Come With Me; Travel Edition: Paragliding in the Oludeniz Mountains

Hi Guys!!!!

So I’ve almost come to the end of this travel series, which is a relief cause it’s just in time for my first winter trip of the season. Haha I’ll reveal details soon, by God’s Grace, so you should keep an eye out for my Instagram posts, as pictures go up there first.

All the videos for this series will also be up on YouTube as soon as I’m done with all the blog posts so look out for that as well.

So, for day 7 of our trip we planned an exciting activity for the day - paragliding. It was my first time, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I was going to have a good time.

Fly Laputa - The tour company we signed up with as I said in my last post picked us up from our hotel at 2pm as arranged in their company bus.

The Fly Laputa bus

We then drove through the city of Fethiye to their office at the foot of the Ölüdeniz mountains. It was our one chance during our stay in Fethiye to really see the city, and it’s scenic views and boulevard. I couldn’t take photos since it was a drive, but I did get a few short videos I’ll share on YouTube. It was all so gorgeous. I know I already said this, but if you do visit Fethiye you should definitely stay longer than we did. So much more to explore and see.

After a quick stop at their office - a simple building behind a quaint little block with restaurants, a gelato kiosk, and other paragliding company offices - where we confirmed our reservations, payment of 450TL and answered a few questions on if we would like photos and videos, as well as paid an extra 200TL for them, we got back in the bus, and headed for the top of the mountains where we took off from.

We drove on the beautiful albeit scary mountain road, right up to the top where all the various paragliding companies in Oludeniz converge. You can see the mountains during the drive, and I’ll be honest I said a prayer for safety, as we pretty much were driving on a cliff.

We were greeted with a very pretty garden and pond when we parked at the top, and walked to the facility we were going to take off from. With several other paragliding companies around, there was more than enough time to take in the view, take photos and prepare.

We were introduced to our pilots, and given the paragliding gear to wear. My Pilot, Mami was extra friendly and fun. We chatted a lot before and during the ride, and he did his best to make sure I was comfortable through out. He also gave me all the information I would need during the ride.

Mami and I

We waited for most of the other people to take off, and Mami was so sweet helping everyone out, so I had time to take more photos of myself, the view and other paragliders.

Me goofing around

Me with a view of some of the gliders taking off

Taking off was an interesting experience. Mami was my instructor so he rode with me, and together we ran down the slope, which was a little scary as I was afraid we could fall right down the mountain, but I soon discovered that there was a ledge below that I couldn’t see from the top that would have broken our fall even if we did fall.

We were soon in the sky, and we started our 40 minute or so ride steadying ourselves as we garnered more wind and went higher up in the sky. This part was especially good for me to acclimatize to being so high up in the sky, and helped abate my fear of heights. It also helped that the view was breathtaking. I’m actually in tears right now thinking about how grateful I am for the experience.

Mami and I in the sky with a view of the Ölüdeniz mountains

Mami and I spent time chatting, I also sang a number of praise songs, because I was so amazed by the wonder of God’s creation. Everything just seemed so awesome from that view. The world below looked like a giant painting, and I think that seeing things from that view will make you experience God. Or understand Him a bit more.

We soon sailed through the winds from the mountains to the view of the sea, and if you think the mountains are beautiful, you should see the view of the water from that high up. Honestly it’s not just the water, it’s the boats, the sandy shore, and everything in between. Words aren’t enough to express how breathtaking that view is. Everyone should experience it at least once in their life.

When we got right on the water, Mami let me attempt to control the glider, and after about a minute he took the reins from me, because he didn’t want to die. LOL! He also did a few tricks that had me screaming and shouting like the Warri girl that I am inside. There’s video evidence of this on my Instagram too. Enjoy 🤣

Soon after, we prepared to land, and Mami steered us towards our landing spot which was just in front of their office from earlier. It was interesting seeing all the hotels and houses in the area come into view as we descended. Landing was fascinating and easy. We did the same running thing as soon as we hit the ground, which Mami advised. I took a mental note of the fact that you would need good knees to get it right, as there was a force from the paraglide and the wind it carried.

After landing, we headed back to the office where our photos and videos were processed and sent to our phones. If you don’t have enough space as I didn’t, you can buy a flash drive for about 70TL if I remember correctly, and have them put in it. We were also educated on the right apps to use for our 360 photos.

My friends and I headed back to our hotel soon after the ride, as one of them had something important to do. The folks at Fly Laputa were kind enough to take just us back. I stopped to get some gelato from the little kiosk close to the office, and I would definitely recommend.

We decided to take a walk on the beach, when we got back, as I had not had time yet to explore Çalış beach or even enjoy the sunset which just wasn’t good enough as it has one of the most beautiful views of the sunset in the world.

Even though we didn’t get there early enough to take proper photos, it didn’t disappoint. We walked the beach, met a photographer who took the most gorgeous photos of us, and then went back to our hotel restaurant for dinner with our friends.

Dinner was a delight, as there was a games night going on with the older guests, and even though we didn’t really join in the games, we did win a beautiful jigsaw puzzle at the raffle.

After dinner, we all walked the beach until we got to the end, while drinking cocktails and beer, and telling stories. It was a beautiful day that ended perfectly.

Fethiye was very good to us, and I would definitely go back if and when the opportunity arises, and if you do get the opportunity to go, I would definitely suggest you do, as you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.

Look out for my next post on our road trip to Bodrum, with details on our hotel and everything else you need to know.

Love, Yoma.