After an absence of more than four decades, the first hang gliding flights have returned to Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater, a Unesco world heritage site teeming with wildlife.
“We are so excited to share this news with you,” Linda Willemse, director of Paraglide Kilimanjaro says. She had worked tirelessly to secure permits for a team of filmmakers. Among the pilots were the legendary Canadian ‘Bald Eagle’ Michael Robertson, who’s been flying for over 50 years, David Llewellyn, with 30 years of adventure under his wings, and adventurer Rishi Ramraj.
The Paraglide Kilimanjaro team tow-launched the pilots on the crater rim, providing breathtaking views of the crater. The flights were made on 2 September 2024. No further information was available about the flights, but Linda says the adventure will be showcased in a forthcoming film due for release later this year in which Rishi hopes to inspire more hang gliding pilots to take to the skies.
The journey rekindles the spirit of the 1981 film ‘Birdmen of Kilimanjaro’, in which Bill Moyes and his son Steve fly from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans a vast expanse of highland plains, savanna, woodlands and forests and includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera. The region has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, and the annual migration of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles and other animals. Archaeological research has also found evidence of hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.
They are not the only pilots drawn to the region. Last year Tom de Dorlodot, Horacio Llorens and photographer Jake Holland successfully flew from the 3,000m Ol Donyo Lengai volcano (issue 247) situated in the East African Rift Valley, which is next to the Ngorongoro conservation area.
