Sports and Watersports in Turkey

Sports and watersports are huge stuff in Turkey. More as a spectator rather than participatory sport, football is hugely popular in Turkey. With well-supported teams in nearly all towns and villages, and matches on the TV nearly every night, you won't be far away from some football fun. The best bit (especially if you're no so keen on the sport itself) is the celebrations if the team; local or national, have won.

In the way of watersports, Turkey offers a huge range, including windsurfing, sailing, parasailing, banana boat or doughnut rides for the adrenalin junkies, and there’s paddleboat rental for those who prefer a more relaxing experience.

Turkey has the facilities for a huge range of watersports; for example, swimming, either in the sea or in one of the many swimming pools that exist nationwide. Fishing is an option, either in the sea or in one of the rivers. Snorkelling and diving are popular sports; for which there are many, many courses; from one-day open-water courses to intensive courses which last up to six weeks. There is also the option of diving informally when you go on a boat trip, with comprehensive safety instructions at no extra cost.

Buyuk Resif (translated as Great Reef) is renowned for being one of the best spots in Turkey to go diving, especially in the morning when the water is still clear. Fish such as lear fish, grouper and morray are all frequently seen, and as an extra treat there may be fish that have migrated from the Red Sea area.

The sea also provides the opportunity for other watersports such as water-skiing, windsurfing and surfing. Nearly all beaches offer the necessary equipment at reasonable prices. See the individual sections on Places in Turkey for more information.

Around Bodrum especially, yachting is a favourite watersport. There are many companies who rent out yachts for however long you wish. Some of the boats come with a captain, so you need not worry about being a skilled sailor to live the high life on the water.

Paragliding; involving running off a hill or mountain into the sky, is generally reserved for adrenalin junkies, but it’s very popular, and many coastal towns have hills high enough to sustain a pleasurably long jump. Flights can last hours, depending on the quality of the equipment and the paraglider’s level of experience.

On the subject of 'para…ing', there's the option to parasail at many of the tourist resorts. This is having your parachute attached to a boat, and the boat sails along pulling you behind it at speed. Both this activity and paragliding offer fantastic panoramic views, not to mention a huge amount of fun, at reasonable prices.

Sailing is very popular and is becoming increasingly more so as time goes on. A 'gulet' can be privately rented, you can experience a days sailing on a gulet as part of a day trip. The sport has a competitive edge, with a few competitions each year occurring at places along the Aegean coast. The Bodrum Cup is a famous annual yacht regatta for wooden boats. It is entirely individual, firstly because it is the only regatta in the world solely for wooden boats, and secondly, because the boats, known as 'gulets' can compete with passengers on board, meaning totally inexperienced sailors can compete in a world famous competition. The race takes place along the 'Blue Voyage' route, which has lots of beautiful coves and islands dotted along it.

There is increasingly becoming the opportunity to participate in the sport of golf in Turkey, as golf resorts are popping up more and more frequently. Belek; situated on the Mediterranean coast, has five courses of a high quality, with another six planned for the future.

Rafting is also popular thanks to the many, many rivers in Turkey. Of course where the rivers are fast-flowing it becomes white-water rafting! The famous river for rafting is River Coruh, the fastest-flowing river in the world, which flows through the Artvin mountains and into the Black Sea. It's essential to wear a lifejacket and shoes when rafting - rubber shoes are best, and a helmet is recommended.

The Dalaman River is also popular for rafting, thanks to it being easily accessible from the Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Turkey. Supplied with limestone, the river is naturally turquoise and warm, with many areas where the water starts to flow quickly to add some excitement to your experience!

The rivers of Turkey also provide the opportunity to canoe.

Inland Turkey provides an excellent landscape for mountaineering, where you can explore the magnificent mountain ranges. Two of Turkey’s most famous peaks are inactive volcanoes, to add a little spice to your climbing!

Also inland, depending on the time of year, is the opportunity to go snow skiing. The most popular resort is Uludağ, with an altitude of more than 2200m. Kartalkaya is a popular resort, which encompasses several chair and t-bar lifts, and a few red and black runs, although it's best to visit before February, which is when the weather starts to change and the snow skiing quickly changes to slush skiing! The resort of Palandöken comes highly recommended, which at points has an altitude of over 3000m! The Turkish Olympic Skiing team train here too.

Click here for the places in Turkey page for more information on sports and watersports in Turkey.