Easter with a difference: Ghana's paragliding festival

From Good Friday to Easter Monday, people from around the world seeking a special thrill will launch themselves into the air from Ghana's second highest mountain.

The annual paragliding festival is organized by Ghana's Tourism Board and this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. 14 tandem pilots and numerous solo flyers have come from seven different countries.

First the tandem pilot takes the passenger through the exact course of events. When they take off, every movement must be right so that the glider rises smoothly into the air.

The starting point is a 600 meter (1,969 feet) high ridge. Pilot and passenger face into the wind and start slowly running until the glider fills with air and forms a sail above them.

Getting the timing right is crucial for a good start. If pilot and passenger do not run fast enough or are out of sync, the sail cannot fill with wind and 'dies.' But so far everyone has succeeded - eventually.

According to the organizers, there have been no major accidents or injuries, just a few bumps and grazes.

The most frequent mishap is the loss of a loosely-tied shoe. Not a big problem if it happens early enough.

Then the 'victim' only has to glide semi-barefoot into the valley while the shoe is collected, in this case by a Ghanaian soldier.

If the speed, timing and thermics are all in harmony, the paragliders take off, accompanied by thunderous applause. This sport was previously relatively unknown in Africa, and fans came from abroad.

What began as an event to boost domestic tourism has now gained fame far beyond Ghana's borders and has become an international festival.

Ghana's Tourism Board regards the festival as a huge success and an enrichment for the development of the remote region.

Nowadays, some 7,000 visitors make the trip to Kwehu. Not only Ghanaians but also Nigerians, Togolese, Ivorians and Bukinabes are keen to take part.

To guarantee visitors' safety, the police have set up small stations along the mountain range. Souvenir sellers, restaurants, bars and taxi drivers earn here what they would other side earn in a whole year. Hotels are booked out months in advance, with rooms costing twice as much as normal.

Even before the paragliding festival began, Kwahu was one of Ghana's most popular destinations at Easter time. The cool green tropical forest does not only offer the chance to relax, to hike or to go climbing.

There are many other activities in the villages along the mountain ridge: exhibitions, music festivals and street carnivals draw thousands to the otherwise quiet region.

The most exhilarating experience for most visitors is paragliding. Anyone who has soared above Kwahu will never forget it. "You get a completely different perspective from up there," says Nigerian Victor Ofoegbu.

"It's something everyone should experience once in their lives," Victor paid the equivalent of 60 euros ($65 dollars) for a tandem flight.

Alina Kell from Germany remembers the feeling well. She had made her holiday plans for 2014 so that she could take part in the festival. "It was an indescribable feeling.

Most of all, I enjoyed the landscape and the silence," she told DW. "There's a fantastic view of the forest below and then, all of a sudden, the landing place comes closer."

The event is also something special for the pilots. "It's simply unique. I've flown in many different countries, but the festival in Ghana is in a class of its own," said American Chuck Smith.

"It's the atmosphere and the music at the beginning that make it so special. In Ghana, nothing happens without music and dancing and I really like that!"

Children stare up at the mountain watching the paragliders take off and land. "I've seen many of the children here grow up," said pilot Chuck Smith who's taken part for 10 years.

As a member of the non-profit-making gliding association Cloudbase Foundation, he wants to give something back to the region and every year collects donations for an orphanage in Kwahu.

After 20 to 30 minutes, it's all over. The paragliders have descended some 430 meters (1,410 feet) and most are happy to have solid ground under their feet again. Many are already sure this wasn't their last flight.

270 men and women glided into the valley during Easter 2014. The number is expected to be higher this year as paragliding continues to grow in popularity.

A second festival premiered at Christmas 2014 in Ghana's Volta region. There are plans to open a paragliding school and it is hoped that more Ghanaians will train as pilots.