A paraglider has died after crashing into a cliff and dropping 170 metres to the ground near Wollongong.

Paramedics said a man in his 40s took off from the popular Bald Hill Lookout at Stanwell Tops around 3:00pm on Saturday.

He travelled towards the cliff to get an updraft of wind, but failed in the manoeuvre and collided with the cliff face.

"He hit the cliff hard, and dropped a significant distance toward the bottom," said Inspector Norm Rees from NSW Ambulance.

A bystander was able to access the man via a walking track and found him dead.

Emergency authorities then planned a recovery mission for the body and the bystander, who refused assistance.

"There was a very fine window of opportunity and we had approximately 15 minutes to decide how to do the rescue … we were running out of light" Inspector Rees said.

"The helicopter had a weight limit and the bystander did not want to leave his backpack."

The bystander also declined an offer from the SES to retrieve the backpack and decided to walk out alone.

Inspector Rees said the recovery mission was very complex and dangerous.

"There was a lot of checks and double-checks so we don't become patients ourselves."

Light ran out before the body could be retrieved so the mission was postponed until Sunday.

A police helicopter winched the body from the scene around 11:30am.

The Bald Hill lookout is a hub for gliding but there are multiple pilot accidents at the site each year.