Top 10 Best tandem paragliding instructors 2026

paragliding-interlaken.ch

A shopfront operation in the middle of Interlaken, on Höheweg opposite the Höhematte meadow, which doubles as the meeting point before every flight. Tandems launch from the Beatenberg side above Lake Thun, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lined up on one horizon and two turquoise lakes on the other. The same office books skydiving, rafting and canyoning, which is why groups planning a full adventure week tend to start here rather than with a single sport outfit.

Convenient for anyone without a car: transfer to launch and back into town is organised, and staff answer in several languages. Less appealing to flyers hunting solitude, since the Beatenberg slope handles a steady stream of passengers in high season and slots fill quickly in July and August. Weather in the Bernese Oberland shifts fast, so a spare day in the itinerary is worth more than any booking trick.

Höheweg 115, 3800 Interlaken, Switzerland

skywings.ch

A small Interlaken crew that publishes its rules before taking money, which is rarer than it sounds. Early slots at 7.10 and 8.10 in the morning and the late ones at 16.00 and 17.00 carry a maximum passenger weight of 80 kg, and guests over 65 are asked to write or call first so eligibility is settled on the ground, not at the edge of the slope. The phone and inbox are staffed from 7.00 to 19.00 between April and October, and from 8.00 to 18.00 in the winter season.

Sunrise and evening flights are the reason to choose this outfit: calmer air, softer light and far fewer wings in the sky than at midday. The strict weight ceiling on those slots rules out heavier passengers, who need the standard daytime flights instead. Anyone booking for an older relative should count on a short conversation about health and mobility before the reservation is confirmed.

Interlaken, Switzerland

flystar.ch

The value option among Interlaken tandem crews. Passengers ride a bus from town up to Beatenberg and launch from Amisbühl, a slope chosen for its forgiving take off conditions, then drift down over pasture, forest and the blue of Lake Thun. Pilots hold Swiss tandem certification, and the company counts more than twenty years of operation and over ten thousand passengers flown.

Suited to travellers who want the Jungfrau panorama without paying for a helicopter transfer or a premium package, and to school trips, teams and stag parties, for whom custom group deals are arranged directly by mail. The bus ride adds time to the outing, so a tight sightseeing schedule may not fit. As everywhere in the Oberland, the flight window depends on wind and cloud base, and afternoon thermals make the ride livelier than the morning one.

Interlaken, Switzerland

nzgforce.com

Flying tandems above Queenstown since 1991, GFORCE launches from the Skyline Gondola complex roughly 2,500 feet above Lake Wakatipu, the only paragliding operation permitted to take off from that site. The company works under New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority certification, with set standards for equipment, pilot training and weather checks, and its pilots add up to well over two hundred years of tandem experience between them.

Passengers pick their flavour on the spot: a smooth scenic glide or a livelier ride with spirals and wingovers thrown in. Check in happens at the Skyline base in town, but the gondola ticket is bought separately, or the hill can be walked in about forty five minutes for those who prefer legs to cable. Closed shoes are compulsory, the weight ceiling is 100 kg, and southern alpine weather can rearrange the day at short notice.

Skyline Gondola complex, Brecon Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand

flytorrey.com

A piece of aviation history perched on the cliffs above Black's Beach: sailplanes have used this ridge since the late 1920s, and the current operation dates from 1996. Tandem paragliding here needs no hike and no shuttle, because the ocean breeze pushes straight up the cliff face and lift starts a few steps from the car park. Hang gliding tandems, lessons, a gear shop and a café share the same clifftop, and the site is open daily from morning until early evening.

Ideal for a first flight with nervous passengers: take off and landing happen on the same grassy strip, the air is usually smooth and the whole outing takes an hour or so. The catch is the wind, since coastal soaring needs a steady onshore flow, and flights are decided on the day rather than promised in advance. Paragliders here stay near the ridge, so anyone dreaming of a long mountain descent should look elsewhere.

2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA

flycapetown.co.za

Tandem flights over Cape Town with pilots licensed by the South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, as the Civil Aviation Act requires. The flight itself costs 1,800 rand, in flight photography and video another 400, and gift vouchers are sold for those buying the experience for somebody else. Thousands of tandems have been flown here, including passengers as young as three years old.

The selling point is the backdrop: Table Mountain on one side, the Atlantic and the city bowl below, with landing on the green near the seafront. No experience is asked of the passenger, only a willingness to run a few steps. Cape Town wind is the constant variable, and the famous south easter shuts the launch down for days at a time, so booking early in a trip leaves room for a second attempt.

26 Virginia Avenue, Vredehoek, Cape Town 8001, South Africa

justfly.com.br

Paulo Celani and his team have been flying passengers off the Pedra Bonita ramp for more than three decades, offering both hang gliding and paragliding tandems. The ramp sits inside Tijuca forest above São Conrado, and the flight ends on the beach itself, with Rocinha on one flank, the Atlantic on the other and Pedra da Gávea filling the view behind. Booking runs through WhatsApp or mail, and pick up from a hotel in the south zone is usual practice.

Good for travellers who want the flight and the city in one morning, since the whole outing rarely eats a full day. Passengers who insist on paragliding should say so when booking, because hang gliding remains the signature ride from this ramp. Rio's summer rain and shifting sea breeze mean flights are confirmed the same morning, and a flexible day in the schedule saves disappointment.

São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

flyinfinityparagliding.com

Tandems from Babadağ above Ölüdeniz, where the launch decks sit high enough for a long descent over the Blue Lagoon before landing on the beach in the middle of the resort. The harnesses give pilot and passenger separate seats, which makes the flight noticeably more comfortable than the older side by side setups, and a briefing is held before take off, so no previous experience is needed.

Suits sunbathers who fancy a change of angle: the jeep ride up the mountain, the flight and the walk back to the towel fit inside a morning. Photo and video are shot in the air and handed over afterwards. Ölüdeniz gets crowded from June to September, with dozens of wings in the sky at once, and mid day thermals turn the descent bumpy, so queasy passengers do better with an early slot.

Ölüdeniz Caddesi, 48300 Fethiye, Muğla, Turkey

paragliding-nepal.com

A Pokhara flying school with an office in Lakeside, working the Sarangkot ridge above Phewa Lake, one of the cheapest reliable tandem destinations anywhere. Flights start with a jeep ride to the launch, then a glide over the lake with the Annapurna wall and Machhapuchhre on the skyline, and a landing beside the water. Besides tandems the school runs pilot training, which is why its staff are pilots first and salespeople second.

Autumn and spring bring the steadiest thermals, and morning flights often share a thermal with hawks and vultures. Monsoon months are effectively closed, and winter haze from the plains can dull the mountain view. Passengers who want a longer cross country style flight should ask about the extended option when booking, since the standard ride ends fairly quickly on a weak day.

Lakeside, Pokhara 33700, Nepal

flyeo.com

A French school based around Lake Annecy, one of the busiest flying valleys in Europe, with tandems launching from the slopes above Montmin and landing in the Doussard field at the southern tip of the lake. Alongside first flights the outfit teaches beginners and runs safety training over the water, so the same instructors who fly passengers also spend their season correcting other pilots' mistakes.

A sensible choice for anyone who wants the flight to be more than a photo opportunity: pilots explain what the wing is doing and let curious passengers take the controls for a while. Prices sit at Alpine level, and the Forclaz launch is shared with many schools, so summer afternoons mean traffic in the air. Winter flights depend on snow cover and access to the take off, which is worth checking before travelling.

Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France