Paragliding in Turkey

Guest Blogger — Mon, 27 May 2013 19:39:59 +0000

By Clare Dyckhoff

What do you look for when you traveling? Is it the nearest beach, the warmest sea, the best place with the largest selection of adventure sports? If you’re an adrenaline junkie with a burning desire for all things all active and fun then you may be interested in my tale about paragliding in Turkey.

My family and I have visited Ölüdeniz in Turkey twice now and we still cannot get enough. Literally translated as ‘Blue Lagoon’, Ölüdeniz is a stunning sight for anyone wanting time to relax and meet some fantastic people.

I’ve always been one for activities abroad, trekking up mountains in Peru, climbing hundreds of stairs to get to the top of an Irish tower, and my family is no different.

Befriending the local paragliding company, my Dad and brother showed no hesitation to signing up to go up the rickety roads toward the top of the mountain in a truck that barely fitted on the width lacking tracks. Pretty soon my Mum, sister, Grandparents and I were all stood filming and ‘whooping’ as they descended to the ground, unscathed (unlike a parasailing incident I had a few years before- a story for another time), and we soon moved on toward the bar. A week and a half of walking past the owner of the company, Ahmed, and lots of “you know you want to go paragliding, Clare!” later, I had signed up, alongside my then 86 year old Granddad, to go paragliding the next day.

We made it up the rickety, death-potential roads and were soon stood on top of the mountain we were about to jump off: “Clare, you’re with Ergin”, the company leader bellowed across the scenic surroundings to me. Before it emerged that I’d been paired with the youngest, dare-devil pilot, and before I could look across to my Granddad who was tied to another pilot, the words “RUN RUN RUN” were being commanded at me….it’s strange, when someone tells you to run, your legs temporarily refuse to, but soon enough we were swooping high above the most incredible bird’s eye view of Ölüdeniz that I had seen.

Lucky for me I spent thirty minutes in the air doing loop-the-loops and downward spirals that sent me revitalized, but sent my mother watching, on a spiraling downturn of worry and anxiety for my safety. She never did enjoy rollercoasters.

Paragliding in Turkey is to day one of the best experiences I have been fortunate to have, and I never hesitate to look at the video and photographs of the event just to remind myself how much fun jumping off a cliff was. If everyone was jumping off a cliff would you do the same? Well my answer is yes, if it results in some fantastic photographs, views, and memories for a lover of all things fun and new.

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Istanbul, Turkey Adventure Travel Guide

Matt — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:17:15 +0000

Place

Istanbul, Turkey

Location

Istanbul is located in northwestern Turkey between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, and is split by the Bosphorous (a strait that connects the two seas), which situates it partly in Asia and partly in Europe. It’s the only city in the world situated on two continents

Climate and Geography

Turkey sits on the strip of land that divides the Black sea and Sea of Marmara. Approximately half of Istanbul’s 5343 km² sits in Europe. The other half sits in Asia. It is split between the two by the Bosphorous. Istanbul is known as the City on the Seven Hills, and the southern part of the European half of the city does sit on seven hills. Istanbul also sits on the North Anatolian fault, which divides the African and Eurasian plates and has had many earthquakes. Seismologists say there more than a 60% chance that a 7.6-magnitude earthquake will strike Istanbul before 2030.

Istanbul has a Mediterranean climate. Summer temperatures average around 23 °C with the hottest days topping 32 °C. In the winter the temperature averages 4 °C and sometimes receives heavy snow. Istanbul is very humid, and has fog an average of 288 days each year, most commonly on winter mornings.

Description

Istanbul is Turkey’s capital and largest city with 13.1 million (17.8% of Turkey’s population). The former capital of four empires (Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman), Istanbul is one of the most historically rich cities in the world. Subsequently it is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Although it’s definitely richer in culture and history than outdoors adventures, the city’s proximity to the two seas and the unique geological characteristics of the area create some interesting opportunities nearby. There is surfing not too far away at Wattabe Beach, and there is said to be excellent kitesurfing at Burc Beach. Turkey is rife with caves (there are more than 40,000 in the country) so spelunking is popular. Yarimburgaz Cave near Istanbul is known as the site of the oldest evidence of human presence in Turkey. You can go climbing at Ballikayalar about an hour southeast of Istanbul, and the nearest ski hill is 104 km away in Uludag. Combined, these options can make for pretty exciting Turkey holidays.

Activities

Surfing
Stand-up paddle boarding
Scuba diving
Snorkeling
Surfing
Sailing
Kitesurfing
Windsurfing
Parasailing
Paragliding
Hang gliding
Sky diving
Bungee jumping
Hot air ballooning
Whitewater rafting
Kayaking (sea)
Canoeing
Caving and spelunking
Hiking/trekking
Rock climbing (all levels)
Abseiling
Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
Horseback Riding
Skiing and snowboarding

On a Budget?

Hostels in Istanbul are quite reasonable, with one of the cheapest, the Erasmus, charging less than $7 USD per night for a dorm bed. Most hostels, such as the Istanbul Harmony Hostel, start around $10 USD, and Istanbul hotels, of course, run significantly more.You can find a full list of Istanbul Hostels here.

Meals can be purchased for as little as $2 USD, or assembled in supermarkets or markets for as little as $1 USD. An average restaurant meal, though, will probably run around $4 – 8 USD.