Flandes between cuisine and aviation

Flandes combines a distinctive culinary tradition with a history of aviation and a range of flying experiences. The municipality’s traditional and most representative dish is called Viudo de Capaz; at the same time, Santiago Vila Airport points to a historic connection with Girardot. The Club Colombiano de Aviación Aerosport adds to these themes with parachute jumps over Flandes and flights over the landscape of Tolima. This lets you experience the place from different perspectives: through its local food culture, aviation history, or an active flying experience.

A dish as a culinary starting point

Viudo de Capaz is the traditional and most representative dish of the municipality of Flandes. Its significance makes it a clear culinary starting point when planning a trip. If you are interested in a place’s food culture, the name offers a specific way to connect with Flandes. Rather than a general reference to regional cuisine, it points to a particular dish associated with the municipality. This culinary tradition offers a distinct way to engage with the destination and can be contrasted with flying activities as a completely different theme.

This gives you two different ways to choose a focus in Flandes: a lasting culinary theme or experiences related to aviation. When choosing a holiday apartment in Flandes, you can consider which of these aspects is most important to your trip. This way, your search starts with what interests you about the place, rather than with a single activity that you have not yet planned.

Airport history connected to Girardot

Santiago Vila Airport is located in Flandes and opened on 5 June 1948 to serve the city of Girardot. It was built by SAETA (Sociedad Aérea del Tolima S.A.) and named after Santiago Vila Escobar, one of the company’s founders. The opening date and original purpose give the history a time and place, while the name leads to the people behind the airport.

For travelers interested in aviation history, Flandes offers more than the possibility of taking part in a flying activity: the airport’s origins and its connection to Girardot are also part of the story. The history of Santiago Vila Airport and the offerings of Club Colombiano de Aviación Aerosport play different roles in trip planning: one takes you into the past, while the others are concrete opportunities for a flying experience.

Flying experiences offered by Club Colombiano de Aviación Aerosport

Club Colombiano de Aviación Aerosport offers high-altitude tandem parachute jumps over Flandes with certified instructors. You can also fly over the landscape of Tolima as a pilot or copilot, even without prior flying experience. Powered paragliding is another activity available. The offerings differ in format: the parachute jump is a tandem experience with instructors, while the flights over Tolima offer the role of pilot or copilot.

The note about not needing prior flying experience applies to these flights as a pilot or copilot. If you want to include one of the offerings in your plans, check availability directly with the club. This will help you decide whether you are more interested in the airport’s history or in taking part in one of the available flying experiences.

Discover more destinations: Guayabal de Síquima, La Concepcion, Llano Del Pozo, La Cabana, Medina, Agua de Dios, Utica, Bojaca

For the broader travel overview: Cundinamarca.