We seem to be getting out of the southerly wind season and slowly transitioning into the easterly winds, which will send us more and more often at Ma On Shan Country Park and at Dragon’s Back.

Paragliders are very wind-sensitive, and we always have to adjust to the predominant wind flow. During the summer months we usually fly on Lantau as the southern winds push up against the slopes of Sunset and Lantau Peaks, but now that there are more frequent East wind days, we have been finding ourselves hiking to Pyramid Hill and the Ngong Ping ridge for flights above Saikung and next to the majestic Ma On Shan mountain.

Flying next to Pyramid Hill is always a thrill, but taking the views of Ma On Shan is literally the next level of excitement! Towering 702 metres above sea level, this is the highest peak in Ma On Shan Park, and on clear days we have stunning views of… well.. EVERYTHING! It is not uncommon to see Shenzhen, Lantau Island, and even Macao. Naturally, visibility changes fast here in Hongkong, but any flight out here is a memorable treat!

Since we are on the topic of changing winds, it might be good to take a moment to explain the different options you have for tandem paragliding here in Hongkong at different times of the year. Ma On Shan Country Park is home to the most popular and busiest flight site, but it only really works with East winds, plus-minus a few degrees to the left or right, but not too much. By the time the wind is coming from the North-East, the site becomes difficult to fly, and likewise, when it turns Southeasterly (some fly when it is Southerly), the lift is not as reliable, and we are no longer guaranteed a return to the Ngong Ping ridge. Thus, we will only paraglide there if the wind is from the East.

Depending on the windspeed, and the precise wind direction, we can also fly at Dragon’s Back, also known as the Shek-O site. Dragon’s Back is actually comfortably flyable in Northeast and East winds, though it becomes progressively more difficult whenever winds start turning towards the south.

Lantau Island is an interesting site, as it offers paragliding with the widest range of wind directions. The east Lantau takeoff (on the slopes of Sunset Peak) can be safely flown with the wind coming anywhere between East and South-West. However, the southerly wind season rarely has strong winds, which means you need a lot of luck to stay up for a long time. This is where you quickly notice the connection between passenger weight and flight duration. It is not unheard of for a 100kg passenger to have landed on the beach after only 8 minutes, while a 45kg passenger is floating in the sky for 25!

There are a few other flying sites peppering Hongkong’s mountains, but most of them are not suitable for tandem paragliding, mostly due to their size, or difficulty getting to them. Long Ke Wan is a magnificent beach on the far-eastern side of Saikung, but it takes such a long time getting there, we seldom go flying at that paragliding site, because it is very easy to end up wasting an entire day with no flight.

Shek O has a small takeoff site on the West side, which obviously only works with Westerly winds, but the site tends to experience a lot of turbulence, and the landing area is minuscule. Not only is it not a tandem paragliding site, solo flying there demands very good skill, and is definitely not for everyone.

Pat Sin Range near Tai Po is another lovely place with stunning scenery, but considering the fact that it can take well over an hour to hike to the takeoff location, only the most hardcore of solo pilots fly there. We certainly do not want to carry a 22kg tandem kit up that mountain, as there is a good reason some people refer to it as the “Heart-attack Ridge”…

The only North-facing site in Hongkong is Pak Tam Au, on the north side of Saikung East Country Park. However, while it is a great solo site, the relentless 35-40 minute slog up the mountain scares off even the keenest passengers. Combined with the fact that the landing field near Wong Shek Pier is very small, we have decided to not fly there as the effort to success ratio is just not that great. We’ll stick with safer places like Ma On Shan!

Here are some photos from the past few flights at Ma On Shan Country Park.