Paragliding in Oludeniz is a must-try entertainment since it’s here, in Turkish Oludeniz that Babadag mountain is located. It’s very famous among paragliders – from it, numerous colorful paragliders take off into the sky every day from morning till night. Babadag mountain is located right by the sea – just 5 km away. Its main peak is 1,969 meters high, which makes it a perfect place for paragliding. Babadag Mountain is the second most popular gathering place for paragliders in Europe. You can climb the mountain on your own to admire Turkish views from above or together with those who want to paraglide.
What paragliding is and how to bring yourself to the flight
A paraglider is an unpowered flying machine that is supported by ram air flowing around a paraglider wing. Usually, pilots use the tops of hills or mountains, taking off right windward. After the take-off, the pilots gain sufficient altitude and fly along the chosen route gradually decreasing. Paragliding is believed to be one of the safest air sports. At resorts, tourists usually fly in tandem (together) with an experienced instructor. In this case, tourists don’t need to take care of anything. It’s an instructor that does everything for them. There are also weekly beginners’ courses to master this sport. But in this article, we’ll discuss a flight of a common tourist who doesn’t know anything about paragliding – that’s me.
I felt I wanted to fly a paraglider as soon as I started looking for a place to spend vacation in Turkey. I was looking for information about Oludeniz, about what one can do during vacation. Many people wrote about paragliding. Just as I saw colorful photos of tourists in the air above magnificent Turkish nature, I decided that if we go to Oludeniz, I’ll surely fly a paraglider. And I told my husband about it – by no means should he discourage me. I brough myself to it very quickly, as I’m not afraid of heights. We arrived in Oludeniz, and 3 days before departure I decided it was time to fly a paraglider. We came to Sky Sports, signed up for the next day, and left a guarantee.
It’s only after it that I began to feel doubts about the flight. I decided to look for information on the Internet. It turned out that there had been fatalities – I was surprised. I felt a little nervous, but most of the reviews were positive, so I decided to fly. Besides, paragliders always carry a parachute – this calmed me down at once. I can tell those who are thinking about paragliding in Oludeniz – the worst thing is waiting. But when you’re already in the air, you’re just enjoying picturesque views of Oludeniz.
Paragliding in Oludeniz. How to choose a company to fly with.
In Oludeniz, paragliding is a mass-produced entertainment. When on Oludeniz beach, we always saw a few dozen people flying in the sky from morning till evening! It’s very beautiful! When watching another tandem landing and a hot-eyed tourist telling his friends about the flight, I really felt eager to soar in the air like a bird. In Oludeniz, about 10-15 companies organize paragliding flights. Mainly it’s the prices that differ. The most famous paragliding companies in Oludeniz are Sky Sports, Gravity, Reaction, and many smaller ones.
To tell the truth, I didn’t even choose from them. I wanted to fly with Sky Sports only. Why did I choose Sky Sports? Sky Sports has more positive reviews on the Internet than all other companies. It made me feel confident that everything would go well. The flight cost varies ranges between $60 and $100. When we visited Oludeniz in September 2021, the flight with Sky Sports cost $100 and $33 more for photos and videos. 
Important information about paragliding
Briefly about how it happens. You and other guys gather at the Sky Sports office by a certain time. It’s located almost at the beginning of the main shopping street of Oludeniz. You get on a minibus and travel to the mountain for about 30 minutes. On Babadag mountain, there are 3 jumping platforms at different levels. We jumped from the middle one – from about 1,700 meters above sea level. It’s not your decision, which platform to jump from. Earlier on the same day, the instructors decide which platform to jump from, depending on the weather and wind. Our middle platform is equipped better than others. There’s a restaurant with a fantastic view of Oludeniz. Also, a cable way is built from this part of the mountain right to the city beach in Oludeniz.
We got off the minibus and were immediately assigned to instructors. After that, the instructor tells you that you would need to take a few steps at his command. You’ll run up and the air will lift the paraglider and you’ll take off. The air is cool high in the mountains. I recommend taking a jacket and pants if you don’t want to feel cold. I felt it was about 16-17 degrees at the mountain, and the wind was blowing all the time. I jumped in the afternoon before sunset. I think early in the morning it’s even colder at the mountain. I took a jacket but decided not to wear it. But I should have – after the flight I got a runny nose, since I caught a slight cold. If your hair is long, you must tie it in a ponytail so that the hair doesn’t bother the instructor sitting behind you.
My paragliding flight in Oludeniz with Sky Sports
My flight was scheduled for 17.00 and at 16.15 I had to be at the Sky Sports office. At 16.30 together with the group of 12 I went to Babadag mountain by minibus. About half of us were Russian speakers. The rest were foreigners. The road went along a serpentine with abrupt slopes to the right and to the left. To tell the truth, I got only a little adrenaline on the road, and not during the jump. It took 30 minutes, and we climbed up to a specially equipped flight platform.
We were assigned to instructors – I got an English-speaking Turk Seçkin.
First, he helped others take off and then explained what to do. I should take a few steps to take off and enjoy the flight. I said okey, no problem. He lifted the paraglider into the air, and I managed to take only half a step, when we were lifted right into the air. He said it was good. We rose about 300 meters up and found ourselves at about 2,000 meters above sea level. From above, the platform looks small. You can also see a part of the serpentine road and the restaurant.
As soon as we were lifted into the sky and our flight began, I felt worried no longer. All I needed is to enjoy the flight. The flight time is usually 20-30 minutes and depends on weather conditions and instructor’s experience. During the first 5-7 minutes, we circled over the mountains. It was incredibly beautiful – from afar we could see our Belcekiz beach and the Blue Lagoon. I asked Seçkin if we could fly over the Butterfly Valley. He said that of course we could and showed me where it was from above. Then I realized that if we flew to the Butterfly Valley, we would have little time and altitude to fly over the Blue Lagoon. Therefore, we decided not to waste time and altitude and headed right to the Blue Lagoon.
We circled over the mountains for about 7 minutes. I was already a little nervous and wondered if everything was fine, whether we had any problems, and why we couldn’t fly any further. Seçkin said that we were enjoying the mountains and if I wanted, he would fly on right away. That’s what we did.
The views from above are incredible. I had a camera, and I didn’t lose a chance to take beautiful photos from the air.
It’s one thing to see such pictures on the Internet and an entirely different thing to take such photos yourself. The beauty just took my breath away!
Turkey is a very beautiful country! The main thing is not to stay at an All-inclusive hotel for the entire vacation, but to go out and explore! In the photo above, we fly over the Blue Lagoon and Belcekiz – the city beach of Oludeniz.
Here, we made a few circles to enjoy the Blue Lagoon from all possible angles and take beautiful photos and videos. Seçkin took pictures and videos of us on Go Pro all the time. Sky Sports allows to take your personal photo and video equipment and take photos yourself. But! Only the people flying 5 times a day over this land know the right time and the best way to take photos. They know all the angles depending on the side of the sun. You should trust them and get really nice and high-quality photos for a small fee. Seçkin kept telling me where to look and was turning the camera in all directions. I was very delighted with the pictures and videos I got!
At the end of the flight, when we were approaching Belcekiz beach, Seçkin offered me trying a little bit of extreme. I said, “Well, I’m not sure,” and he replied, let’s do “a little”. I agreed and he immediately began rocking the paraglider in all directions. We didn’t do a somersault, but we enjoyed swaying. I should mention that if you want to do some air tricks, you should keep in mind that they take the paraglider down quickly. Consequently, you will spend less time in the air. Since we watched everything already, I didn’t feel sorry for this time. It was great! Then, Seçkin told me how we would land. Most paragliders land on the city beach of Oludeniz, although we’ve seen some of them land on the nearby Kidrak beach. He said he would tell me exactly when we could get back on our feet when we would be landing.
The next moment we are already landing. Seçkin is the first to touch the ground with his feet. He tells me to stop, and I get on my feet at once. The flight is over. It was so breathtaking that if it wasn’t for such a high price for the flight, I would have been happy to fly the next day in the morning. But I will remember this flight for a long time. It’s great to try something you’ve never done before in your life (I mean good things only). To tell the truth, I didn’t get any adrenaline. It wasn’t frightening at all – we circled smoothly the entire flight. But I remember being excited by the height and beauty and by the fact that I finally decided and did it! Paragliding is a very interesting and impressive sport, and I wish you to try it at least once in your life!