Paragliding
Bains Kloof
Winelands, Western Cape
Today
Flyable2 stars — Flyable1322m soarable · 14 km/h W
Best window this week
Mon 9 · 11h00 · 💥 5 stars · 1,617m tops
Soarable tops — 7-day
Reference lines show historical 75th and 95th percentile for Bains Kloof.
▸Detailed forecast table
| Time | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 9Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 650 | 11 ESE | 11 ESE | 11 ESE | 658 | 0.0 | 0% | 87% | 21.1 | 7 | 0 | 1019 |
| 11h | 💥 | 1,617 | 12 WSW | 15 WNW | 28 WNW | 2080 | 3.0 | 0% | 98% | 28.2 | 5.8 | 0 | 1018 |
| 14h | 🔥 | 1,846 | 17 W | 21 W | 20 W | 2364 | 3.0 | 0% | 100% | 29.9 | 8.1 | 0 | 1017 |
| 17h | 👍 | 1,027 | 17 WSW | 19 SW | 20 SW | 1454 | 2.0 | 0% | 100% | 26.6 | 8.7 | 0 | 1018 |
| Tue 10Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 650 | 13 ESE | 12 ESE | 12 ESE | 658 | 0.0 | 0% | 91% | 20.7 | 6.6 | 0 | 1019 |
| 11h | 👍 | 970 | 11 WSW | 6 WSW | 4 W | 1226 | 2.0 | 0% | 97% | 26.9 | 6.4 | 0 | 1018 |
| 14h | 👍 | 1,322 | 14 W | 13 WSW | 16 W | 1686 | 2.0 | 0% | 95% | 29.3 | 8.2 | 0 | 1016 |
| 17h | 👍 | 725 | 14 WSW | 14 SW | 12 SW | 1102 | 1.0 | 0% | 67% | 25.5 | 9.7 | 0 | 1016 |
| Wed 11Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | 👍 | 650 | 10 SW | 13 SW | 16 SW | 854 | 1.0 | 0% | 92% | 17.3 | 9.2 | 0 | 1018 |
| 11h | 👍 | 1,195 | 16 WSW | 17 WSW | 25 WSW | 1495 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 23.1 | 12.2 | 0 | 1018 |
| 14h | — | 1,512 | 24 WSW | 27 WSW | 36 W | 1889 | 3.0 | 34% | 99% | 24.7 | 15 | 0 | 1016 |
| 17h | — | 793 | 24 SW | 27 SW | 25 WSW | 1393 | 1.0 | 100% | 20% | 20.3 | 15.6 | 0 | 1017 |
| Thu 12Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 650 | 31 ESE | 38 ESE | 34 ESE | 851 | 1.0 | 29% | 89% | 15.2 | 11.2 | 0 | 1019 |
| 11h | — | 1,509 | 12 ESE | 10 SE | 8 WSW | 1859 | 3.0 | 0% | 97% | 20.3 | 9.8 | 0 | 1017 |
| 14h | 🔥 | 1,851 | 13 WSW | 5 SW | 4 SSE | 2285 | 3.0 | 5% | 97% | 23.7 | 8.4 | 0 | 1015 |
| 17h | 👍 | 1,678 | 9 WNW | 8 E | 16 E | 2219 | 2.0 | 43% | 87% | 22.6 | 10.4 | 0 | 1015 |
| Fri 13Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 305 | 29 ESE | 33 ESE | 36 ESE | 544 | 1.0 | 0% | 100% | 17.9 | 6.9 | 0 | 1020 |
| 11h | — | 1,181 | 31 ESE | 25 SE | 24 S | 1531 | 3.0 | 0% | 100% | 23.3 | 2.3 | 0 | 1019 |
| 14h | — | 1,656 | 27 ESE | 19 SE | 15 SSW | 2128 | 3.0 | 0% | 98% | 26.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 1017 |
| 17h | — | 713 | 49 ESE | 54 ESE | 40 ESE | 1034 | 2.0 | 0% | 90% | 26.1 | 3.5 | 0 | 1017 |
| Sat 14Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 306 | 62 ESE | 67 ESE | 72 ESE | 516 | 1.0 | 0% | 100% | 18.6 | 4.9 | 0 | 1020 |
| 11h | — | 619 | 50 ESE | 50 ESE | 41 E | 799 | 2.0 | 0% | 100% | 23.8 | 3.5 | 0 | 1019 |
| 14h | — | 1,300 | 36 ESE | 27 ESE | 12 NE | 1679 | 3.0 | 0% | 98% | 27.5 | 2.9 | 0 | 1016 |
| 17h | — | 706 | 52 ESE | 55 ESE | 44 ESE | 1029 | 2.0 | 0% | 90% | 27.2 | 4.2 | 0 | 1015 |
A thermic pass site with cross-country potential north toward Porterville, launching above a steep-sided valley.
Notice something outdated on this page? Let Ria know →Hazards & cautions
Wind strengthens quickly and becomes dangerous in the confined valley and complex terrain — fly only in light westerlies.
Launch & landing
Launch from the rocky, lightly bushed area just below the view-site car park at the top of the pass, or from an alternative site inside the Boland Hiking Reserve above the pass; timing into a thermal cycle matters. At roughly 300m above the valley (600m ASL, 2300m ceiling), land on the sloping ground west of takeoff across the river course — expect lee-side sink in a westerly.
Access
Via the N1 toward Paarl, then the R44 to Wellington; drive through town and exit east on the road up to Bain's Kloof Pass.
Background
Longest recorded flight from this launch: roughly 118km north to Rhenosterhoek (Greg Hamerton, Nov 1999).
Flying conditions
Wind recommendation
Light W - SW
Flyable directions
SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW
Wind speed range
0–18 km/h
Air School training site
Not used for Air School training
Quick facts
- Grade
- Sport
- Region
- Winelands
- Distance from Cape Town
- 71 km (straight-line)
- Coordinates
- -33.6228°S, 19.0967°E
Want to train at a site like this?
See Beginner CourseReady to fly?
Your first solo flight is three sessions away. The beginner course is available year-round — gear, sites, and SAHPA registration all included.
Or call +27 78 095 8136