Turkey’s popular Oludeniz beach, famous for its beautiful sands, tropical turquoise seas and secluded coves, was adding to its popularity and mention in the guidebooks for another reason last year – its unique paragliding facilities hit a new record, Oceanwide Properties Turkey has learned.
Although paragliding is already a well-known sport at the world-famous beach and attracts thousands of holiday makers every year for that very reason, in 2013 the activity surpassed all previous records. That’s because more paragliders took off from the nearby 1900 metre cliff jump at the top of Badadag mountain than ever before and conversely there were far fewer injuries than in the past thanks to newly introduced safety measures.
A total of 75,000 paragliding flights, in fact, were launched from Badadag mountain last year – 15,000 more than in the previous year – and carrying around 130,000 individuals, thanks to the tandem nature of the flights. By the end of this year officials hope to have chalked up more than 80,000 flights breaking yet another record. And certainly easier access to the mountain top should help with that.
Week-Long Paragliding-fest in October
Visitors to Turkey or those in the country looking for a property for sale in Fethiye, Kalkan, Hisaronu or Oludeniz itself, can’t fail to be impressed by the paragliding activity all year round but it all really comes to a head in October when the beach hosts its annual Air Fest. That’s when the facility attracts professional and expert paragliders from all around the world.
Director of Oceanwide Properties Suleyman Akbay said: “Paragliding at Oludeniz Beach really is it a sight to behold. For a week at the end of October every year the sky is filled with wondrous colours as teams of jumpers take to the air at once. No-one can fail to be bowled over by the spectacular. Tourists and holiday makers turn up in their droves.”
Improved pilot safety
New regulations for the sport at Oludeniz cover tandem flights where pilots must now be in possession of recognized pilot certification. And, in order to prevent accidents through tiredness, pilots are only permitted to make a total of five jumps every 24 hours.
New Developments for 2014
A newly resurfaced road taking paragliders to the launch site at the top of Badadag Mountain, at 1200m, is set to be opened within the next few months. Meanwhile the newly paved launch sites and the road to the 800m launch platform are already playing host to the first paragliders’ of 2014.
Being Closer to Oludeniz – Permanently
Whether you’re a huge paragliding and sporting fan or whether you’d rather use this beautiful beach to soak up the sun’s rays on here at Oceanwide Properties we have a range of property in Turkey which is suitable for holiday let investment or to use as a retirement home for yourself. To find out more you can contact our staff at either our office at Fethiye in Turkey, or at our London address.
