SKYNOMAD ETHIOPIA

XC Paragliding Adventure Tour

Ethiopia is completely different than neighboring Kenya. Proudly never colonized, spiritual, Bible old history, Rift valley splitting 2,000 m high plateaus and 4,000 m high mountains, surrounded by deep canyons. Home of rastafari movement and ethio jazz. Paragliding paradise with 4-5,000 m high cloudbases and convergences over dramatic landscape. SkyNomad is exploring and organizing paragliding tours for more than 15 years. Despite current security issues we partner with local tour companies and obtain permissions from Ministry of Tourism and local authorities. Local people are very hospitable, friendly and curious about new things like paragliding, so prepare for tens and hundreds of fans when you land.

The SkyNomad Ethiopia XC Paragliding adventure is a guided tour for autonomous pilots. Your guide suggests the travel itinerary in order to maximize flying. He recommends hotels to stay, restaurants to eat, things to see or buy. The guide briefs you daily about the weather forecast, site features and conditions. He suggests cross-country directions and retrieve possibilities. He launches first to check conditions  or last to assist with difficult take offs. Then we try to fly together along the proposed route or improvise according to the conditions via radio communication. Keep in mind that waiting for each other in dynamic thermal conditions is often not possible. That’s why you need to be an autonomous pilot – able to take off, fly, make decisions and land on your own. The retrieve driver will follow us but you can speed up retrieves by taking local transport. Almost every landing attracts tens and hundreds of spectators, so quick packing is important. The tour is adventurous because sometimes you have to deal with various situations: landing at the bottom of a canyon, finding your way, looking for transport, being arrested, dealing with mobs, etc..

  • Tour name: Ethiopia Cross Country Paragliding Adventure Tour
  • Dates: Usually last two weeks of December and first two weeks of January. Check SkyNomad calendar.
  • Duration: 12 days
  • Guide: Nikolay Yotov
  • Maximum number of pilots: 8
  • Pilot’s level: Experienced. More than 400 hours/flights. Min 50 km Personal Best. SIV. Good take off and landing skills for narrow places. Fit for 2 hours hike to some take offs. Adaptive to various situations and friendly with local people.
  • Flying sites: areas in southern Ethiopia, depending on security situation. Mostly Butajira, Durame, Sodo, Gasera, Sawla.
  • Accommodation: private room with bathroom in mostly 1 star hotels. $15-20 per day or about $250 for 12 days
  • Food: standard – about $10 per day or about $120 for 12 days
  • Guiding:  €360 for 12 days
  • Transport: Toyota 4WD van with driver (up to 5 pilots with paragliders) plus fuel is about $400 per person for 12 days (paid in advance). Obviously, the exact price depends on flown distances and number of participants. The tour starts and ends in Addis Abeba with full tank and.
  • Total price: about $1100 excluding flights to Addis Abeba

 

  • Clothing: The terrains we fly vary from 1,000 to 3,000 m above sea level. It’s pleasant at highlands and fresh in the morning, so use long trousers and sleeves to protect your skin from thorns, sunburn and mosquitoes. Comfortable hiking shoes and 2 pairs of socks, underwear and T-shirts. Flying gloves as it becomes cold at 4k. Sunscreen. Sunglasses. Warm jacket for flying. Buff for breathing protection on dusty roads. Ear plugs when sleeping in noisy hotels.
  • Equipment: Conditions in Ethiopia are usually stronger than your home place, so use a trusty paraglider. The harness should have sufficient protection. Bring spare lines and ripstop tape as some take offs and landings are bushy. 2m radio (144-146 Mhz), preferably quiality brands like Yeasu, Icon, Kenwood (avoid Baofeng). Reliable communication can save your life! Bring also a powerbank with cables for your phone.  Head lamp or torch if hiking in the dark. Pepper spray against hyenas. Universal pocket knife. Quick pack bag to pack your equipment before mob arrives.
  • Health. No need of vaccines for those who come from Europe or America. There is not much malaria in Ethiopia during the dry season (Dec-Feb), especially at highlands above 2000 m,  but you can take pre-medication. The best is prevention by using shoes with high socks, long trousers and sleeves. Bring mosquito repellent with DEET. Hotel beds are usually covered with mosquito nets. Local food can cause diarrhea to tender western stomachs, so you can bring Enterol  (saccharomyces boulardii). There is a decent health care in Ethiopia but there is no helicopter or mountain rescue.