Paragliding enthusiasts experience flights amidst the beauty of Botan Valley National Park

In Siirt, paragliding enthusiasts are experiencing paragliding accompanied by the natural scenery in Botan Valley National Park.

Members of the Paragliding Club, who come from different professional backgrounds in the city, are coloring the city's skies by performing flights in designated areas.

The paragliders, who enjoy the pleasure of flying accompanied by the unique landscape of the Botan Valley National Park, which is surrounded by high-altitude mountains, are carrying out the final flights of the year.

Club members, who record these moments with cameras while gliding in the sky over the Botan Valley and other regions where they fly, and share the images they capture on their social media accounts, also contribute to the promotion of the region.

Soner Yılmaz, the club's lead pilot and also a staff member of the Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, said that there are 25 certified pilots within the club, which was established in 2012.

Stating that they see paragliding as an alternative tourism activity, Yılmaz noted that they want to introduce the natural beauties of the national park in the city where they live to everyone.

Yılmaz said, "I have always wanted to fly since I was a child. We would always ask what it feels like to fly, what kind of pleasure it is. We told our instructor who flies in Siirt that we wanted to do this sport. A course was opened in the city by the Turkish Aeronautical Association. We are among the first trainees of the course. We became paragliding pilots with the course opened in 2012. Since Siirt is a continental region, there is a lot of thermal current. With the training we received, we started to make thermal flights. The altitude of Botan Valley National Park is 930 meters above sea level and 480 meters from the ground. We have the potential to go up to 4200 meters. We are carrying out the last flights of the year due to the thermal air current of autumn."

Expressing that he has turned paragliding, which he started as a hobby, into a social and sporting activity over time, Yılmaz stated that they also organize training for those interested in flying as a club.

Pointing out that Botan Valley National Park is a flight route for flight enthusiasts from many parts of Turkey, Yılmaz said:

"We have very pristine areas. We have our historical Akabe road under the valley. Flights called tandem are made in paragliding. If tourists want to see the beauties in Siirt from the air, they can make tandem flights here. It is a great deficiency for those who come to Siirt not to see the beauties of this place on the ground and in the sky. I would like to thank our Governor and our Provincial Director of Youth and Sports who contributed to the development of paragliding in our city."

Club member and tradesman Muhittin İdiz also said that he has been performing cultural and sporting flights in the skies of Siirt as a paragliding pilot for about 10 years.

Explaining that flying in Botan Valley National Park gives them a special excitement, İdiz said:

"We do this sport within the club. We witnessed this sport before in the Alanya district of Antalya. I attended the courses opened by the Turkish Aeronautical Association in Siirt. I started as a hobby at first. In the following years, we participated in regional competitions and were successful. We have a regional first place in the general classification and club classification in the Southeastern Anatolia Region Paragliding Target Competition organized by the Turkish Air Sports Federation in June. We are currently participating in competitions nationwide. If God wills, I want to take this to the national team level."

Expressing that they contribute to the promotion of the beauties of the national park with the flights they make in Botan, which is a challenging region in geographical terms, İdiz said, "The region is very suitable for paragliding. There are thermal currents where the continental climate is present. This place has a beautiful view."

Paragliding pilot İbrahim Elçiçek also noted that they are waiting for all sports fans to the flights they carry out to make Siirt a central location in paragliding.