Paragliding in Namibia

Paragliding Travelling and Tours in Namibia

Namibia is a vast and beautiful country with some of best scenery in the World. It is also known for its pure Wilderness areas where one can drive for a day without seeing a fellow travller. For paragliding it is a country with massive potential for the very serious big XC flights in Summer where one can foot launch or winch to the fun dune flying on the vast and arid coastline dunes. There is also the adventure flying where one just hikes up remote mountains, hills and dunes and flies off them.

The challenge when flying in remote areas is being so far away from the nearest hospitals and even for Air Casevac that one can't push the envelope too much with regards to risk. Risk must be managed properly and strictly and if one is attempting any serous flights it would be wise to have the following:

Full medical kit with backboard, doctor or nurse on standby or with crew, numbers of relevant authorities, sattelite phone, GPS and a clear reaction plan.

If flying even a short XC flight, pilots should carry a whistle and torch to aid rescuers if they get lost or land in remote areas. The other challenge that can be present is the wildlife. Lions, elephants and rhinos are roaming free and one must keep this in mind when landing or walking out in an area where these animals abide; they generally pose a small risk overall but one must not be caught unaware.

The Dunes from Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are very well known Dunes. One can fly most days in Summer or Winter with the sea breeze. There are some big mountains like Brandberg which is flyable most wind directions if you have 4x4 and are willing to hike. This mountain is a thermal monster in summer and it will be wild. I flew in an area known as Puros and it;s part inland dune with mountain and was easy ridge soaring with some thermals. We flew in late August and it was suitable for young pilots as well. The Summer inland in general can be exciting and if you are looking to just have fun adventure flying then avoid Summer and go between April and August. The days are mostly blue skies with the odd cumulus now and again but very little or no rain. There are many campsites throughout the wilderness areas and one also camp in river beds. Beware of driving or walking near Desert elephants especially in canyons as they will charge if they feel threatened.

One can find plenty of take off sites in the North of Namibia as there are many mountains that are easy to drive to and then hike up and launch. Some look inviting and grassy but can be quite rocky and rough. I climbed a few we could not get a safe area to launch from. If you can, take a ground sheet to throw over the rocks and gnarly bushes if present. In the very arid regions don't drive over pristine areas as the tracks will remain there for years to come. Remember you are a guest in a wonderful land with interesting tribes and cultures. Respect and immerse yourself in this enviroment. Don't litter, take your cigarette butts, beer cans and other rubbish with and take it back to a town to dispose of. Overall I love Namibia. It's a land of contrast and nature where one have an adventure game drive while flying now and again.

For more information on Namibia or if you are looking for a guide contact us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Paragliding guides and training in South Africa

South Africa is one of the best paragliding areas in the World. The most suitable area for training and finding guides is the Western Cape. The best time to travel the typical paragliding route of Cape Town, Porterville and the Garden Route is from October - April. For foreign pilots with low airtime or wanting to maximise there stay by getting sound advice on where and when to fly South Africa, there are many highly qualified guides in South Africa. Typically you will find a guide is either an Instructor or a Tandem Pilot who will take you with him when he goes to fly daily. Many foreign pilots go on Tours with schools with their schools or join one of the Tour companies. It is also possible to travel on your own and use local guides to ensure you have fun safe flying. The Garden Route is tailor made for such flying as we have over 20 very easy accessable sites and one will not get bored even if you stay here for a Month. Dolphin Paraglidng offers free basic guiding for those that stay at the Flyers Lodge in Wilderness. In summer you should fly on average around three hours a day with Top landing on most sites being quite easy. We provide weather and site reports and have weather stations to monitor changes and all the sites are accessable by sedan vehicle. 

If pilots who are busy with training courses want to continue flying while travelling in South Africa and get some hours and flights in, then the Garden Route area (especially Wilderness and Sedgefield) is the best area to travel to. We complete on average a Basic course with 35 flights within 2 weeks. Overseas pilots or students will in be good hands as the standard of training is quite high and most schools have good equipment. The average cost for traning is around €800 and you can do a conversion course when you get back to your home country if needed for insurance purposes. The South African licence is recognised World Wide. The World distance record is held by a South African and we have had winners in World Champions and World Cup competitions.

South Africa is the place to travel to and fly with freedom as we have a world class sites, infrastructure and medical faciltities. We love tourists and we need you guys to support our economy so that we can create employment and enrich the many in poverty .Welcome to South Africa and if you need advice on travels contact Dolphin Paragliding.

AXIS Pluto II Review

The Axis Pluto II is an ideal wing for the beginner pilot fresh from finishing their training course. The Pluto II is a great allrounder and the performance like glide and speed is good, with very high passive factor and is very predictable and assuring in turbulence. The wing is easy to ground handle making launches simple. It turns and thermals very well and you don't get left behind when flying with wings with higher aspect ratio. What I like in particular with this glider is its longer break travel before it stalls, making it difficult to accidentally stall the wing or spin it as many beginners do when approaching a tight landing area. I have found particularly with top landing approach many students who move up from a student wing with there EN A B (DHV 1) ratings and then buy a glider with EN B C D (high end DHV 1-2) rating apply too much brake on landing and either spin the wing or stall their wings low to the ground. This is a forgiving wing and is a low end (DHV 1-2) but is far from a bus to fly and steering is medium and precise. This is the Wing for beginners and it's one that they will not grow out of too soon; if ever. I recommend this wing to any school as it is the ideal wing for the transition from Student to Basic Pilot .

Long Soaring Flights

Kortel Kuik  tandem passenger harness