Paragliding Licence Courses in South Africa — Everything You Need to Know (2026)
- Handre Fouche
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
SACAA Declared Training Organisation · DTO 0038 · SAHPA Accredited · Cape Town & Garden Route
Learn to Paraglide in South Africa
Paragliding is one of the most accessible adventure sports in the world — and learning to fly solo is more achievable than most people think. Over a series of guided training days across South Africa's most spectacular flying sites, you'll progress from complete beginner to confident solo pilot, earning a full IPPI 4 paragliding licence recognised internationally.
No experience needed. No fitness requirements. Just a genuine interest in learning to fly.
Whether you prefer a flexible local course in Cape Town — training two or three days a week around your schedule — or a fully guided 12 to 14 day adventure that takes you from the Garden Route to the Cape Peninsula, we have a course that fits your life.
Choose Your Course
All courses lead to the same result — a full IPPI 4 / SAHPA Basic Paragliding Licence, taught by SAHPA-certified instructors at world-class mountain foot launch sites across the Western Cape and Garden Route.
★ NEW — Cape Town Paragliding Licence Course
R25,500
April & May 2026 · Cape Town region · 2–3 training days per week · 14 days total
The most flexible way to earn your paragliding licence. Train two to three days a week across the Cape Town region over several weeks, building your skills progressively. Fit your training around work and life — and still walk away with an internationally recognised licence. School equipment provided throughout.
What's included: Full IPPI 4 / SAHPA Basic Licence · 35+ flights (solo and tandem) · All school equipment · Two-way radio coaching · 4-hour theory class and exam · Transport to sites · Student licence and manual
4-Day Intro to Paragliding
R16,000
Garden Route or Overberg · School equipment + accommodation + meals included
Not ready to commit to the full licence? In four days you'll go from your very first ground-handling session to solo flights off the mountain. Accommodation, meals, and all equipment are included. A genuine introduction to the sport — not a tourist activity. If you continue to the full licence, the R16,000 intro fee is deducted from your course price.
What's included: All equipment · 3 nights accommodation · Daily breakfast and dinner · Tandem instructional flight · 4–10 solo flights · Radio instruction · Transport to sites
Full Paragliding Licence — School Equipment
R28,000
Garden Route + Cape Town · 12–14 days · School equipment provided
The full licence course across two of South Africa's best flying regions. Training starts in Wilderness on the Garden Route — widely regarded as the heart of South African paragliding — before moving to the Cape Town region. Ideal if you want to earn your licence before deciding whether to invest in your own kit, or if you already own gear and just need the instruction and flights. Accommodation not included.
What's included: Full IPPI 4 / SAHPA licence · All school equipment · 35+ flights · Radio coaching · Theory class and exam · Transport from Cape Town · Student licence and manual
Full Licence + Your Own Equipment
R100,000
Garden Route + Cape Town · 12–14 days · Brand-new Sky Paragliders kit included
Same full licence course — but you leave with a complete brand-new Sky Paragliders kit made to your size and colour. The equipment alone retails for approximately R105,000, which means the course, instruction, and 35+ flights cost you almost nothing on top of the gear. Sky Safari is the official South African dealer for Sky Paragliders.
What's included: Full IPPI 4 / SAHPA licence · Sky Gaia 3 paraglider (EN-A) · GII5 harness · Sky System reserve parachute · Charlie helmet · 35+ flights · All site fees and licence registration · Book 8 weeks in advance for equipment manufacturing
★ RECOMMENDED — Paragliding Training Tour, Fully Inclusive
R120,000 / €6,200
Garden Route + Cape Town · 12–14 days · Everything included
The complete package — nothing to arrange, nothing to worry about. Just show up and fly. You'll spend 12 to 14 days travelling between two of South Africa's most spectacular flying regions, earn your full IPPI 4 licence, and leave with a brand-new paragliding kit. Accommodation, meals, airport transfers, transport between sites, and all site fees are taken care of. This is how paragliding was meant to be learned.
What's included: Full IPPI 4 / SAHPA licence · Brand-new Sky Paragliders kit · 35+ flights (solo and tandem) · 11+ nights accommodation · Airport pick-up and all transport · Daily breakfasts and 6 dinners · All site fees and licence registration · In-flight radio coaching · Theory classes: weather, air law, flight principles, decision-making
The equipment alone retails for R105,000 — you're essentially getting the guided tour, accommodation, meals, and all instruction at a fraction of the cost. Please book at least 8 weeks in advance.
2026 Training Tour Dates
13 September – 26 September 2026
5 spaces available · Booking deadline: 18 July 2026
4 October – 17 October 2026
5 spaces available · Booking deadline: 8 August 2026
4-Day Intro and local licence courses run throughout the year — February to April and August to November. Contact us to arrange dates that suit your schedule.
Where You'll Fly
The best site is selected each morning based on local conditions. You'll fly a range of sites throughout the course — building experience across coastal ridge soaring, thermals, and sand dune launches.
Garden Route
Map of Africa (Wilderness)
Iconic coastal ridge soaring with sweeping Indian Ocean views. One of South Africa's most famous paragliding launch sites.
Kleinkrantz
Beginner-friendly coastal site with soft beach landings — perfect for early training flights.
Sedgefield
Excellent ridge soaring and thermal flying conditions.
Paradise Ridge
Sand dune training and gentle coastal flights — ideal for building ground handling confidence.
Cape Town Region
Sir Lowry's Pass · Porterville · Langebaan · Hermanus · Betty's Bay · Piketberg
A mix of inland mountain thermals, coastal ridge soaring, and high-altitude mountain launches — giving you diverse flying experience across the Western Cape.
What You'll Learn
Training follows the official SAHPA curriculum and covers everything you need to fly independently and safely after the course.
In the Air
You'll start on the ground with kiting and inflation drills, building feel and control before your first flights. From there you progress to supervised solo flights with two-way radio coaching on every flight, plus tandem instructional flights to experience more advanced conditions alongside a qualified pilot.
Theory Class (4 Hours)
Weather and micro-meteorology · Flight principles and aerodynamics · Air law and South African airspace regulations · Safety and emergency procedures — reserve deployment, collapses, and recovery · Pilot mindset and decision-making — risk assessment and when not to fly
What You Need to Earn Your Licence
To qualify for your full IPPI 4 / SAHPA Basic Paragliding Licence you need to meet the following requirements. The good news: you'll tick every box during the course — no extra sessions needed.
1. 35+ flights of at least 60 seconds each, including 20 flights with 100m+ height gain
2. One flight of more than 20 minutes duration
3. Minimum 4 hours total airtime
4. At least 2 thermal flights — consecutive 360s in rising air
5. Good unassisted take-offs and canopy control in varying conditions
6. Landing accuracy: 3 out of 3 within a 50m circle
7. In-flight manoeuvres: S-turns, 180s, 360s, big ears, back-riser flight
8. Pass the SAHPA Basic Licence written theory exam
Your Equipment (Options 3 & 4)
Equipment packages include a complete brand-new kit from Sky Paragliders, made to your preferred size and colour. Sky Safari is the official South African dealer — manufactured in the Czech Republic, one of the world's leading paragliding brands. Book at least 8 weeks in advance to allow manufacturing and shipping time.
Sky Gaia 3 Paraglider
EN-A certified beginner-to-intermediate wing with excellent passive safety and confidence-building handling.
GII5 Harness
Comfortable, fully adjustable, with integrated back protection and reserve parachute container.
Sky System Reserve Parachute
Lightweight, quick-deploying, sized to your weight range.
Charlie Helmet
Lightweight, certified paragliding helmet for maximum protection and comfort in flight.
Your Instructor
Handré Fouché is Sky Safari's Chief Flight Instructor — a SAHPA-certified Grade B and C instructor with over 13000 flights. He's been a full-time paragliding instructor since 2018, a professional tour guide for 10+ years, and a qualified school teacher for 5 years before that.
You're learning from someone who has done this thousands of times — and genuinely loves teaching people to fly.
Is This Course For You?
Complete beginners
No flying experience needed. No fitness test. No prior aviation knowledge. If you've ever watched a paraglider and thought "I want to do that" — this is exactly how you make it happen.
Adventure travellers
Combine a South African road trip with a skill you'll use for the rest of your life. The training tour takes you through two spectacular regions over 12 to 14 days.
Cape Town locals
The flexible local course lets you train 2 to 3 days a week around your work schedule — no block leave required.
Value-seekers
Equipment packages include a kit worth R105,000. The course itself costs you almost nothing on top — it's an extraordinary deal.
Ready to Take the Leap?
Spaces on the training tours are limited to 5 students per course. Equipment packages take 8 weeks to manufacture. If you're thinking about the September or October 2026 tour, now is the time to get in touch.
Send us a WhatsApp and we'll send you the full 2026 info pack — what to bring, what to expect on day one, payment options, and how to get to the first flying site.
WhatsApp: +27 72 252 1678 · fly@skysafari.co.za · skysafari.co.za
Sky Safari Adventures · SACAA Declared Training Organisation DTO 0038 · SAHPA Accredited · 1 Signal Hill Road, Cape Town
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