On Thursday, a 9 year old girl drowned in a water rafting accident on the Dalaman River. She was on holiday with her family in Fethiye.

And whilst we do not classify a gulet trip as 'high risk', we reported yesterday about the tragic accident on board the Kayhan 9 near Fethiye. One person is missing and a small number were injured as a fire broke out on board, resulting in the sinking of the vessel.

Of course, as tragic as these events undoubtedly are, it is important to stress they are very much the exception. But they should perhaps make us think carefully about how prepared we are, to undertake these types of activity whilst on holiday.

Always make sure that you are dealing with a reputable business, with appropriate insurance and a license to operate.

You should also consider whether you are adequately covered by your travel insurance policy for things such as paragliding, rafting, scuba-diving and horse riding, to name but a few activities. 

Also, if you are tempted to hire a scooter, you may want to check the position on insurance.  If you don't have a UK bike licence, the chances are you will not be legal, and any insurance will be invalidated.  See our article on scooters in the Transport section of the KTLN Knowledge Bank for more on this.

Generally speaking, there is no free health service in Turkey, and if you are involved in a serious accident, the bills may be significant.

We should mention though, that if you are unfortunate enough to be injured in a road traffic accident, you do get your initial emergency hospital treatment free of charge.