Dolphin Paragliding Partners and Associate Companies
We work with selected companies when needed, such as when we have large groups but insufficient pilots. We only associate with top class companies that have the same high standards for safety and quality as us. They are all as professional and dedicated as Dolphin Paragliding, ensuring a fun and safe experience.
Our top associate:
www.flytimeparagliding.com
Other associates:
Altitude Paragliding
www.altitudeparagliding.com
SA Paragliding Adventures
www.saparaglidingadventures.co.za
Knysna Paragliding
www.knysnaparagliding.co.za
Sky High Paragliding
Dolphin Paragliding supports Endangered Wildlife Trust
Humans are the custodians of this wonderful planet Earth, come on and do your bit.
EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund
The creation of the EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund aims to provide the public with a tangible way to actively support rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts in South Africa through a consolidated fundraising programme.
You can make a difference every time you swipe your free MyPlanet card. Simply get your card here. In 2009 there was a dramatic increase in rhino poaching with 135 animals killed, and in 2010 an even more staggering 333 animals were brutally slaughtered for their horns - and recently more than 448 were killed or injured following a poaching attack in 2011. The war against our rhinos has been waged! It's time for us to rise up and fight back. Hope now lies in communities, organisations, governments and individuals working together towards saving our iconic wildlife. It is our duty to win the rhino war and set an example of what South Africans can achieve if we rally together behind a common cause.
The MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fundraising programme has, through its MyPlanet card, been supporting environmental and animal welfare since 2007. For this reason, in partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a current beneficiary of the programme, we are proud to announce the creation of a dedicated fund committed towards rhino conservation.
Sign up for your free MyPlanet card in support of Rhino Conservation now.
The EWT MyPlanet Rhino Fund, launched in May 2011, is the culmination of combined efforts between the MyPlanet fundraising programme, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and supported by Braam Malherbe (the well-known conservationist and 50|50 presenter) in an effort to provide South Africans with a channel through which to easily and constructively support rhino conservation and anti-poaching without costing them a cent. The fund is administered by the EWT and will be used to address the most pressing needs across the country.
The EWT will also provide supporters with feedback on how the funds have been used and allocated, from paying for metal detectors to find bullets inside wounded animals to supporting the conservation work in the field where poachers are running rife. Yolan Friedmann, CEO of Endangered Wildlife Trust says, “The Endangered Wildlife Trust is delighted to be working with Braam Malherbe and MyPlanet to provide a platform for concerned South Africans to support the conservation of rhino and the improved protection of our threatened wildlife heritage.”
Read how the first batch of funds raised in aid of this charity will be used.
Take a stand against poachers and syndicates responsible for the demise of these iconic animals. Follow Braam Malherbe’s example: “My DOT campaign is so simple… if we all just Do One Thing our collective actions make a radical difference. Get a MyPlanet card and Do One Thing! Support rhino conservation.”
Help protect an icon of Africa, our precious rhinos.
MyPlanet Card to Support Vulture Conservation through Vulpro NPO
Want to support an environmental or animal welfare organisation?
The MyPlanet fundraising programme was launched as an extension of MySchool to provide community-minded people like yourself the opportunity to support a worthy cause close to their heart, without costing them a cent. You can support the charity of your choice every time you shop! Our partners will donate a percentage of your spend to the charity you have selected, on your behalf.
How does it work?
Get your free MyPlanet card today, select the Planet charity that you want to support (up to 3), and then, every time you shop at our partner stores (such as Woolworths, Toys R Us, kalahari.com, Reggie's, Engen, Altech Netstar and many more), they will donate a percentage of your purchase, on your behalf. It is so easy to make a difference.
Get a card here or at any Woolworths store, or call us on 0860 100 445
What is a Planet?
We classify Planets as organisations that focus on the improvement and protection of the environment and animals.
SUPPORT VULPRO NPO donate monies directly to there account if you want to as well.
Vulture Conservation and Paragliding
Vulpro NPO is leading the fight for the conservation of vultures within South Africa. Dolphin Paragliding supports their cause wholeheartedly and would like to encourage all to donate money, time or effort to this wonderful cause. When you have seen vultures thermalling majestically above the earth then one begins to appreciate what fantastic creatures they are. They are also on top of the food chain and play an integral role in natural cycle of the ecosystem. When there is abundance of vultures then one knows all is well with the earth and the enviroment. At this moment Vultures are endangered and need your help to survive the challenges of habitat destruction and poisoning.
So How can you help?
The easiest way is to go to Woolworths and fill in My School - My Planet card application form and write in as the benfeciary Vulpro NPO and you will receive the card. When you support the partners like Woolworths and Engen and many others a percentage of that sale goes toward saving our Vultures. So go to Woolworths or the My School website and apply and give to Vulpro NPO with every swipe of your card. It costs you nothing and there are loyalty benefits. It's a win-win situation.
Paragliding Courses and Training in South Africa
We are very fortunate in South Africa to have quite a few highly qualifed instructors who are equal with the World's best standards. Our Courses like the Basic Licence course is quite comprehensive and includes no less than 35 flights and certain safety maneouvers. There are theory lessons and an open book exam that is quite detailed and gives new pilots a good idea on what is needed to be safe pilot. The training includes some thermal flying as well as ridge soaring and sometimes winching is used to train pilots.
Tourists and foreigners can rest assured they will have a good quality instruction that will meet most of the criteria of their home country. South African licences are recognised worldwide. There is usually some form of conversion needed to be done in some countries and it may involve practical flights or theory exams or even both, but normally it's not a big deal to convert ones licence. The main reason for these conversions is insurance and casevac benefits in certain countries like Germany and Austria. South Africa is a great place to train and in particular the Garden Route as we have ideal conditions and sites for training. All our training sites are accessable by car and some you can even top land after a few flights. This ensures we dont spend on average more than two weeks to complete a course, naturally weather depending. The cost can sometimes be cheaper to fly from Europe and complete your course in South Africa and have a small holiday as well rather than trying to complete the course with Europes weather condtions.
Locals would also find it beneficial to train in the Garden Route as there is minimum travelling besides the intial flight or drive. The sites are within a 30km radius and easy to find as they are just off the N2. There are packages with accommodation that make this an attractive option as one gets a holiday and a course for the same price. The main training sites are between Wilderness, Sedgefield and Knysna. They are all scenic and have easy grassy launch areas and landings are either the beach or grassy fields .
So to those aspiring paragliding pilots from Europe and even locally like Gauteng and Cape Town, come join the team this side and have some quality flying and teaching in some of the most beautiful training sites in the world.
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.
