Paragliding Information and F.A.Qs

Call On the day, or in advance!

Booking is best done by calling us on +27 (0)82 881 4724 for immediate attention, but an SMS or WhatsApp is also ok.

Email booking is also acceptable, but we don't always immediately respond to email as we are often out flying, so calling is best. We require a mobile cell phone number for you to make a booking (even an international number).

This is to reconfirm the booking on the morning of the flight (we always do this as a matter of courtesy) and to inform you if there are unexpected weather changes.

You can call and book spontaneously, on the day, but of course, advanced booking always ensures you a place. We get really busy in the summer months and recommend advance booking. Always try to fly earlier in your time in Cape Town as our sport is weather dependent.

Don't wait for a specific time on a specific day... Always try to fly on a morning on the first days that you are in our brilliant city.

No deposit is generally required (only for groups or in peak season) and payment is cash on the day.

We accept South African Rands, Euros and USD.

Tandem Paragliding Flights = R1750pp (Standard Tandem Paragliding Flight)

Optional: In-flight photos and videos, transferred onto your phone – >> R300pp

Please note that the pictures and video taken by the pilots in flight are simply an optional extra on the flight and Parapax cannot be held responsible for the success of these. Technical glitches do sometimes (but very rarely) occur and Parapax will simply refund you on the picture and video option.

Optional Return Shuttle (Hotel, fly with us and back to your hotel - return transfers). OR Hotel, fly, Table Mountain, beaches, city, Waterfront >> R200 or R150pp depending on number of candidate students and distance.

Gift Vouchers are also available

Payments can be made on the day you fly with us. We accept SA Rands, USD, Euros & British Pounds (Fair exchange rates). For group bookings and at really busy times, we may ask you for your credit card details only as a booking assurance on our part (for no shows).

We have a No fly, no charge policy for bookings.

WE ALWAYS MEET AT THE VERY END OF SIGNAL HILL ROAD, under the first thorn tree, on the take-off site, at the parking place, (NOT at the Lions head parking lot) when we are flying in Cape town. Meet our friendly Parapax staff (look for our orange branded t-shirts and red caps).

Directions:
From the city of Cape town, highways and waterfront, drive up towards the table mountain cable-car station. You get to a turning circle, called Kloof Nek. Opposite Tafelberg road ( where the Table Mountain road actually begins) is signal hill road. Drive ALL the way to the very end of signal hill road (3.8km from Kloof Nek turning circle).Easy to find and a 5- 10 minute drive from Table Mountain’s lower cable car, Camps Bay / Clifton and the City of Cape Town.

GPS co-ordinates: 33°55’03.7″S 18°24’08.5″E

We look forward to welcoming you there and taking you flying!

Comfortable, closed running / walking shoes / Hiking boots (Takkies / trainers / joggers / sneakers), NOT Crocs, sandals, flip flops, nothing that flop or flips please!

If you dont have any, tell us in advance and we will supply some of ours at no charge.... you dont need to go and buy shoes especially... we do have clean, extra pairs of closed shoes.

- T-shirt and Long sleeved jersey / Fleece / Windstopper – Long or short pants
- Sun-block (sunscreen) and hat (it’s often sunny and we don’t want you getting sunburned!)
- Drinking Water

Memories... Selfie stick? Photos and HD 1080 Pro Videos?.....YES!

A Facebook junkie? Hooked on Twitter or Instagram? Even if you are not, but simply want a good memory of the flight we make really WOW pics and video in flight!

For just R300.. The pilot has a specially designed extendable pole with a special, ultra-wide angle camera (latest-model Go Pros and similar), mounted on a special, long and strong selfie stick to take stunning pics and videos. These are taken of you and of the view from all sorts of normal and crazy angles. These can be decided on, after the flight (You don’t need to decide beforehand if you want them).

You receive these on your phone downloaded directly with a dongle… Yours to walk away with and keep forever so that the everlasting experience is really that! 
YouTube and Facebook material to impress with!

We have taken recording this experience to a new level... you will blow your friends and family away with this footage!

Anyone that is 14 – 100 years old and weighs between 20 and 115kg can fly with us, providing they are in good physical and mental health.
Children under 18 wanting to fly must be signed off by a parent or guardian. Please do tell us in advance if you weight 95kg or over so that we can schedule you accordingly.
This avoids disappointments if the wind is very light. Similarly, if you or any in your party are 40kg or less, please mention this to us when booking.

We are disabled (wheelchair) friendly, gay friendly, dog friendly, we have even flown a lady of 92 years old!

Call on the day, or in advance!

When booking with us, rather call/text us. Call us earlier rather than later (if you are from out of town, call us a day before arriving in CT, or on your arrival). 

Try to paraglide in your first days in Cape Town. Other activities are much less weather dependant (Wine tasting, waterfront, cape point and the beaches. When booking, supply us with your Cell / Mobile phone number (even if an international number). We WILL SMS or Call you if its good to fly. Be flexible. Trust us to choose the best time, place and experience that we can offer. Sometimes inland and paramotoring is much better. We only want you to charge you for a good time! We have built our proud reputation on this.

No.

Depending on how much wind there is, take-offs generally require nothing more than just a few steps to get into the air. You don't even need to be able to run most of the time.
Landings are very slow and even folks with knee, hip or back aches and pains can fly with us. (Please mention any ailments when booking, so we can OK these).

Not at all.

The take-off is simple and landings are soft and safe.

Our affiliate instructors take no risks at all. We use only the safest paragliding equipment, and best available pilots that are able to make decisions based on their own safety as well as that of the candidate student.

Paragliding is not entirely risk free – but then neither is driving a car.

Parapax Tandem Paragliding bookings are only executed by a handpicked, exceptionally experienced and certified instructor qualified pilots with a wealth of local and international knowledge.

Simply the best – SAHPA (South African Hang and Paragliding Association) endorsed and SACAA accredited TFI’s (Tandem Flight Instructors).

Note: All Tandem paragliding flights in South Africa are instructional flights

Tandem paragliding flights involve a candidate students being securely clipped into a comfortable flying harness positioned in front of the pilot and connected to the pilot and the glider. The tandem glider is specially designed to carry two people and is nearly twice the size of a regular solo paraglider.

Paragliding is a form of free flight in which rising air is needed to keep the glider aloft. This rising air can come from two sources: 1. when the sun heats features on the ground, columns of rising air known as thermals are generated 2. when wind encounters a ridge in the landscape, the air is forced upwards, providing ridge lift. In mountainous environments, flying is mostly based around thermals, which can be used to stay aloft before heading for a landing field below the launch site. In hill environments, ridge lift is used for ridge soaring, and landing can be done either back at the launch site, or at a landing field at the bottom of the ridge. In either case, more experienced pilots can use thermals to go ‘cross country’.

A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by the pressure of air entering vents in the front. Paragliders are light and fold up fairly small, making them compact and portable.

The Paramotor is an amazing foot-launched, 2 stroke engine (between 80 and 300cc), worn backpack-style and designed to change a paraglider wing to a Powered Paragliding aircraft. Effortless and amazing to fly. Paramotors are so adaptable, we even do aerial photography of building sites, developments, natural areas and events. The tandem paramotoring flight is absolutely delicious. Its like a ‘James Bond’, jet-pack feeling,

WE GUARANTEE THAT YOU LOVE IT!

As little as 30 mins of your time is all that is required to do the whole experience - If the weather is favorable and we are not delayed. 
Meet, Signup, briefing, run, fly, scream, (optional), land and walk away with your pics and video in hand...smiling for the rest of the day!

The reason that flights are executed mostly from Signal hill is simple.... the wind direction, strength, accessibility and the far superior take-off site at the very end of Signal hill mean that tandem flights from there are much simpler and, in our opinion, safer.

The height difference is virtually the same between the 2 sites and although many passengers have it in their heads that the lions head side is "better", we disagree. There are only 2 cities in the world where you can fly over high risers... Cape town and Rio.