Emi Carvalho, Paraglide instructor and founder of AltitudeCV, first visited Cape Verde as a volunteer working with the Calhãu association on the island of São Vicente. During his spare time on the island he started to explore the possibilities of flying Parapente in the country.
“At that time I was working in Switzerland, where we only fly during the summer. I wanted to do something positive during the winter months, that's why I decided to volunteer for a social project in Cape Verde. I had an amazing time on the island of São Vicente, and saw the amazing conditions for Parapente here."
The first Paraglide project in Cape Verde took off in late 2016, when Emi started to do some test flights, looking for the places that could offer the best conditions for flying. Later, he had a group of 30 (!) kids from a SOS project that he invited to experience the beauty of Parapente.
"Today we offer different services within our company. You can choose to do a flight with us, where of course you are joined by an instructor. But we also have a school, with which people can learn to do solo flights, and we can simply rent out our gear to people who are licensed to do solo flying.
AltitudeCV is back in Cape Verde, and this time for something really special. The guys will be on all of the islands for a minimum of 2 days so that everyone can get their chance to go on an unforgettable flight.
"I'm probably looking forward to flying on the island of São Nicolau the most. Flying between mountains is what I love more than anything else, so I'm also really looking forward to Santo Antão and Fogo as well."
"Before making plans about locations we analyse and study every aspect that is important for Paragliding. We make a list of locations to visit, and after that make a decision. This means that our initial plan can always change, because this also depends on the weather. For example, electricitycabels are always a factor that impacts flying decisions.
"We would love to be able to train new instructors so they can work with us. And we are hoping to contribute to the start of tourism for Paragliding in Cape Verde. The Canary Islands receive 2000 visitors a year for Paragliding only, and they have an International Parapente Festival where 400 people fly at the same time!"
"The beauty of Paragliding is that everyone can learn how to fly. Although it's not easy, it can be done by anyone. We have been flying with people between the ages of 6 and 90 years old. One of our students was 74 (!) when he learned how to fly solo."
“I really hope we can spend more time flying in Cape Verde. It would be great if we could go from
from 3 to 4 months, so a third of the year, and later on move on to 6 months a year working in Cape Verde.
I would love to see more Cape Verdeans flying and getting involved in this amazing sport.”
AltitudeCV's current schedule:
São Vicente = 20th of April - until the 24th
Santo Antão = 25th of April – until 28th
Fogo = 29th of April – until the 2nd of May
Brava = 3rd and 4th of may
Santiago = 5th and 6th of May
São Nicolau = 7th of May – until the 10th of May
Boa Vista = 11th and 12th of May
Sal = 13th and 14th May
Maio = 15th and 16th of May
For more information: www.altitude.cv / www.facebook.com/Altitude.cv