Barry Pederson is in my opinion the perfect paragliding tour guide. Thoughtful, caring, knowledgeable and determined to ensure everyone has the best possible time with safety at the forefront of everything that he does.

Birdmen tours are all about getting the most out of your trip with some beautiful soaring along the Garden Route and Cape Town as well as XC flying from the best sites on any given day.

Barry doesn't have fixed itineraries for his trips, instead he has different places arranged for his guests to stay, so that he can have you in the right place for the best flying every day.

Barry has some guests who do 2 or 3 trips with him every season, they know they don't have to worry about anything, they will be in the best places and if it isn't flyable anywhere, Barry will ensure that you know the best wineries and other tourist destinations to visit. Your days will not be wasted.

How it works

Barry has a well maintained air-conditioned minibus with a trailer on the back that will take you to the flying sites, sort your retrieves and get you to your accomodation every day.

There will be detailed weather and site briefs to make sure you get the most out of each day of the trip, if you need more help with thermalling and getting your skills sharpened, that won't be a problem.

For more experienced pilots, you will go to sites where it is possible to fly classic 100km plus flights safely.

South Africa occasionally gets a bad rep for being super strong, gnarly and radical. In my experience (10 weeks plus), the reputation is undeserved.

The conditions in SA can be super strong and if in the wrong place you can get caught out. To make the most of your time, you need to a very good knowledge of meteorology, the locations of the sites (not always easy), a reliable and sorted retrieve system and if and when the wind is going to come in during the afternoon.

Going on one of Barry's Birdmen tours will do all of that for you and save you having to think, instead you can relax and enjoy the flying.

If visiting for the first time and you want a great experience, to fly a plethora of different sites, then look no further than Birdman.

What's included - see below for the exact details

You will be picked up from the airport, your accommodation and breakfast will be included, but not your lunches and dinners and alcohol.

Don't worry though, the food (and drink) in South Africa is astoundingly cheap and excellent. Barry and his team will do numerous 'braai's' BBQs to you and me with excellent meats, fish and salads too.

Where you'll fly

Barry operates from the northern end of the Western Cape all the way down to Wilderness on the Garden route, you will fly the best sites according to the conditions. Ideally you will start in Wilderness or Cape Town where the conditions are more benign before moving into the big XC areas of the Western Cape.

Where you go and when will ultimately be down to the weather conditions, which are reliable enough to mean pilots have good flying on over 85% of the trip.

Cape Town flying

Table Mountain & Lions Head
The main town sites are Lion's Head, Table Mountain (advanced pilot only) and Noordhoek, all within a couple of minute's drive from the town centre. Table Mountain itself towers above the Atlantic, a stunning glide down to the landing field at La Med restaurant for wingovers at sunset.

Noordhoek
Further towards Cape Point, Noordhoek is probably Cape Town's most beautiful site, overlooking Kommetjie and Hout Bay.

The crossing from Lion's Head to Table Mountain is always a spectacular experience as is the flying down the apostles and occasionally all the way to Kommetjie. This is a committed flight and although not technically difficult, you really want to be with someone like Barry who can show you the way and will be able to read the signs that it isn't on!

Sir Lowry's Pass (SLP),
A beautiful long ridge that forms part of the Hottentot-Holland mountain range across False Bay, to the east of Cape Town city. It is easily accessible by road and can offer some interesting XC potential (to beyond Porterville occasionally), but the airspace makes that tricky and again understanding the routing is key to success.

Porterville

When I first went to Porterville, we all flew in Porterville and if it wasn't flyable there, we didn't fly. There have been more sites opened up in recent years, and now there are excellent XC sites that accommodate most wind directions. Reaching them does mean having a vehicle and a retrieve.

Dasklip Pass

Baines Kloof

Picketburg

Kardosie

Franschhoek

Wilderness and the Garden route

Map of Africa, one of the most convenient - not to mention beautiful - sites you'll ever fly (in competition with Lions Head, Signal Hill, Noordhook etc...). On the left is Paradise Ridge, suitable for beginner pilots and waga kings alike, while just inland, Sedgeview and Serpentine offer stunning thermal flying - within glide of the beach and warm ocean!

Depending on the weather, most tours will start in Wilderness, to allow you to ease back into flying before heading to the Western Cape and Porterville where you'll have the opportunity to stretch your XC legs.

A trip to Wilderness is strongly recommended for those escaping the European winter - brush up on your ground handling, fly relaxed conditions and gently get used to stronger conditions again.

What to do if it isn't flyable?

You're in South Africa?! Seriously, there isn't a more fun place to be or one with a wider range of things to do on your doorstep and when flying in Cape Town, there is always time to do some of the musts while you're there.

You have Table Mountain and for the more adventurous the India Venster is a fun route and for those with climbing experience and NO fear of heights or exposure there is the Kloof Corner route, but take a guide, if you don't you could die (as I nearly found out).

You then have the Waterfront, trips to Robin Island, more vineyards than you could imagine and for the gastronomes amongst you, some of the best value Michelin starred restaurants on earth.

You then also have the penguins at Boulder's beach, Cape Point, Chapmans Peak drive, Camps Bay, Catamaran cruises and more!

Requirements

Pilots must arrange their own medical insurance and should be able to present an IPPI card for verification of their licences.

All pilots are required to register with SAHPA (South African Hangliding and Paragliding Association) and flying in other areas require club membership is mandatory.

Prices
Full payment of the invoice is required to confirm your booking. We highly recommend that you have travel insurance as we have a no-refunds policy.

The €1445 rate includes:

 14 days and 12 nights per pilot sharing in our privately owned accommodation
 Professional briefing & guiding and updated weather forecasts every evening
 A recovery driver with radio and cellular contact.
 Assistance with launches and radio assistance during the flight, if required.
 Guide on-site or flying with you.
 Advice on other tourist activities in the areas.
 All transport to site
 Private site fees
Excluded from our fee is:
 SAHPA licence fee – you will need to register and pay online before we can begin your tour.
Accommodation and food

We own two 10 bedroomed houses that we have converted into guesthouses. One in Cape Town,
which is our main home base, and one in Sedgefield on The Garden Route. Our houses give us the
flexibility to keep up with the changing weather and to move to The Garden Route when it is
unflyable in Cape Town.
At our accommodation we serve a full continental breakfast every morning including fruit, cereals, toast, cheeses, cold meats, and yoghurts. We are also happy to prepare bacon and eggs if you ask.

When we leave for site every morning, we will stop at a local shop where you can buy lunch to eat on the mountain while we fly.
Our focus is to give you both the best paragliding experience and help you to experience our culture.

All South Africans love to “Braai” which is a local way of cooking meat - including boerewors (a local sausage), fillet steak, rump steak, T-bone steak, lamb chops or chicken - over an open fire and we serve it with an array of local salads and vegetables.

If you have any more questions, send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
We hope to see you in our South African sky soon!

Tours run for 12 nights and 14 days.

19 November – 2 December 2020

5 – 18 December 2020

26 December – 8 January 2021

30 January – 12 February 2021

27 February – 12 March 2021