Ölüdeniz Paragliding
Ölüdeniz is the best paragliding spot in the world. Everyone who paraglides in Ölüdeniz feels and knows this reputation. Ölüdeniz is special not only for paragliding pilots in Turkey but for pilots worldwide.
So, what makes Ölüdeniz so good for paragliding?
1. Paragliding launch height
2. Ölüdeniz’s legendary view
3. Paragliding flight duration
4. Experience of Fethiye paragliding instructors
5. Suitability of weather conditions for Babadağ paragliding
1. Paragliding launch height
Paragliding flights in Ölüdeniz are conducted from Babadağ National Park. Paragliders taking off from Babadağ perform their flights accompanied by the Ölüdeniz view. The highest paragliding runway on Babadağ is 1,969 meters.
A paraglider advances 7 meters while descending 1 meter on average. This means it glides. So, it glides in the air at a height of launch x 7. The higher the launch, the longer the paraglider can stay in the air. However, if the wind or thermal currents are good, the launch height doesn’t matter as much, because the paragliding instructor can stay in the air as long as desired by using these currents. You can get detailed information by checking the page of our Ölüdeniz paragliding team.
Babadağ paragliding runways
1200 meter winter runway
1700 meter southwest runway
1800 meter north runway
1900 meter South and Southwest runway
1969 meter North and Northeast runway
2. Ölüdeniz's legendary view
After taking off from Babadağ, the blue cedar forest immediately greets you. The blue cedar forest in Babadağ is one of the largest cedar forests in the world. Just behind the forest is the magnificent view of Ölüdeniz.
During the flight, on your left: Kıdrak beach, Lycian valley, and Butterfly Valley.
On your right: Kayaköy, Karagözler, and Fethiye are watching you.
Directly in front of you are Ölüdeniz Beach (Belcekız beach) and Ölüdeniz (Blue Lagoon).
Behind Ölüdeniz, in order: Camel beach, Soğuksu bay, San Nicolas island, Gemile bay, Aquarium beach, and many other natural beauties.
Every corner you look at, a different natural perfection accompanies your flight. Sometimes, clouds add color to your flight.
The paragliding experience, starting from Babadağ, ends by landing on Ölüdeniz beach.
3. Babadağ paragliding flight duration
A standard Babadağ paragliding flight lasts 25-30 minutes. However, the time spent in the air can be extended with thermals and wind currents. If the weather conditions are suitable for paragliding and passengers want to fly longer, this flight can be extended by +10-15 minutes. This is more than enough for guests taking their first flights. Compared to its counterparts worldwide, Ölüdeniz is one of the most advantageous spots in terms of paragliding duration.
Also, immediately after taking off from Babadağ, the paraglider flies over Ölüdeniz. You can try acrobatic maneuvers while over the water. These maneuvers will shorten your flight by about 3-4 minutes.
4. Experience of Fethiye paragliding instructors
Fethiye is famous for paragliding, as well as for its paragliding instructors. This reputation, of course, comes from experience. Paragliding instructors must undergo many training sessions to work in Fethiye. At the end of these trainings, they must participate in exams and demonstrate their experience and knowledge. A new paragliding instructor starting to work in Fethiye has at least 1,500 flights.
The difficulty of the training and examination phase takes a minimum of 3 years for someone who wants to pursue paragliding as a profession. This indicates that a lot of experience is required. Fethiye is the most controlled and safest flight point in the world.
In Fethiye, there is a Slot unit affiliated with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, which takes all safety precautions, monitors instructors’ compliance with rules, and checks parachutes. This unit inspects every detail, including weather conditions, and ensures that flights are conducted safely.
5. Suitability of weather conditions for Babadağ paragliding
Babadağ has a meteorological structure that seems to exist independently from the rest of the world. Almost 330 days out of 365 are suitable for flying all day. Flights start at 07:00 AM and continue until sunset.
Paragliding is not done in rainy weather, very cloudy weather, or when the wind exceeds 30 km/h. When these conditions are observed by the Slot service unit, flights are stopped.
Ölüdeniz is the best paragliding spot in the world, but not the most expensive.
The Ölüdeniz paragliding price for 2024 has been set at $150 USD.
This price is much lower than its competitors, despite being very good.
The 750 TL entrance fee for Babadağ National Park and the 300-hour flight life of the equipment are the biggest factors in the price increase.
Paragliding is an experience you definitely must try. And this experience is even more special in Ölüdeniz.
