It’s time to wake up from the dull winter days as spring is back again. For lovers of nature sports, the arrival of spring also means warmer weather, allowing even more outdoor activities throughout the country. Rafting is quite popular in warmer weather, though some rivers are good year-round.
Rafting is in full swing on the Melen River in Düzce, northwest Turkey. Both domestic tourists and aspiring rafting coaches flock to the area in the opening month of the rafting season.
Gökhan Özkan, owner of the Deep Nature tour company, which also offers rafting tours, says alternative locations for rafting increase with the arrival of June. Deep Nature currently offers tours only on the Melen River.
Özkan lists the most popular rafting destinations as Köprülü Kanyon (Antalya), Dalaman River (Muğla), Melen River (Düzce), Çoruh River (Artvin) and the Fırtına Valley (Rize).
“The Köprülü Kanyon is ideally located and close to tourism centers in Antalya. It’s perfect for day-trips. Everyone can go rafting there. Next is the Dalaman River, located between Fethiye and Marmaris. July and August are the best months to go here. It’s also quite scenic. The Melen River attracts many people, especially because of its proximity to İstanbul. However, people like to raft in white and bubbly waters. The Melen is of a light brown color. This means it’s not well known for the scenery or its degree of difficulty,” Özkan says.
“Çoruh offers the best opportunities for rafting and is geared more toward professionals. Amateur groups don’t go through the rough waters but instead walk along the river. Over the last two to three years, the Fırtına Valley has become popular thanks to a television series,” Özkan explains. He also notes that rivers in eastern Turkey have also begun to emerge as rafting destinations and that locals have begun to show interest in them.
A rafting trip from İstanbul to Melen is priced at about TL 140, transportation, food, rafting equipment and a guide included.
Although the season began for avid rafters this month, races are not set to begin until late April. Training courses for future rafting coaches have already begun in Düzce and will continue next month with courses in the southern provinces of Muğla and Antalya. The Developing Sports Federation will announce the calendar at a later date. The federation’s president, Enver Oral, tells Sunday’s Zaman that the season’s full potential will be seen in May, when all rivers used for rafting begin to be used.
“Rafting in Erzincan, for example, isn’t possible before May because the water flows too fast. The Fırtına Valley will start hosting competitions starting in May,” Oral explains.
He also says Turkey is the richest country in terms of nature in its region when it comes to rafting but adds that this richness has only recently begun to be exploited. “We have rivers in every corner, but we haven’t made good use of them before. These are matters we discussed in our meetings as rafting is an important source of tourism revenue as well,” he adds.
While noting that rafting only recently became a branch of sports covered by the Developing Sports Federation, Oral said last season’s brightest achievement was a bronze medal won by Turkey’s youth team in a world championship competition.
