Frequently Asked Questions

The club address is Anıttepe Mah. Gençlik Cad. No:23/1, Çankaya, Ankara. Events take place in parks, campuses and forests around Ankara.

Yes. Maps are universal and coaches can brief you in English. Start with a free taster session.

Yes. Taster sessions are free; the club provides the map and you don’t need a compass.

Yes. Team Route team-building events, custom maps and sponsorship for organisations, and the My School Map programme for schools.

Orienteering is an outdoor sport in which you use a detailed map, and optionally a compass, to visit a series of control points in a set order and reach the finish as quickly as you can. You choose your own route between controls, so it is as much about decision-making as running. You can walk it in a park or race it in a forest, and it suits every age.

Not as a beginner. On park and campus courses it is enough to turn the map so it matches the ground. In forests and on harder courses a compass makes navigation easier.

Beginner courses follow paths and obvious features. Every event has a course closing time and checks that everyone who started has returned. If you are unsure where you are, go back to the last point you were sure of.

Pre-school children can walk simple courses with a parent. Federation races in Turkey have age classes from under-10s to veterans (masters).

It is similar, but orienteering is a defined sport with standard map symbols, accurately surveyed maps, timing and route choice. In a treasure hunt clues matter; in orienteering map reading does.

Orienteering maps use seven basic colours. White is runnable forest, yellow is open land, green is vegetation that slows you down, brown is landforms, blue is water, black is rock and man-made features, and purple is the course. Always hold the map so it matches the ground (north lines pointing north), use the scale for distance and read the contours for slope.

Forest races usually use 1:10,000 or 1:15,000; sprint and park races use 1:4,000 or 1:5,000. At 1:10,000, 1 cm on the map equals 100 m on the ground.

Usually 5 metres; 2.5 m on flat terrain. Every fifth contour is drawn thicker (index contour).

Magnetic north lines. They are used to orient the map and to take bearings with a compass.

In orienteering the compass is used first and foremost to orient the map. You line up the red end of the needle with the map's north lines so the map faces the same way as the terrain. Its second use is taking a bearing when you need to go straight across terrain without clear features. Beginners don't need a compass; on park courses turning the map to match the ground is enough.

A thumb compass sits on the hand holding the map and makes it easy to keep the map oriented while running; most racers use one. A baseplate compass is easier for learning to take bearings. Try both on a beginners' course before buying.

In training and recreational events, yes. In federation races GPS and navigation devices are not allowed; only a traditional compass is permitted.

No. The north lines on orienteering maps are already drawn to magnetic north.

The core orienteering techniques are orienting the map and thumbing (keeping your thumb next to your position on the map). You also use handrails (following linear features such as paths or streams) and catching features (something beyond the control that stops you if you overshoot). Add to these attack points (an easy feature close to the control), aiming off, traffic-light pacing and relocating when lost.

Stop and stay calm. Orient the map, think about the last point you were sure of and match big features around you (paths, streams, open areas, hills) to the map. If you still can't tell, go back to a known point or a big catching feature and restart from there.

Keeping the map oriented and thumbing. Together they stop you losing your place; every other technique builds on them.

The best route is not the shortest one but the one you can complete fastest and most safely. Compare four things. First distance, then climb (roughly 1 m of climb equals 10 m of flat running). Then terrain and vegetation (paths are fast, green is slow). Finally, the risk of getting lost: is there a handrail and a catching feature?

A common rule of thumb is that 1 m of climb is worth about 8 to 12 m (on average 10 m) of flat running. A route with 50 m of climb should be treated as about 500 m longer than a flat one.

No. If there is no climb and no thick vegetation, going straight through white forest is usually faster. Rules help, but every leg must be judged on its own terrain.

Analyse your races. Draw your route on the map and compare it with others. Tools such as Livelox and RouteGadget let you compare GPS tracks on the map.

The International Orienteering Federation recognises four disciplines. These are foot orienteering, mountain-bike orienteering (MTBO), ski orienteering and trail orienteering (Trail-O). Foot orienteering is raced as sprint (short and fast, in towns and parks), middle distance (technical) and long distance (endurance and route choice), plus relays. Score, night and app-based virtual orienteering are also popular.

A short, fast format in parks, campuses and historic town centres. Elite winning times are around 12 to 15 minutes, on 1:4,000 or 1:5,000 sprint maps.

In Trail-O competitors stay on paths and decide which of several flags in the terrain matches the control on the map. Accuracy, not speed, is measured, so wheelchair users and others compete on equal terms.

Controls can be visited in any order and each has a points value. The most points in a fixed time wins, with penalties for being late. Ideal for team-building events and beginners.

Control descriptions are a table telling you exactly what feature each control is on and where the flag is. They use IOF symbols, one row per control. The row gives the control number, control code, which feature (for example a pit), details of the feature and the flag's position relative to it (for example the north side). On beginner courses they are often given in plain text as well.

Controls from other courses may be nearby. Check that the code on the flag matches your description before punching; punching the wrong control can disqualify you.

Printed on the map and, at most races, also handed out at the start on a separate slip that you put in a holder on your arm.

Each control has an electronic unit. You touch or insert a chip worn on your finger (most commonly SPORTident, or SI) into the unit. It beeps and flashes, and the chip stores the control code and time. At the start you clear and check the chip, and at the finish you download it. Results and split times appear instantly.

No. Most events hire out chips. Once you race regularly, your own chip is more convenient; you give its number when entering.

Try again. If the unit has failed, use the pin punch on the flag to mark the backup box on your map or description slip, and tell the officials at the finish.

Your result won't be recorded and the organisers may think you're still out on the course. Always download, even if you retire.

Pick an easy class and enter in advance. Wear trousers or leggings that cover your legs and shoes with grip, and bring water and a change of clothes. The map is provided and a chip can usually be hired. Arrive at least 45 minutes before your start time. When you get your map, orient it first, then plan the route to the first control. Always report to the finish, even if you retire.

The easiest level of your age class, or an "open" or "beginner" class if offered. In Turkish federation races classes are by sex and age (for example K21 for women, E35 for men); racing in them requires a licence through a club.

Official classes in Turkish Orienteering Federation races require a licence and club registration. Open classes, training events and club events do not.

In official classes, yes. At club events and in open classes you can go with a friend or a coach as a shadow for your first time.

You don't need special kit to start. Comfortable sportswear, trousers or leggings that cover your legs, shoes with grip and water are enough. The map is provided and a chip can be hired. When you orienteer regularly you can add a compass (thumb or baseplate), trail or orienteering shoes, your own chip and a control description holder.

Not at first. Once you run in forests regularly, trail shoes with deep lugs or studded orienteering shoes give grip and safety. Normal running shoes are fine for sprints and parks.

Pre-school children can start orienteering by walking with a parent. From around 7 or 8, children can do short courses along paths on their own or with an adult shadow. Courses are designed for each age group and everyone is tracked with start and finish checks and a closing time. Orienteering builds map reading, navigation, decision-making and confidence.

Children's courses follow paths, fences and clear boundaries. Every child is checked at start and finish; if anyone is missing at closing time, officials start searching immediately. Children are taught "if you're lost, go to the nearest path and wait".

Yes. School sport competitions include orienteering in the Minikler, Küçükler, Yıldızlar, Gençler B and Gençler A age categories, with provincial, group and national stages.

Absolutely. On family courses parent and child walk together, and many parents take up orienteering themselves. That's exactly Kanyon Orienteering's approach.

Orienteering combines the endurance of running or walking with map reading and decision-making. Moving on uneven ground trains balance and coordination. Reading the map builds spatial thinking, and choosing routes builds decision-making and problem-solving. It takes place outdoors and everyone goes at their own pace, so it suits families and people of all ages and fitness levels.

Yes. At race pace it involves long and interval-style running on varied terrain. But because you can walk it, you don't need high fitness to start.

Yes. Masters classes extend to advanced ages, and trail orienteering suits people with limited mobility. Ask a doctor about individual health questions.

Orienteering began in late 19th-century Scandinavia as military land-navigation training. The first public competitions were held in Norway and Sweden in the late 1890s, and it became a popular sport in Sweden in the first half of the 20th century. The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) was founded in 1961, and the first World Orienteering Championships were held in Finland in 1966. In Turkey the sport is run by the Turkish Orienteering Federation.

Orienteering in Turkey is governed by the Turkish Orienteering Federation (TOF), a member of the IOF. The season starts in autumn. It includes a tiered Turkish Orienteering Championship (TOŞ), U14 rounds, club, masters and relay championships, and MTBO, ski and trail-O championships. Official races require a licence through an accredited club. School sport and university championships offer separate pathways for young people.

Yes. Many events have open classes without a licence. To race in official classes you join an accredited club, which handles the licence. Contact the club for your individual situation.

Usually from autumn (September–October) to early summer. Clubs renew their accreditation with the federation every season.

Yes. Winter festivals in Antalya, Istanbul 5 Days, the Mediterranean Orienteering Championships (MCO 2027) in Muğla and an international cup in Bursa welcome foreign athletes.

Ankara is home to the Turkish Orienteering Federation and to some of the strongest university orienteering teams in the country. Civil clubs, institutional clubs and university teams are active. Parks and campuses are used for sprint, and forest areas around the city for forest courses. The main national-calendar event in Ankara is METU Open. Adults, university graduates, families, expats and international students can start at Kanyon Orienteering's free taster sessions, with help in English.

Yes. Maps are universal, and our coaches can brief you in English. Taster sessions are the easiest way in; write to us in English.

University orienteering teams are active in Ankara, and Kanyon Orienteering welcomes students and graduates. Contact us and we will point you to the best option for your campus and schedule.

Check our events page. For groups (e.g. a club on a training trip) we can arrange maps and courses on request.

Corporate orienteering is a team-building event in which colleagues work in teams to find control points with a map. It starts with a short briefing and continues as a race or task game, usually in score format, where each control earns points and team strategy decides the result. It combines decision-making, communication, role-sharing and physical activity. It can last from 2 hours to a full day in a park, campus, forest or around your offices.

From small teams to several hundred. Participants form teams of 2–5; capacity depends on the size of the area and number of staff.

No. Courses can be walked, and in score format every team sets its own pace and strategy.

Yes. Briefings, maps and control descriptions can be prepared in English for international teams.