What is orienteering?
What is orienteering, how does it work and who can do it?
Short answer
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.
How it works
At the start you are given a map with a course printed in purple: a triangle (start), numbered circles (control points) and a double circle (finish). Your job is to visit the controls in number order and reach the finish.
At each control there is an orange-and-white flag and a punching unit. Today punching is almost always electronic: you touch or insert a small chip into the unit, and the time you were there is recorded. At the finish your chip is read and, if you visited every control in order, your time goes on the results.
You choose the route between controls. Straight through the forest, round on the path, or over the hill? These decisions are what make orienteering different from running. The fastest runner doesn’t always win; the best decision-maker often does.
Basic rules
- Visit the controls in the order shown (except in score orienteering).
- Complete the course on your own; in relays team members run one after another.
- Following others or receiving help is not allowed in races; in training events it is fine.
- Do not enter areas marked out of bounds (purple hatching), private property or crops.
- Even if you retire, report to the finish and download your chip so organisers know you are safe.
Why the map matters
Orienteering maps are far more detailed than ordinary maps. They follow the IOF specifications (ISOM for forest, ISSprOM for sprint) and every colour has a fixed meaning:
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| White | Runnable forest |
| Yellow | Open land (meadow, field edge) |
| Green | Vegetation that slows you down; the darker, the harder |
| Brown | Landforms: contours, pits, earth banks |
| Blue | Water: lakes, streams, marsh |
| Black | Rock and man-made features: roads, paths, buildings, fences |
| Purple | The course: start, controls, finish, out-of-bounds areas |
More: How to read an orienteering map. Try switching the layers on and off in our Map Lab.
Formats
- Foot orienteering — the most common. Sprint (parks and towns, short and fast), middle distance (technical) and long distance (endurance and route choice).
- Relay — in teams.
- Score orienteering — collect as many points as possible in a fixed time, in any order.
- Mountain-bike orienteering (MTBO), ski orienteering and trail orienteering (Trail-O) — a precision discipline in which people with and without disabilities compete on equal terms.
All formats: Types of orienteering.
What you need
No special kit for your first event: comfortable sportswear, trousers or leggings that cover your legs in the forest, shoes with grip, and water. The organiser provides the map and usually lends or rents a chip. A compass can come later. See Orienteering equipment.
Benefits
Orienteering trains body and mind at the same time: running or walking on varied terrain, map reading, spatial thinking and quick decisions. Because everyone goes at their own pace, families and people of different fitness levels can take part in the same event. See Benefits of orienteering.
How to start in Ankara
- Come to a free taster session with Kanyon Orienteering: Your first event.
- Join a beginners’ course to learn the map, compass and route choice.
- Train with the club and race locally; when you are ready, run federation races for the club.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a compass to go orienteering?
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.
Will I get lost?
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.
How old do you have to be?
Pre-school children can walk simple courses with a parent. Federation races in Turkey have age classes from under-10s to veterans (masters).
Is orienteering the same as a treasure hunt?
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.
Sources and further reading
Related guides
- How to read an orienteering mapHow to read an orienteering map: colours, symbols, scale, contours and magnetic north lines, explained step by step for beginners.
- Types of orienteeringFoot, mountain-bike, ski and trail orienteering; sprint, middle and long distance, relay, score and night orienteering - the differences and who they suit.
- How to prepare for your first orienteering racePreparing for your first orienteering race - entry, choosing a class, what to wear and bring, race-day steps, safety rules and FAQs.
- Orienteering equipmentOrienteering kit list - what you need to start, compass types, shoes and clothing, electronic chip, description holder and map case.