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Welcome to
Cloudbase Paragliding
At Cloudbase Paragliding we offer tandem flights, paragliding and powered paragliding tuition, licensing courses, accommodation, paragliding tours as well as equipment sales and rental.
We operate from our base in the picturesque coastal village of Wilderness, on the Garden Route that runs along the East Coast of South Africa. In season the high number of flyable days generate a lot of airtime, resulting in many happy pilots! There are also twenty-four flying sites – ranging from easy coastal soaring to cross-country thermal sites – within just an hour’s drive, making our location a popular spot for free flying enthusiasts from around the world.
Our nearest airport is located in George (20km to the northwest) although some of our guests fly into Port Elizabeth (365km to the east) or Cape Town (465km to the west). We are also just 45km to the east of the world-famous town of Knysna.
Tandem flights
To fly as a tandem passenger, no previous experienced is required – you just need to bring your sense of adventure, a pair of sturdy closed shoes, a long-sleeved top and some refreshments for afterwards. We mainly fly tandems from sites in Wilderness and Sedgefield. Bookings are essential.
About the school
The Cloudbase Paragliding school was established in 1995 and is registered with SAHPA (South African Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association). It is owned and run by full-time instructors Jan Minnaar (founder) and Khobi-Jane Bowden who apply their extensive local and internationally gained knowledge and experience to assist students in developing the skills required to fulfill their free flying dreams.
The team
Enthusiasm and a passion for spreading the joy of free-flying, as well as ensuring the safety of our students are obvious requirements, however, we believe that our instructors all bring a little extra magic to our Cloudbase family.
6 reasons to join the
Cloudbase Paragliding School Alumni:
We are one of the longest established schools in South Africa (1994) with a high instructor to student ratio.
We are amongst the most experienced instructors and pilots in South Africa.
We have represented South Africa as Protea Team members at the World Championships in 1993, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
We have perfect training sites to allow the right learning progression with great weather conditions to allow for completion of courses within 10/12 days.
We offer state-of-the-art certified gliders and harnesses for all levels.
All our equipment and training procedures comply with SAHPA’s operational and procedural regulations.
Parashop
Cloudbase Paragliding has a physical walk-in as well as an online shop where we offer our clients everything free-flying related: gliders, harnesses, reserves, accessories and clothing. We are appointed South African importers for world-class brands including ADVANCE, UP, NIVIUK, SUP’AIR, ICARO, OZONE, NAVITER, ALPHAPILOT, FLYTEC and CROSS COUNTRY.
If you’re in the area, pop in and have a chat, sit in a harness, check out the newest varios, or test fly a glider. We also offer glider repairs, glider maintenance service, annual checks, porosity testing as well as an overnight reserve re-pack service.
Accommodation
Location. Location. Location! Cloudbase Paragliding is within easy access of the beautiful Wilderness Beach and enjoys a wonderful uninterrupted view of the Wilderness National Park Wetlands. We offer our fellow free-flyers and students accommodation in our home on an informal Bed & Breakfast basis and can comfortably accommodate fifteen people across six rooms.
Tours
Cloudbase Paragliding has been offering tours since 1995 and we have custom-designed our itineraries to cater to many different tastes and personalities. We’d be delighted if you would join us on a paragliding adventure – be it local or international tour, or just a weekend away. We take all the logistical (accommodation, food, where to fly, weather briefings, transport) planning out of your hands so can just arrive and enjoy your flying vacation.
Latest blogs
Cloudbase and Paragliding Wilderness
It’s that time of year already, December, and the holidays are upon us. It has been a good year for Cloudbase Paragliding Wilderness, we finally managed to have our 25th Smile You Scream Alpine Tour , and had amazing weather with some amazing flights and some very happy pilots with lots of personal bests. We […]
Gerickes Point Take Off Site to re-open
We are pleased to announce that the take off site at Gerickes Point is being re-opened. The Simbavati Group (www.simbavati.com) is now operating the property and has opened a beautiful lodge with a bistro, fine dining and accommodation called Fynbos-on-Sea. The use of the take-off is for recreational and visiting pilots only. Tandem flight experiences […]
Cloudbase in the top 10 Adventure Activities in South Africa
The top 10 Adventure Companies for 2022 Dear Cloudbase Paragliding Congratulations to the following 10 companies, firstly for surviving COVID and secondly for making the top 10! These companies are truly magnificent in many ways and can be extremely proud of their achievement. A special big shout out to, Archery Adventures by Chris for being voted the best adventure […]