What is paragliding?

Paragliding is a spectacular extreme sport in which pilots soar through the air on paragliders. A paraglider is a soft banana-shaped wing controlled by a system of slings. The pilot sits in a harness or reclines in a seat underneath the wing, with a reserve parachute behind his back. There are no motors and rigid elements in this construction—the flight is performed by gliding in the air. It is similar to how many birds and even some insects fly.

Typically, a flight lasts 1-2 hours and covers several tens of kilometers. However, longer flights are also possible. Outstanding pilots who mastered the skills of orientation in the air streams and can fully exploit the lift can fly over hundreds of kilometers. The record is considered to be the distance of 609.9 km (378.9 mi), while the longest flight in terms of time exceeded 30 hours!

In the natural environment, the strongest thermal streams form where the ground surface is warmest: on hillsides, rock surfaces, rock placers, sand, and other dry open surfaces. Hills and mountains are convenient starting points for a paragliding flight. The continent’s main mountain peak in Africa—the beautiful Kilimanjaro with its snowy cap—is a great place for paragliding.

Paraglider pilots depend entirely on weather conditions: wind strength and direction, humidity and precipitation, visibility, and other meteorological factors. Flights take place in the dry season with its calm weather, over open and well-warmed surfaces, often in the morning or evening hours, when the wind is not strong, and the sun’s heat is enough to create upward currents in the atmosphere.

Kilimanjaro wins over many other paragliding sites in the world. The unique mountain stands near the equator, so the weather conditions here are stable throughout the year. In addition, Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing peak on the planet. So, after the pilot takes off from here, there are no obstacles on the path. The altitude of the best Kilimanjaro launch site, Stella Point, is 5756 meters (18,885 feet). This allows the pilot to catch a good dynamic lift and glide all the way to the landing site. It takes about an hour and a half.

paragliding History in Kilimanjaro

The entire history of flying on the paraglider wing from Kilimanjaro can be divided into two parts: before it was officially allowed by the authorities of the National Park where the “roof of Africa” is located and after the beginning of cooperation with the authorities. The threshold is September 2011, when the first officially approved flight occurred. Before 2011, there were a few isolated cases of paraglider pilots daring to fly from Kilimanjaro, but not all of them are known. However, after 2011, the flights became much more frequent, and even large groups flew together.

Requirements for pilots on Kilimanjaro

The Tanzanian National Park Authority has developed a manual for paraglider pilots containing a strict list of requirements and rules. The first important rule is that flights are limited to certain sites with suitable conditions for takeoff and landing. We must remember that a considerable part of the flight occurs above a dense tropical forest. The flight altitude is limited to 6,000 meters above the ground.

How much does paragliding on Kilimanjaro cost?

The cost of organizing a paragliding flight expedition on Kilimanjaro is calculated by summing the different expenses involved. Most of the expenses go to organizing the ascent itself. The other part is payment for the permits and logistical costs of obtaining them since the issuing organizations are located in different cities: Moshi, Arusha, and Dar es Salaam.

Let’s see what the cost of a flight expedition is made up of in more detail. The cost of the expedition on the Lemosho route is the main expenditure. You can influence it by changing conditions and preferences: for example, a premium expedition will cost more than a classic one, and an expedition for two or more pilots will be less expensive per person.

Then, a permit for paragliding from the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority, KINAPA, costs $500.

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