Foundation · APPI-2 · 10 Days
20 – 29 July 2026
10+ flights · International license APPI-2 (= USHPA P1)
Colombia · Santa Elena · Andes
From Zero to Hero
Where beginners become real pilots
Certification · APPI-3 · 14 Days
20 July – 2 August 2026
18+ flights · International license APPI-3 (= USHPA P2)
18 years in the sky · 27,000+ first flights with our school · 5,000+ pilots From Zero to Hero · 0 serious incidents · 5 continents
Colombia adventure + first solo flight + international pilot certification + life reset + aviation community
Camp Overview
How the Camp Works
A walk-through of what your day looks like, where you stay, how you get to the mountain, and what makes a paragliding camp different from a tour.
We all start together on the same day. A group transfer picks you up in Cali and takes you to our location in Santa Elena — we collect everyone's flight details and arrange one pickup. If the timing doesn't work for you, getting there on your own is easy.
We all stay at the same hotel— the best one in the area. Pool, a lounge for board games and briefings, and a restaurant with great food. Breakfast and dinner are included. Lunch — during the flying day you order what you want and pay on your own. You also get full use of the hotel's facilities: pools, a jacuzzi, a Turkish bath, a gym and sports courts. This isn't an all-inclusive tour. It's a camp where you make your own choices. Rooms are available as single or shared.
Every morning after breakfast, we head out to fly. Open 4×4 jeeps take us up — regular vehicles can't make it on these mountain roads. Wind in your face, green mountains, 77–82°F, dry season — you feel Colombia from the first minute. All transportation within the camp is on us: to the launch site, between locations, pickup after landing. No taxis needed — we move as a group.
The course is built from zero to solo flight. The first three to four days are ground school: we drive to the landing zone where you can watch other pilots come in, and we train with the wing on the ground. At the same time — tandem training flights with an instructor from an actual mountain: after takeoff, you're given the controls while the instructor sits right next to you, guiding and backing you up. By day four or five — your first solo flights. These happen in the morning, during stable weather conditions that are ideal for students. There's an instructor at launch, an instructor at landing, and radio guidance with direct visual contact throughout the entire flight. You're guided from start to finish. After the flying window — lunch. Evenings are for the lecture block: everything you need to know about the sport to become a pilot. And simulator training: a harness suspended on ropes where your body practices what you'll do in the air tomorrow. It's a full day — morning to evening. Dinner is included — we usually gather at the hotel and eat together.
Two programs to choose from. Foundation — 10 days, first-level international pilot certification. Certification — 14 days, higher-level international certification. We all start on the same day. Those on the 10-day track leave earlier, the rest continue.
All training equipment is provided by us — wings, harnesses, helmets, flight gloves. Every piece of gear is certified and regularly maintenance-inspected. The basic course is flown exclusively on our equipment — we are responsible for your safety and need to know that every wing meets the right certification level and wear condition*. Bring sunglasses and comfortable athletic shoes and clothing.
If you'd like to purchase your own equipment from the start— we'll be happy to select and bring it for you. In that case, you'll receive a nice discount on your training.
*More about equipment requirements in the FAQ section.
If you're up for it, there are excursions nearby: Cali — the salsa capital of the world, forty minutes from the hotel. Hacienda Las Lomitas coffee farm, about an hour away. Cocora Valley with the tallest palm trees on earth — three hours out. These aren't included in the price but are easy to arrange. Santa Elena is a safe, tourism-friendly region. More Americans and Europeans visit every year. Blooming mountains, warm people, warm weather year-round. And for paragliding, it's a true mecca — the entire infrastructure here is built for pilots: established launch sites, landing zones, mountain transfers, weather that runs like clockwork. A place where everything revolves around flight.
A taste of what's coming · swipe →
5 000 students · 18 years · From Zero to Hero
Become a certified paragliding pilot
Earn Your Wings This July
Add a pilot certificate to your collection.
Earn your wings in 10 days.
5,000 students came to learn how to fly.
Most of them discovered something they weren't expecting.
Adventure vacation with a real outcome
A New Way to See the World
Don't just visit Colombia. Fly Above It. See Colombia the Way Birds Do.
Most people choose a vacation — just a new destination. You can choose a new way to see the world.
A real reset through flight
Sky Therapy
Paragliding relieves inner tension and dissatisfaction with life.
In the air, the internal noise shuts off.
But that's just the surface
Over 18 years and 5 000 students — we asked them what surprised them most. Spoiler: it wasn't the altitude.
But also…
A sense of how big you actually are.
Breaking through your own ceiling.
A nervous system reset. Silence from the mental noise.
Freedom and clarity.
A new baseline. That carries over — into business, relationships, life.
Letter from the founder
I don't teach people just to fly.
I show them what they're capable of.
Imagine a life where you can touch clouds with your hands, read the road through the sky by wild birds — travel under a wing, without engine or fuel, hundreds of kilometers in a single day — and one day become as free as the heart of a cloud.
My parents were scientists. They sent people to space. I send people to the sky.
From childhood, I was certain I would be the one flying into space and discovering new worlds. That spirit of exploration soaked into my core — it became who I am.
I've flown across five continents. In Nepal, I caught a wild eagle with my bare hands. Paragliding introduced me to a sheikh from the UAE — a fellow pilot. I completed a legendary flight through the permafrost zone above the five-thousand-meter ridges of the Himalayas.
This world begins with one first step — on the From Zero to Hero course this summer in Colombia.
— Elizabeth Demina, founder of Infinity Sky International Paragliding School
If something in this letter landed — tell us who you are. We'll write back within 24 hours.
When a vacation isn't enough
The Risk That Heals
The science behind it
Psychologists confirm: chronic stress blocks the body's ability to feel pleasure from simple things. The joy of a good dinner, a sunset, a day off — it's weaker than the stress signal. The brain simply doesn't respond.
The solution isn't medication. And it isn't a vacation.
Research shows the nervous system resets through a stronger signal — the dominance of constructive risk.
Confirmed by our students
Students across two decades report the same thing — regardless of age or background.
See your life from a new angle.
Slow down the noise in your head. Clear your visor.
Art of Noticing · Learn to trust yourself again
The Taste of Life
Be present. Live the actual life — not the one in your head.
Art of Noticing — to notice what's happening right here, right now. To be in the moment. Live the actual life — not stuck in the past or the future.
An experience open to 0,000…% of the planet
A story most people will never have. The kind others can only imagine.
The story only you can tell.
That others can only dream about.
Community · Aviator family
Your flock is out there
Find your people.
Most adult friendships are built on convenience and calculation. Real closeness — the kind that actually fills you — is rare after thirty.
“That fire in the eyes. That boyish rush — it never went anywhere. Paragliding wakes it up.”
Reel · straight from Colombia
What it actually looks like
Real footage from Santa Elena — the launch site, the views, the feeling of going up. Tap 🔇 to turn on sound.
Santa Elena · take-off
Colombia · in flight
Cocora Valley · Colombia
Ten spots per group. Ready to make July 20 yours?
Colombia · Santa Elena · Andes
Colombia · Santa Elena · Andes
Colombia is the “country of a thousand rhythms”: morning thermals of the Andes, coffee-covered hills, and evening salsa. The valley near Cali is one of the most stable flying zones in the world — which is why most world-class schools choose it for competitions. We chose it to bring those who are just learning.
Santa Elena, Colombian Andes: predictable, training-friendly conditions — soft morning and daytime thermals, dry season in the local summer. Colombia is one of the fastest-growing inbound destinations for U.S. travellers; round-trip flights to Cali can occasionally drop to ~$90 on sale.
01
Predictable sky
Same patterns every day — we know when the thermals rise, when the air settles, when to take the group up.
02
Stable atmosphere
Soft, wide thermals. Not the sharp European kind, not the ocean shifts — calm air that forgives a beginner's mistake and lets you focus on the feeling of actually flying.
03
Dry season
Local Andean summer — the best training conditions of the year. Flying days come one after another, with almost no weather delays.
04
Built for beginners
Wide launches, generous landing zones, clear sight lines and plenty of altitude margin. A location designed for safety from the ground up.
Locator
- Region
- Valle del Cauca, near Cali
- Launch
- 5,892 ft (1,796 m) above sea level
- Landing
- 3,281 ft (1,000 m) above sea level
- Elevation drop
- 2,612 ft (796 m)
- Airport
- Cali (CLO) · transfer included
From the US — closer than you think
The US is one of Colombia's largest travel markets. Direct flights from Miami, Houston, and New York. Round-trip fares occasionally drop to ~$90 on sale — rare, but real.
What else is nearby
We come to Colombia for the flying and the flights. At your request, you can add extra excursions.
40 min from the hotel
Cali · the salsa capital of the world
In Cali, salsa is more than a dance. As Colombians say — they dance it from birth. It's a way of social connection, a language the whole city speaks. If you want to truly touch the culture of this country, go to Cali on a Friday evening.
~3 hours from the hotel
Cocora Valley
A national park home to the tallest palm trees on earth — wax palms rising nearly 200 ft (60 m), draped in morning mist. One of the most photographed landscapes in South America.
~1 hr from the hotel
Eje Cafetero · Coffee Plantations · Hacienda Las Lomitas
A working coffee farm just outside Cali — full process: plantations, harvesting, roasting, tasting. Colombia is one of the world's top coffee producers, and the finest beans grow right here in the Andean mountains.
~2 hrs from the hotel
Guatapé · Colombia's most colourful town
Cobblestone streets with walls painted in bold colours, a famous lake, and the towering El Peñón rock. One of the most Instagrammed places in Colombia — and easy to reach for a day trip.
For whom
Am I the right fit?
You're in the right place if
- Age 18–65.We've flown people older — but most who show up are 30–45. No weird crowd.
- Any fitness level. What matters is coordination, not muscle. Weight 99–265 lb (45–120 kg).
- Zero flying experience. From Zero to Hero is built exactly for people who start from scratch and become pilots.
- You're ready to immerse yourself in the world of aviators and give the learning process your full attention.
This isn't for you if
- You want to buy an experience without putting in the effort. This is real mountain sport — it doesn't work without your full participation.
- You're looking for a boring all-inclusive with poolside entertainment. That's not what we do.
- Pregnancy. No exceptions.
- Diagnosed neurological conditions— epilepsy, active psychotic states. Depression in remission — let's talk separately.
Practical info
Course language: English. All instructors speak English.
Visa-free up to 90 days for US and Canadian citizens. Russian passport holders — e-visa.
Food — European style: proper steaks, nothing too spicy or exotic.
Does this sound like you? Let's check together — it takes 2 minutes.
Method · From Zero to Hero · Colombia
How we teach people to fly
At the core of our approach — three pillars. We don't rush and we don't force the process — sometimes we support, sometimes we encourage, but always in a way that makes you feel ready in the air and get the most out of every flight.
CERTIFIED SAFETY
EASY LEARNING
PURE JOY
This is mountain sport — it asks for your readiness first. That's why there's a program, and everyone moves through it at their own pace.
Schedule — a guide, not a rigid timetable
We're aviation — we depend entirely on the weather. That's normal. A no-fly day is never wasted: ground preparation with the wing, useful and engaging lectures, flight stories, simulator sessions in the harness.
The From Zero to Hero course consists of three main stages:
Stage 1
An intellectual adventure
Ground preparation with the wing
In ground training, you step outside the overcrowded channels of task-driven thinking and look into how things actually work: how to bring up the wing, how to hold it in the air, how to read the wind.
This is a new format of thinking — through exploration of the world. An expansion of perception toward things that were recently invisible: the transparent play of air currents.
Stage 2
Mental silence
Training tandem flight with an instructor
Before the flight, we assess weather conditions and wind gusts by watching how birds fly. Then — your first tandem flight with an instructor.
You go through the full cycle: takeoff, control, landing. The instructor passes you the controls — but stays right there, in full command. Preparing for the tandem feels like meditation at altitude.
Stage 3
Trust as a practice
Solo flights with radio guidance from instructors
Before your solo flights, we verify your technical and psychological readiness. We start from a low altitude, gradually climb higher, add thermal work and navigation skills.
Every flight is accompanied by radio guidance from your instructor on the ground — you hear the correction in real time, not in a debrief later. The paraglider becomes a powerful tool for building inner ground.
The foundation of safety
Everyone goes at their own pace — inside the group, but by readiness
These three stages we walk through with each person in their own rhythm — inside a group, but each in their own way.
Ground training depends on the person — physical state, coordination, willingness to listen carefully and invest effort in the process. Tandem is a transition stage that depends on weather: we fly in turns, when conditions allow. Solo— each person moves forward as soon as they've successfully completed the first two stages.
This isn't tied to days — it's tied to each person and their readiness. Progression to the next stage only when fully ready.
Foundation · 10 days
10+ flights · APPI-2 (= USHPA P1)
In 10 days of stable weather you'll complete 10+ solo flights and reach the foundation pilot level — international license APPI-2 (= USHPA P1).
Certification · 14 days
18+ flights · APPI-3 (= USHPA P2)
Four additional days give you 18+ solo flights and an international pilot license at the next level — APPI-3 (= USHPA P2).
At the end, you receive an international pilot license. A unique experience accessible to a vanishing fraction of people on the planet.
Want to see the full plan before deciding? We'll send the day-by-day.
Where you stay · what you ride
Your home base in Santa Elena
See exactly what you're paying for: where the group stays, the pools, jacuzzi and Turkish bath, the gardens, the rooms, the restaurant, and the open 4×4 jeeps that take us up the mountain every morning. Tap any tile to flip through the photos.
Pricing & Dates · From Zero to Hero
Price and camp dates
Two formats — your choice. The price includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner, and full use of the hotel's facilities.
Foundation · 10 days
20 – 29 July 2026
10+ flights · APPI-2 (= USHPA P1)
$3,200
school equipment
Certification · 14 days
20 July – 2 August 2026
18+ flights · APPI-3 (= USHPA P2)
$4,200
school equipment
Dates for upcoming camps (July–December) — announced as groups fill up. Leave your contact on «Check availability» — we'll write as soon as registration opens.
Option A · with school equipment
| Parameter | Foundation10 days → APPI-2 | Certification14 days → APPI-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Camp duration | 10 days | 14 days |
| Target flights | 10+ flights | 18+ flights |
| Price (with school equipment) | $3,200 | $4,200 |
| Result · International license | APPI-2 (= USHPA P1) | APPI-3 (= USHPA P2) |
Private room — +$500 per camp. A shared room is included in the price.
Planning to keep flying after the camp? Purchase a complete new certified gear set through us and receive a discount on your training fee. The table below shows the price when you bring home your own new equipment.
Option B · with your own new gear (from us)
| Parameter | Foundation10 days → APPI-2 | Certification14 days → APPI-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Your training discount (for buying gear from us) | −$1,000 | −$1,200 |
| Training fee (with the discount) | $2,200 | $3,000 |
| New certified gear set (yours to keep) | + $4,800 | + $4,800 |
| Total you pay | $2,200 + $4,800 = $7,000 | $3,000 + $4,800 = $7,800 |
| Result · International license | APPI-2 (= USHPA P1) | APPI-3 (= USHPA P2) |
Booking deposit: $1,000 — secures your spot and is deducted from the total. Refundable 60+ days before the start. Read the full refund policy (FAQ-11) →
Included in rental price
Action camera for flight analysis. Every day we mount a camera on your harness and launch gear, so that in the evening we can review your takeoffs, turns, and landings — on video, not from memory.
About the certification
What is APPI and how it maps to the US system
APPI (Association of Paragliding Pilots and Instructors) is the international paragliding certification recognised worldwide under the FAI / CIVL framework. It is the license we issue on this camp — practical exam in Colombia, theoretical exam online after camp, license active for life once both are passed.
APPI maps directly to the US-recognised USHPA system: APPI-2 = USHPA P1, APPI-3 = USHPA P2. Most international schools and flying communities accept APPI as foundation-level proof of training.
Heads up for US flying: APPI is accepted at many flying sites and with most instructors. If you plan to rent gear in the USor fly at a specific site, we recommend converting your APPI to USHPA P1/P2 — it's a short paperwork step we'll walk you through.
What's included
What's included in the camp, and what's not
Included in the camp
- Accommodation in the hotel — shared room (private room +$500/camp)
- Breakfast and dinner every day — served at the hotel restaurant
- Full use of the hotel's facilities — pools, jacuzzi, Turkish bath, gym and sports courts
- Airport transfer from/to Cali (CLO) — one car on arrival day and departure day
- Daily transfer to the launch and back — minibus
- Paragliding equipment — certified EN A–B wing, harness, helmet, reserve parachute
- Training under the From Zero to Hero program — ground school · tandem · solo flights with radio guidance
- Action camera for flight debrief — one per student, footage reviewed every evening
- Daily ground school + flight debrief — theory, simulator, video review
- International APPI certification — pilot license upon passing the standard — APPI-2 or APPI-3 (= USHPA P1 / P2)
Not included
- Flight to Cali and back — Cali (CLO) — international airport; round-trip from the US occasionally from ~$90
- Lunch — eaten during the flying day, you pay your own — on average $10–25 per meal
- Launch / site fee — a small fee local pilots collect at the launch for flight permission; each pilot pays their own, a few dollars per flying day
- Travel insurance — required — arranged independently before the trip
- Optional excursions — Cali, Cocora Valley, coffee plantations — at your own expense; we help with arrangements
- Personal expenses — souvenirs, bars, individual spending
- Purchasing your own gear — beginner kit from $4,800 — optional, if you plan to fly at home
WiFi is available at the hotel. Local SIM card and laundry are not included — standard practice; available on-site.
Make your move
Get an experience that only a handful of people on Earth will ever have.
You've seen the price. You've seen what's inside. Ready to claim a seat?
Apply · $1,000 refundable deposit
Create your story in From Zero to Hero
Book your spot — $1,000 deposit. Refundable 60+ days before the start (see FAQ-11). Ten spots in each camp.
- Instant email confirmation the moment you apply
- We'll respond personally within 24 hours
- Remaining balance due 30 days before the start
Gallery · a taste of what's coming
A taste of what's coming
Colombia — palms, coffee mountains, colonial streets, salsa, and the Andes above it all.
The kind of girls who fly with us
Real camp moments, real people
Real people, real adventures
Good company comes standard
Real people, real adventures
Want to see the full plan before deciding? We'll send the day-by-day.
See the day-by-day →Safe · 18 years, 0 serious incidents
The school that grew up with this young sport
We are a certified international school with a methodology refined over 18 years and thousands of students who have successfully completed the From Zero to Hero program.
We grew alongside this sport and have made significant efforts to raise the level of safety in paragliding as an industry.
Our flight safety is built on 3 main pillars:
01
Flight assignment · weather
- Flights only under normatively correct weather conditions
- Daily forecast analysis: no thunderstorms, no gusts, no limited visibility
- We allow takeoff at wind speeds ≤ 13 mph (6 m/s) background, with gusts up to 18 mph (8 m/s)
02
Equipment
- Certified paragliders class EN A–B — the most stable wings in the world
- Regular wing inspections with a parachutometer
- Strict control of harness wear and reserve parachutes
03
Methodology & instructors
- Instructors with international APPI license
- Careful guidance at every stage of training
- Program adapted to each student's readiness and condition
5M+tourists
Colombia as a destination
A safe tourist region for our format
Tourist flow to Colombia grows year on year. This destination becomes increasingly popular with Americans each season — and our Valle del Cauca region draws them with its safety and predictability.
The airports of Cali and Pereira are modern international hubs. Travel medical insurance is required for participation — see FAQ for details.
Field Notes
Aviator's field notes →
17 personal essays by Liza — between sky, earth, and the people who hold us in both worlds.
Expert article
How paraglider lines hold the weight of two rhinoceroses →
Technical breakdown: why a modern EN A–B class paraglider withstands loads that would snap structures many times heavier.
Have safety questions? Drop us a line on WhatsApp — we'll get back to you.
Message us on WhatsAppYou live vivid stories under a wing — the kind that stop people mid-sentence when you tell them. The kind others can only dream.
They were once exactly where you are now. Join the next group.
About · Infinity Sky International Paragliding School
INFINITY SKY — a space where a unique experience is created, accessible to 0.000…02% of people on the planet.
For 18 years we have been opening the sky to people and showing the world from a different angle.
A few moments from our camps across five continents — the feeling we bring to Colombia.
18years
in the sky · since 2008
27,000+
first flights with our school — tandem with an instructor or as a student
5,000+
pilots From Zero to Hero — trained from scratch
5continents
Africa · Europe · Asia · N. America · S. America
Family mission
Our mission is to make the world a better place by giving people the sky. We teach them to fly — and we watch them become happy through it.
Over 18 years, thousands of people have passed through our hands, and we've seen it happen again and again: someone comes for a flight, and their life finds new meaning.
It matters deeply to us to make this sport safe and accessible — and to bring people joy through this experience. To watch their lives get better in so many ways once they've met the sky.
We're not just a school — we're where people finally feel how big they really are.
Why with us
Come to the sky through people who are in love with it
It is especially valuable to enter the sky and learn to fly through people who passionately love the sky — charged guides and active pilots.
Flying for us is passion and lifestyle. It is what we live and breathe. It is what we passionately love — and what we are ready to share with everyone who comes to us for training.
Elizabeth Demina
founder & CEO · Infinity Sky International Paragliding School
FAQ · The honest answers
Frequently asked questions
If your question isn't on the list — ask us directly through the form below or on WhatsApp. We respond within 24 hours.
Over 18 years of operation — zero serious incidents. We fly on certified EN A–B class wings (the most stable), in winds up to 13 mph (6 m/s) background and 18 mph (8 m/s) gusts, with radio guidance from the instructor on every flight.
Still have questions? Ask us anything about the July 20 camp.
Things will happen in your life that you'll tell your people about — stories they'll want to hear, stories that are hard to walk past, stories others can only dream of.
Field Notes · An Aviator's Diary
An Aviator's Diary
Dispatches from a nomad pilot — caught between the sky, the earth, and the people who keep us tethered to both.
Liza's personal essays — the kind of stories people retell. Fly with us, and you'll live your own.
02The Eagle in the Mountains
In Nepal I caught a Himalayan eagle with my own hands. The paraglider introduced us.
12Where the Earth Ends
The point beyond which an ordinary world map stops working.
09A Rare Kind of Experience
A 3,000-year-old sequoia falling and a glacier collapsing — events that happen once a century.
11The Taste of Being Alive
What we live for — a short essay on the present, accessible only in flight.
05Trade This Reality
A reality that can’t be lived in passing — you always want more.
One decision. Ten days. A pilot's license — and a story you'll tell for years.