Boztepe Paragliding and Hazelnut Orchards in Ordu

Boztepe rises immediately behind the city of Ordu on Turkey's central Black Sea coast, forming a wooded shoulder of hill that looks straight down onto the rooftops, the harbour and the water beyond. Because the summit stands several hundred metres above the shoreline, it offers one of the widest panoramas on this stretch of coast: the city spread out below, the dark blue of the Black Sea to the north, and inland a rolling patchwork of green ridges where hazelnut orchards cover almost every available slope. The hill is used both as a public viewpoint and as a launch site for paragliding, and the two activities share the same small area of open ground at the top.

A viewpoint above the Black Sea

The road and a cable car both climb from the city centre to the summit, making Boztepe accessible without a long hike. At the top, terraces and viewing platforms face north over Ordu, and on clear days the coastline stretches east and west in a long series of headlands and bays. The hill itself is wooded, with deciduous trees and patches of scrub, and the cooler air at altitude is noticeable in summer when the city below becomes humid. Early mornings often bring low cloud sitting over the sea, and in spring and autumn the summit can stand above a layer of mist while the coast disappears beneath it.

Paragliding from the Boztepe summit

The combination of a high launch point, a steep drop to the coast and reliable coastal breezes has made Boztepe a recognised paragliding site in the region. Pilots take off from the upper slope and fly out over the city, gaining height along the ridge before turning towards the shore. The flight path typically passes above the rooftops and the shoreline, giving a view of the hazelnut slopes on the inland side. Tandem flights with qualified instructors are offered at the hill, and the site also attracts experienced pilots who fly independently. Conditions vary with the season, and flying depends on wind direction and cloud base rather than on a fixed calendar.

The hazelnut orchards below

The slopes beneath Boztepe are part of a much wider hazelnut belt that runs along the Black Sea between roughly Samsun and Giresun, with Ordu at its centre. Hazelnuts, known locally as findik, grow on large shrubs rather than tall trees, and the orchards are planted on steep ground that would be difficult to farm in any other way. The plants are trained into open, bowl-shaped forms so that light reaches the branches, and the slopes are often terraced with low earth banks to limit erosion on the heavy, damp soil. In spring the orchards carry long catkins, and by summer the green nuts hang in clusters wrapped in their leafy husks, giving the hillsides the dense, uniform green that characterises this coast.

Harvest time and rural life

Hazelnut harvesting is the defining event of the late summer in Ordu province. From August into September, families work the orchards by hand, gathering fallen nuts from the ground and stripping the rest from the branches. The nuts are then spread out to dry in the sun on nets or clean ground, turned regularly, and later separated from their husks. Much of the work is done by smallholders who own several scattered plots, and the harvest draws together relatives and seasonal workers from across the region. Orchards, drying nets and small stone or timber storage buildings are a familiar part of the rural landscape around the hill.

Seasons and nearby countryside

Boztepe changes character through the year. Winter brings cloud, rain and occasional snow on the upper slopes, while spring is green and frequently misty. Summer offers the clearest flying weather and long views along the coast, and autumn combines the activity of the harvest with softer light over the orchards. Beyond the hill, the hinterland of Ordu rises into forested valleys and high pasture, with upland plateaus used for summer grazing and streams running down towards the sea. The combination of a coastal city, a high viewpoint and an agricultural landscape shaped by one crop gives Boztepe a distinctive character that is easy to appreciate from the summit and from the air above it.