Palo Buque is a frequently used, wonderful afternoon spot to practice and soar, kite, and play. Cross-country flights are also possible. Most pilots take off from a small extra ridge here, which allows flying even with a southerly wind, while the main ridge is oriented WSW-SW. You can walk up as much as you like. Located in the Iquique region of Chile, Palo Buque is a famous site. Usually, after morning flights at Alto Hospicio, pilots head here in the afternoon until sunset. The constant sea breeze on the gigantic dunes makes it an ideal location for soaring near the ground and improving your skills. You can transition from the 'small' dune to the slopes of the cordillera and up to the clouds. The coastal ridge rises to about 2000 feet, but most of the rocky terrain is covered in windblown sand, resembling a giant sand dune. The ridge is actually rocky, covered with 10 to 20 feet of soft sand, with a constant upslope breeze and smooth lift that you can ride indefinitely. From the bottom landing zone, kiting up a small 100-foot-high ridge, the wind increases dramatically as you ascend. You'll usually launch before reaching the top, then climb another 100 feet or so above the small ridgetop, where you'll be just high enough to cross over to the main mountain. There, you can climb for miles in smooth lift, hugging the sand all the way. The vast, steeply sloping sand can make it easy to lose perspective of whether you're climbing or just crossing the ridge. You can choose to play in the sand, climb up to cloud base for a bit of cross-country flying, or fly out front for as much acro as you can handle, repeating the cycle for several hours. Enjoy the changing colors as the sun sets, landing just before it gets too dark to pack up. Palo Buque is a great place to learn, offering an unlimited kiting area, uphill kiting practice, side-hill landing and launching, safe ridge scratching inches above soft sand, thermals, and cloud-base play. You can fly closer to the ground here than would normally be safe at other less forgiving sites. If you're brave enough to try some maneuvers, it's easy to gain plenty of altitude, and it's a relatively safe place to throw a reserve, with nothing to drop onto but sand. Take-off is from a huge white sand dune, accessed by climbing on the mountain ridge. Flying from the launch toward Iquique will take you through dry river canyons, perfectly shaped sand slopes, and rocky promontories jutting into the sea. If you climb high enough above ridge tops, you will be rewarded with seemingly endless views over the Atacama Desert. The dune is only about 50 meters high, but you have access to the high dunes to the east, allowing you to fly and soar up. Be careful when flying towards Iquique; it's best with a pure west wind and/or high base to avoid encountering rotors. Takeoff is from the little dune, almost at sea level. The wind is strong during the day but decreases, allowing you to play for hours. Do not overfly the main road towards the sea, as it is an approach corridor for IQQ. Access is from Iquique: go south, then take a little trail on the left. The site is 15 km south of Iquique. For more information, you can check out these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJE1yAoBmNA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY2PzaWtuDg Local contacts: Philip Maltry - altazor@entelchile.net Hernan Figueroa - herycec@entelchile.net