4 places to make paragliding in the Puy de Dôme

Do you stay in the heart of the splendid Auvergne region? Here are the best places to do paragliding in the Puy de Dôme!

The Puy de Dôme is one of the jewels of our country. In the heart of the Auvergnat Mountains and volcanoes, this world-famous tourist area is famous for its fabulous landscapes! At the top of the Puy de Dôme - which gives its name to the department - it is close to 80 volcanoes that offer to your bahish eyes! The Puys Chain is so majestic that it has been decided to register it on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

And why not take height to admire it? It is possible to indulge in paragliding and to realize the dream of Icare while enjoying the beauty of the landscapes: the Puy de Dôme, it is a paragliding spot among the most popular of Europe !

If you are not subject to vertigo, here are 4 places to make paragliding in the Puy de Dôme, selected for you by Wanderlix. Ready to take off?

1. The Puy de Dôme

Making paragliding in the Puy de Dôme is one of the most favorable volcanoes for the development of the free flight.

• First because it is off, which is a significant advantage. This is also the case for all the volcanoes of the Puys chain.
• Then the wind has the peculiarity of allowing a take-off on all its slopes, which is unique in Europe thanks to Eight flight zones present on the Puy-de-Dôme. To get there, take the Panoramic des Dômes: this train allows to reach the Puy summit at 1465 m above sea level.
• Finally, arrive in front of the top station, join the paragliders or your monitor for a flight in a binome. The ideal is to realize your takeoff close to the Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to the god Mercury. Already in the air? Enjoy this extraordinary moment to contemplate the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

2. The Puy Mary

Making paragliding in the Puy de Dôme is pleasant, it’s safe; but a few steps from this Auvergne giant lies the sublime glacial valleys of Puy Mary, in Cantal. This pretty department is famous for its cheese, its rural hills and its flying areas caught by the free flight enthusiasts!

Offset planned 1783 meters above sea level : from there, offers you an incredible panoramic view of the entire Cantal as well as the seven glacial valleys seeming to run out of Puy Mary. These gigantic gutters are set in stars all around the Puy Mary, and are an astonishing spectacle for any parapentist who respects himself! The winds, more technical in the south of the chain, reserve the place for seasoned pilots or a tandem exit with a qualified instructor. No panic, local monitors know the ascending currents that will allow you to reach considerable altitudes safely.

3. The Puy de Sancy

This is the true king of the Puys Channel: the Puy of Sancy is, with his 1885 meters above sea level , the highest point of the Central Massif and the highest volcano in Metropolitan France. And this giant even offers the possibility to fly away from its summit!

It is easily accessed, thanks to a cable car specially installed for nature lovers. It allows to make paragliding in the Puy de Dôme without taking the head and getting tired.

After having scrupulously checked your equipment, analyzed the wind direction and established your itinerary in flight, you can take off from the spot at 1730 m. Once high in the sky, the Puy du Sancy gives a moment of contemplation to the ferus of altitude. They admire blue lakes, green forests or, in winter, the landscapes of Mont Dore bleached by the free snow, veering among the birds, between the heavens and the land.

4. Mount Mézenc

Mount Mézenc is a mountainous summit, also volcanic, located southeast of the Central Massif. And more precisely between the departments of Ardèche and Haute-Loire. If you are told, it is that Mount Mézenc is, with its 1753 meters above sea level , one of the most popular freestyle spots!

It was in the 1990s that the place began to interest the most engaged paragliders. The winds are rather favourable to an advanced practice and the available space does not interfere with the movement of raptors and other volatiles. If you do paragliding in the Puy de Dôme is no more thrilling, try the most extreme acrobatic figures here, between Velay and Vivarais. Candles, wing-over, 360°... it's very risky to mark you or even scare you! If you are a novice and with a monitor, no worries: it will adapt to your desires, your level and avoid that you end up admiring the mountain slopes a little too close.

Practical information

Rates

Often, you will only have the opportunity to practice tandem paragliding during the summer , and for an oscillating rate between 70€ and 150€. This difference is due to the factors to be taken into account: selected club, chosen service, leased equipment, options like the video of your flight... In addition, depending on the duration of the flight, the price can fly just like you! The advantage, in the Puy de Dôme, is the large number of paragliding clubs present, which allows you to effectively compare rates and fly at the most fair price.

And if you are an accomplished paraglider, in possession of your own veil, of course, it is free !

Modalities

Here are some additional information before deciding to make paragliding in the Puy de Dôme:

• This sporting activity is dangerous, and weather conditions. Your flight is likely to be deferred if drunks or heavy rain prevent takeoff!
• Given the altitude, don’t hesitate to provide you with hot clothes. In addition, shoes are obligatoryly closed and equipped with laces.
• Flights last on average 30 minutes.
• If you are overweight, you will need to know the maximum limit provided by the monitors.