Karacadağ mountain, situated at an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) within Karapınar district in central Türkiye's Konya province – an alluring nature spot recognized for little ponds surrounded by green meadows, is on the path to becoming a paragliding hub as it garners the attention of many paragliders recently.
The northeastern part of the mountain is known for its volcanic formation while two lakes, namely Lake Meke and Acıgöl, formed in the southeast of the mountain are frequently visited by local and foreign tourists.
Karacadağ ponds in particular, have become a subject of interest for nature lovers, however in the last two years the area attributed to local tourism by hosting a paragliding competition and is expected to boom further, according to the district governor and local nature sports club president.
Karapınar District Governor Oğuz Cem Murat speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) said that Karacadağ hosted various civilizations in the past, stating that it is also the place considered to be home to many castle ruins.
"It offers incredible beauty with its valleys, ponds, plateaus and valleys. We have different types of endemic plants on this mountain. We have the very beautiful Ovacık Pond," Murat noted.
Explaining that the pond is a place where rare birds take shelter the district governor called on visiting and discovering the beauties of Karacadağ. "Find out how the volcanic mountain was formed, how beautiful the ponds can be, and observe the rare bird species," he maintained.
Adding that the parachute flying center was established in the region, Murat reiterated his call for discovering the splendid natural scenery of Karacadağ and Karapınar.
Mustafa Ulutaş, president of the "Karapınar Flight and Nature Sports Club," which was founded two years ago, noted that training and skydiving take place on the Göktepe runway at the foot of Karacadağ.
During the Paragliding World Cup held in Aksaray, while flying from there toward Karaman, Ulutaş and his team attempted to land but found no designated path. It was during this experience that Ulutaş truly grasped the beauty of the region, with its lush green meadows. Since their discovery, they have consistently chosen to descend using parachutes.
"Above there is another lake. Next to it, there are the ruins of an ancient city with a hippodrome. The scenery of the places is beautiful. As there's no path, we move from here and descend with parachutes... the area is intriguing for local and foreign skydivers. Everyone wants to see it. When the flowers bloom, in this month nature changes its colors," he concluded.