and trousers or shorts you can run in. No sandals. A light layer helps, as it is cooler up on the ramp. See our what to wear guide.
• Leave the phone to the pilot's camera, or secure it on a strap. Anything that drops lands in the forest.
• Listen to the briefing twice. Run all the way, don't grab the pilot or the frame, lift your legs on landing when told.
• Skip a heavy breakfast. Turns in the air can unsettle a full stomach.
• Treat the beach with care. São Conrado is a surf beach with a strong shore break; swim only where locals are swimming, and take a car back rather than walking along the road.
• Prefer the hike? Pedra Bonita has a short trail to the summit next to the ramp, with much the same view and no running required.