One of our favorite ways to see Cape Town was paragliding off of Signal Hill down to Sea Point. It was a beautiful day and from the top of Signal Hill we had incredible 360 degree views of the city, ocean, and Table Mountain! We got harnessed up right away and before I knew it Em was running off the mountain, soaring to the ocean below! (Something I’ve learned about adventure sports: always make your wife go first 😋). A few minutes later it was my turn. Jack, My paragliding instructor, hooked me onto his harness and we were off. We started running down the hill as the huge parachute above us caught the air. Before I knew it my feet were running, but there was no longer any ground below them! We were in the air, soaring over Cape Town.
The company that we went paragliding with was Cape Paragliding. From the moment we first started talking with him, Cape Paragliding’s owner Clayton was a joy to work with. They were extremely accommodating and the entire process was so quick and easy. All of the paragliding instructors are extremely experienced and safety is the #1 priority. I knew I was in good hands when Jack, my paragliding guide, told me he enjoys going on 5+ hour long cross country paragliding rides! (I didn’t even know that was possible!)
Cape Paragliding strives to accommodate people from all over the world. The company has fluent speaking guides for more than 5+ languages. They also have one of the only female guides in the entire city. They take off from either Signal Hill or Lions Head and the views are incredible. Cape Town has to be one of the prettiest cities in the world to paraglide. And the best part about Cape Town is that they can fly all year round. We flew in July, which is one of the country’s coldest months and the weather felt amazing! The rides vary from 5 – 30 minutes depending on the thermal winds that day, but no matter what the conditions, the experience is incredible!
Our whole flight was unbelievable! I’ve always said that paragliding and hang gliding are some of the most peaceful adventure sports. I truly think that even people who are deathly afraid of heights can enjoy the calming ride of paragliding. Our views of the ocean, Lions Head peak, and the city below us were incredible! Soaring high above the 10+ story buildings below us really put into perspective just how high we were. As we neared the ocean, Jack asked if I was down to do some sharp turns. I said sure, and next thing I knew we were turning at almost a 90 degree angle! It was so much fun having the best of both worlds. Being able to choose either a slow descent down to the ground, or throwing a little heart racing action at the end of our ride. (So thankful we had expert instructors like Clayton and Jack!)
Next thing I knew we were coming in for a smooth landing on the grass below! It was an amazing ride and one of our favorite experiences in Cape Town! It was the perfect mix of adventure and scenic views. If you are in Cape Town and want to go paragliding check out Cape Paragliding’s website here!
How to Get To Cape Town
Cape Town is an incredible city to visit! If you’re planning a trip there, we recommend booking transportation to Cape Town through Bookaway. Bookaway sells online transportation tickets such as bus, ferry, and trains worldwide – so it’s super easy to book your transportation tickets through them and focus on planning the rest of your trip!
