Hanuman Paragliding Turkey — Local services in Fethiye

The lucrative paragliding scene in Oludeniz clearly draws some regretful business practices, scams, inconsistencies and bad experiences. After speaking to countless businesses and focusing on TripAdvisor reviews, I landed on Hanuman paragliding services on the beach front and booked a flight for me and my partner. After an awkward conversation with one of the sales reps (MR Sinan GUVEN) about the extortionate prices, he walked me over to one of the pilots so I could ask for some advice on what to expect during the flight. The pilot (who was a genuinely nice guy) began answering my questions, at one point telling me how much photo's and videos would cost - quoting me a figure of around the 200tl mark (£10). On hearing the price given to me, Sinan (the sales rep) immediately interrupted him and claimed the correct figure would be over 350tl in a clear attempt to shake more money out of me. I quickly realised that this was common practice for this place. Depending on your ability to haggle, where you're from and how they perceive you, these guys will milk you accordingly.

I ignored the awkward behaviour of Sinan and booked a flight for two, and was set to go up and fly in a couple of hours. A pilot turned up (Deniz GOK) who walked us over to a shared bus which drives up the mountain to get us to our flight point, and we were joined by the second pilot who appeared angry, uninterested and irate. Both pilots made no effort to converse with us or get to know us. It was almost like they wanted to get the flight done and dusted and get rid of us ASAP. I tried to engager with Deniz who answered a couple questions I had, whilst the other pilot whom I don't know the name of was completely uninterested.

During the bus journey to the top of the mountain, the driver gave out drinks to our pilots and their own groups, however we weren't offered anything which I felt was quite rude given that we were ordered to leave all of our personal property back at reception and had nothing on us. It sums up how we were made to feel in all honesty, the crew were all joking with each other, having drinks and a laugh whilst we were sat in dead silence on the bus for an entire 30 minutes.

At the flight start-point, the pilots began their routine which was clearly all scripted and insincere. From taking the exact same photo's in the same awkward poses 50 different times, to hearing the pilots say the same scripted jokes which they've clearly said countless times before, it all felt very forced and fake. After take-off, I was hassled throughout the entire flight so much that I can barely remember the scenery, as I wasn't left alone to just enjoy myself to the extent I wanted to. Imagine trying to take in the scenery whilst being told "look here, pose like this, look there, pull this face, look excited, do this with your legs, do that with your arms"... honestly it was cringe. You don't want to complain or say anything mid-flight or cause tension, so you get on with it and put up with the constant commands.

There were moments where I was left alone to enjoy myself and that was pleasant, however these moments were short lived. In fact, I was told that the flight would last over 30 minutes, however mine lasted around 15. You get asked if you want to glide down slowly without any thrills, or complete a couple tricks in the air which takes you down a little quicker, but a 50% decrease in flight time for a couple of turns in the air is quite steep.

After getting grounded and being asked for another cringe comment on camera about your experience, you get stripped of the gear and walk into the computer room where they smash you for around £20 per person for some GoPro photo's and videos (totalling £40 for us both). The price I was given by the pilots was now DOUBLE the price given to me by the sales rep, once again - clearly a typical practice here. I paid the extortionate fees for some videos and photo's which were all honestly really bad and unflattering and were ready to be...

I've chosen this company because of their good reviews. I called them and booked the flight for my girlfriend and me. Guy at the phone was friendly and nice. We arranged the flight date and pickup location.

This was our first paragliding experience, and we felt like they didn't provide enough information about our flight so if you have some questions do your research in advance and prepare your questions.

They picked us up at our apartment on time and drove us to their office. We were expecting some kind of presentation or somebody to tell us something more about the whole thing. They looked like they know what they're doing, so we just trusted them.

The Ride to the top of the mountain was scary. The Driver was pressing the gas pedal really hard through those steep and narrow rodes. We arrived safely to the top but still didn't know much about anything. We've been there for about an hour, and they just told us to get in the van. We didn't know why and asked some people that were with us in the van, and they said they have no idea. That was kinda annoying. Apparently, the flight conditions weren't safe, so they drove us to the lower altitude.

I met my pilot Deniz just before the flight. He is an experienced pilot and very nice guy. I told him that I have a sensitive stomach, and he made my flight very smooth and enjoyable. He's also an awesome photographer. I bought all photos he made, and they are amazing. We jumped at the sunset and the view was just stunning.

My girlfriend told me that her pilot was skilled and friendly too. All staff and pilots are professional, skilled and friendly. Hanuman is very good agency overall, and you'll enjoy flying with them. I just wished they provided us with more information, so we wouldn't be confused...

I feel grateful and indebted to Hanuman Paragliding Agency for a wonderful experience, especially because of their staff member Ramazan at the front desk in Oludeniz. We stayed in Belcekiz resort, where Hanuman Agency operates out of, and interacted with Ramazan almost on a daily basis. He gave my mom and I tips not only limited to paragliding, but a lot of other activities like island tours, hiking and visit to Pamukkale thermal pools. Ramazan tried his best to accommodate us and give us good price for paragliding, even though we came late and the 10 AM slots were full. He was respectful both towards the pilots as well as customers, which shows high professionalism. Hanuman Agency also seemed more professional compared to other paragliding agencies in the area, as they were the only ones operating with radio communication with the pilots to cooedinate landing in a busy area, and also had staff on standby in the ground to help with safe landings. Their gear also seems more professional and of good quality. We did the 6 island tour with Hanuman Agency and enjoyed it a lot! Ramazan also went beyond his immediate duties to provide me with tips on hiking the Lycian Way, which was very helpful and generous of him. His way of interacting with customers was very humane and genuine, not just transactional. For example, he remembered my birthday and maintained his friendly nature towards the client irrespective of which tour agency we chose for other activities. Ramazan deserves a raise and promotion for his kindness, client orientation and professionalism. I hope Hanuman Agency sincerely considers rewarding this man for making customer's holidays so memorable and happy! Thank you Hanuman Agency for...