FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND FLY!!!
with I CAN FLY in Madeira - Paragliding
Paragliding, Parasailing, Zipline or Skydiving
What's the Difference?
They all take you off the ground. They can all provide incredible views, memorable experiences and a good dose of adrenaline.
But paragliding, parasailing, ziplining and skydiving are four completely different experiences.
- One uses the natural movement of the air.
- Another uses a boat.
- Another follows a cable.
- And another starts by jumping from an aircraft.
So, what's the difference — and which of these experiences can you actually try in Madeira?
Paragliding – Free Flight
Paragliding is a form of free flight.
There is no engine, no cable and nothing pulling you through the air.
A paraglider is a lightweight aircraft controlled by a pilot. After taking off from a mountain or hillside, the pilot can change direction, search for rising air and, when conditions allow, gain altitude.
During a tandem flight, the passenger flies together with an experienced pilot, so no previous experience is necessary.
And there is something important that surprises many first-time passengers:
- You don't jump.
- Pilot and passenger move progressively forward until the wing generates enough lift to support them.
- One moment you're on the mountain.
- A few seconds later, you're flying.
The sensation
- Paragliding isn't necessarily about maximum adrenaline.
- A normal tandem flight can actually be remarkably peaceful.
Y- ou sit comfortably in the harness, with the landscape beneath your feet, while the pilot controls the aircraft and works with the surrounding air.
- Every flight is different because nature determines what is possible.
Parasailing – Flying Behind a Boat
Parasailing is often confused with paragliding, but the two activities work in completely different ways.
In parasailing, the passenger is attached to a specially designed canopy and connected by a tow line to a motorboat.
As the boat accelerates, the parasail rises above the water.
Unlike paragliding, you are not freely navigating through the atmosphere. Your movement depends primarily on the boat and the tow line.
The sensation
- Parasailing is about enjoying height and views over the ocean without having to take off from a mountain.
- It can be a relaxing and accessible aerial experience and works particularly well in coastal destinations such as Madeira.
Zipline – Speed Along a Cable
A zipline also takes you through the air, but there is no aircraft involved.
The passenger is attached to a cable running between two fixed points.
Gravity does the rest.
Once you leave the platform, you accelerate along a predetermined trajectory until reaching the other end.
The sensation
- Ziplining is generally more focused on speed and adrenaline.
- The route doesn't change and there is no piloting involved.
- You know where you're starting and exactly where you're going to finish.
Skydiving – Freefall from an Aircraft
Skydiving is completely different again.
You first need to reach altitude, normally aboard an aircraft.
Then comes the part that defines the experience: the jump.
After leaving the aircraft, you experience freefall before the parachute opens.
Once the canopy is deployed, the experience becomes slower and more controlled until landing.
The sensation
- Of these four activities, skydiving is probably the one most strongly associated with adrenaline.
- The freefall is the defining part of the experience.
- This is almost the opposite of tandem paragliding, where there is normally no jump and no freefall at all.
And What About Madeira?
This is where the comparison becomes particularly interesting.
Madeira's geography makes some of these experiences easier to operate than others.
Parasailing: Yes
Parasailing is possible in Madeira.
The activity takes place over the ocean and uses a motorboat, so it doesn't require large landing areas on the island.
For an island surrounded by the Atlantic, that makes perfect sense.
Zipline: Yes
Ziplining is also available.
In fact, Madeira's dramatic differences in altitude and steep landscape can provide spectacular settings for this type of attraction.
Skydiving: A Different Challenge
Regular recreational skydiving is much more difficult to establish in Madeira.
The island has very little flat terrain and limited areas suitable for conventional skydiving landing zones.
Madeira also has an international airport and controlled airspace that any aerial operation would need to take into consideration.
Add mountainous terrain and Madeira's highly variable local weather conditions, and operating regular recreational skydiving becomes considerably more complex than in destinations with large open drop zones.
Paragliding: Yes — and Madeira's Geography Actually Helps
Paragliding has an interesting advantage.
We don't need to be taken into the sky because Madeira already puts us there.
The mountains provide the altitude.
Around Madalena do Mar, for example, we can take off from approximately 500 metres above sea level.
- We don't need an aircraft.
- We don't need a boat.
- We don't need a cable.
Once airborne, the pilot can freely control the paraglider and use the surrounding atmosphere to extend the flight or even gain altitude when conditions allow.
Eventually, we fly towards a suitable landing area close to sea level.
In other words:
Madeira's mountain becomes our runway.
So Which One Should You Choose?
It depends entirely on the experience you're looking for.
- If you want speed, try a zipline.
- If you want to enjoy being high above the ocean while being towed by a boat, parasailing may be perfect.
- If you want the intensity of jumping from an aircraft and experiencing freefall, that's what makes skydiving unique — although it isn't an activity normally available to visitors in Madeira.
- But if what you've always imagined is flying freely through the sky, without an engine, cable or boat connecting you to anything...
That's paragliding.
Perhaps the easiest way to understand the difference is this:
Ziplining takes you through the air.
Parasailing lifts you above the water.
Skydiving lets you fall through the sky.
Paragliding lets you fly through it.
Experience Free Flight in Madeira
At I CAN FLY in Madeira, we offer tandem paragliding flights mainly from Madalena do Mar, on Madeira's southwest coast.
No previous paragliding experience is necessary.
You fly together with an experienced tandem pilot and discover Madeira from a completely different perspective.
No engine.
No cable.
No boat.
No freefall.
Just the paraglider, Madeira's mountains and the air.
🪂 It's time to fly.