Where to Paraglide in December: The Places That Fly Most
The paragliding places with the most flyable days in December, counted from three years of hourly weather at every launch, continent by continent.
Published · OutDare Team
In December, the paragliding places in Europe that flew most often over the last three years were Moíres, Crete, Greece (94% of days), Arco da Calheta, Madeira, Portugal (94% of days) and Funchal, Madeira, Portugal (91% of days). Further away, each continent's leader was Jiguaní in Cuba, Caracas in Venezuela, Virār in India, Mokopane in South Africa and Tamborine Mountain in Australia. Each figure is the share of December days, from 2023-09 to 2026-08, when at least one launch of the place had a two-hour window a typical EN-B pilot would fly: wind 5–25 km/h from a direction the launch faces (or a calm day with good thermals), gusts under 39 km/h, no rain or storm, and cloud off the launch.
Where to paraglide in Europe in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moíres | 🇬🇷 Crete | 94% (about 29 of 31 days) | 7 | Thermals, Soaring, Hike & fly |
| 2 | Arco da Calheta | 🇵🇹 Madeira | 94% (about 29 of 31 days) | 4 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
| 3 | Funchal | 🇵🇹 Madeira | 91% (about 28 of 31 days) | 9 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
| 4 | Tenerife - Taucho | 🇪🇸 Canary Islands | 91% (about 28 of 31 days) | 5 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
| 5 | Leipzig | 🇩🇪 Saxony | 90% (about 28 of 31 days) | 4 | Thermals, Winch launch, Flatland |
What December is like at the top two:
- Moíres: afternoons around 17 °C, rain on 9% of days, storms on 3%, typical wind 9 km/h, thermals topping out near 950 m, 7.6 h of sun.
- Arco da Calheta: afternoons around 17 °C, rain on 9% of days, storms on 2%, typical wind 7 km/h, thermals topping out near 900 m, 8.2 h of sun.
Where to paraglide in North America in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiguaní | 🇨🇺 Granma Province | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 8 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 2 | Guisa | 🇨🇺 Granma Province | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 7 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 3 | Malinalco | 🇲🇽 México | 99% (about 31 of 31 days) | 2 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Flatland |
| 4 | Sagua de Tánamo | 🇨🇺 Holguín Province | 98% (about 30 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Hike & fly |
| 5 | Valle de Bravo | 🇲🇽 México | 98% (about 30 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
What December is like at the top two:
- Jiguaní: afternoons around 28 °C, rain on 4% of days, storms on 1%, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,200 m, 9.1 h of sun.
- Guisa: afternoons around 27 °C, rain on 4% of days, storms on 2%, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,050 m, 9 h of sun.
Where to paraglide in South America in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Distrito Federal | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 4 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
| 2 | Iquique | 🇨🇱 Tarapacá | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 4 | Thermals, Soaring |
| 3 | Puerto La Cruz | 🇻🇪 Anzoátegui | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 3 | Soaring, Cross-country |
| 4 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Santiago Metropolitan | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country |
| 5 | Vizcachas | 🇨🇱 Santiago Metropolitan | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
What December is like at the top two:
- Caracas: afternoons around 27 °C, rain on 44% of days, storms on 6%, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 700 m, 11 h of sun.
- Iquique: afternoons around 21 °C, rain on 0% of days, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 250 m, 12.8 h of sun.
Where to paraglide in Asia in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virār | 🇮🇳 Maharashtra | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 6 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Winch launch, Flatland |
| 2 | Khadkale | 🇮🇳 Maharashtra | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 5 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 3 | Abha | 🇸🇦 'Asir Region | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring |
| 4 | Trimbak | 🇮🇳 Maharashtra | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 5 | Jin Loon 1000 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | 99% (about 31 of 31 days) | 7 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
What December is like at the top two:
- Virār: afternoons around 32 °C, rain on 0% of days, typical wind 6 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,950 m, 10 h of sun.
- Khadkale: afternoons around 26 °C, rain on 0% of days, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,450 m, 10.1 h of sun.
Where to paraglide in Africa in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mokopane | 🇿🇦 Limpopo | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 5 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Winch launch, Flatland |
| 2 | Deneysville | 🇿🇦 Free State | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 4 | not recorded |
| 3 | Parys | 🇿🇦 Free State | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 2 | not recorded |
| 4 | Rustenburg | 🇿🇦 North West | 100% (about 31 of 31 days) | 2 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 5 | Citrusdal | 🇿🇦 Western Cape | 99% (about 31 of 31 days) | 5 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Flatland |
What December is like at the top two:
- Mokopane: afternoons around 25 °C, rain on 12% of days, storms on 5%, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,600 m, 11.1 h of sun.
- Deneysville: afternoons around 26 °C, rain on 12% of days, storms on 6%, typical wind 13 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,550 m, 11.7 h of sun.
Where to paraglide in Oceania in December
| # | Place | Where | Flyable days | Launches | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamborine Mountain | 🇦🇺 Queensland | 97% (about 30 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly, Flatland |
| 2 | York | 🇦🇺 Western Australia | 97% (about 30 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Flatland |
| 3 | Kuendu Beach | 🇳🇨 South Province | 95% (about 29 of 31 days) | 4 | Thermals, Soaring |
| 4 | Bourail | 🇳🇨 South Province | 94% (about 29 of 31 days) | 3 | Thermals, Soaring, Cross-country, Hike & fly |
| 5 | Christchurch | 🇳🇿 Canterbury | 91% (about 28 of 31 days) | 9 | Thermals, Soaring |
What December is like at the top two:
- Tamborine Mountain: afternoons around 26 °C, rain on 16% of days, storms on 3%, typical wind 11 km/h, thermals topping out near 1,450 m, 11.9 h of sun.
- York: afternoons around 31 °C, rain on 0% of days, typical wind 15 km/h, thermals topping out near 2,250 m, 13.6 h of sun.
How this is measured
Every launch in the OutDare map is judged hour by hour against the weather model's history at that spot: wind at the ground and at launch height, gusts, rain and thunderstorms, low cloud and the thermal ceiling. Places group the launches you would choose between on a trip, and a place flies on a day when any of its launches does. Only places with at least 2 launches are listed, and tow-only flatland fields are left out. Your own limits change the answer: the trip planner re-ranks every place for your wind range, and each place opens on the OutDare map for your exact dates.
A seasonal guide from past weather, never a substitute for the live forecast and your own judgement on the day.
Other months: January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
Frequently asked questions
- Where can you paraglide in Europe in December?
- Measured over the last three years, the European places with the most flyable December days were Moíres, Crete, Greece on about 29 of 31 days, Arco da Calheta, Madeira, Portugal on about 29 of 31 days and Funchal, Madeira, Portugal on about 28 of 31 days. A day counts when at least one launch had a two-hour window a typical EN-B pilot would fly. Check the live forecast before you travel.
- Where is the best paragliding weather in December outside Europe?
- Outside Europe, the places with the most flyable December days over the last three years were Jiguaní in Cuba (North America, 100%), Caracas in Venezuela (South America, 100%), Virār in India (Asia, 100%), Mokopane in South Africa (Africa, 100%) and Tamborine Mountain in Australia (Oceania, 97%), each the top place of its continent. The share is the part of December days when at least one launch had a flyable two-hour window for a typical EN-B pilot.
Keep reading
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