Two very different adventure days
A jeep safari and a white-water rafting day scratch the same holiday itch in opposite ways. In the jeep you sit while a professional driver does the work: the convoy leaves the asphalt at an old Roman bridge, fords dry riverbeds and stream crossings, and carries you past orchards, aqueducts and viewpoints to a village swim stop. On the river you are the engine: rafting means a paddle in your hands, a helmet and a life jacket on, and a stretch of the Köprülü river to work down as a crew.
That difference — being carried versus paddling — usually settles the question faster than any price table. If you are still weighing quads and buggies too, you can compare all four activities side by side; this page keeps to the jeep day and the river day, and to the combo tours that end the argument.
The jeep safari, in verified numbers
In numbers, the full-day jeep safari through the Taurus Mountains runs eight hours at EUR 20 per adult and EUR 10 per child aged 4 to 12, with infants of 0 to 3 free. Hotel pickup and drop-off from Side and the surrounding resort areas are included, and so is lunch at a lakeside restaurant by Green Canyon. The 4x4s carry eight to ten guests each, always with a professional driver — guests never drive.
The route stacks up more sights than any other day we sell: the old Roman bridge where the asphalt ends, orange, lemon and pomegranate orchards, ancient Roman aqueducts, the viewpoint over Green Lake, a swim stop with freshly made Turkish pancakes in Oymapınar village, and photo stops at Oymapınar Dam and above Green Canyon. After lunch you can add a one-hour boat trip on Green Lake for EUR 5 per person, paid on the day, which brings the day to EUR 25 per adult. If you want the day laid out in full, we have written up how the whole jeep day runs from pickup to drop-off.
- EUR 20 per adult, EUR 10 per child aged 4-12, infants 0-3 free
- Eight hours, hotel pickup and lunch included
- Summer: open-top jeeps and water fights between vehicles; winter: covered jeeps, no water games
- Optional EUR 5 per person Green Lake boat hour after lunch — EUR 25 per adult all-in
What white water asks of you
Rafting is a participation sport. On our combo tours the rafting section covers roughly 12 kilometres of the Köprülü river in the canyon at Beşkonak on the Side departure, roughly 12 kilometres of white water on the Manavgat departure, and 14 kilometres of Grade II-III rapids on the Kumköy departure. Every guest goes out in the full kit — helmet, life jacket, paddle — and lunch is included on every combo; professional guiding on the water is listed on the Side and Evrenseki combos.
You will get wet, thoroughly and more than once; that is not a side effect of the day, it is the day. The jeep shows you the mountains from a seat; the raft makes you work through them. Which of those sentences sounds like your holiday is usually the whole decision.
Ages: the real dividing line
Travelling with very young children often makes the choice for you. The flagship jeep safari charges the adult rate from 13, the child rate of EUR 10 covers ages 4 to 12, and infants of 0 to 3 ride free — the family travels in the same convoy and a seat does the work rather than a paddle. On all four rafting combos the adult rate starts at 12, the child rate of ages 4 to 11 applies, and infants of 0 to 3 are free; the child band starting at four tells you what the river day is built around, and our family guide to the jeep safari goes deeper on travelling with children.
One caution applies to both days: the off-road tracks are bumpy in places, so mention back or neck problems before boarding.
Why not both: the seven-hour Side combo
There is a third answer to the jeep-or-rafting debate — not choosing at all: the seven-hour rafting and jeep combo from Side puts both into one day for EUR 28 per adult and EUR 17 per child, with infants of 0 to 3 free. Jeeps handle the two-way transfer from your hotel, the Köprülü canyon at Beşkonak provides roughly 12 kilometres of rafting, and lunch, all safety equipment and professional guiding are included.
The arithmetic works in its favour: the jeep safari alone is EUR 20 per adult, so for EUR 8 more the combo adds a white-water descent to the same day. What it trades away is the flagship's full sightseeing programme — the combo's jeep element is the run to and from the river, not the eight-hour circuit of the dam, the viewpoints and the village stops.
The nine-hour combos from Evrenseki, Kumköy and Manavgat
Staying outside Side centre, or simply wanting the longest day? Three nine-hour combos run at EUR 40 per adult and EUR 24 per child, each departing from its own resort.
- Evrenseki: round-trip jeep transfer from Evrenseki hotels, off-road through riverbeds with the Ancient Roman Bridge visit, full white-water rafting in Köprülü Canyon, riverside lunch and travel insurance
- Kumköy: 14 km of Grade II-III rapids on the Köprülü river, the Roman-era Oluk Bridge crossing, a swim stop in the Köprülü water, riverside grilled lunch, full rafting kit and activity insurance
- Manavgat: round-trip transfer from Manavgat hotels, off-road jeep safari through the Taurus Mountains, approximately 12 km of white-water rafting, all safety gear and lunch
Practical information for either day
Booking works the same across every tour on this site: reservation is free, nothing is paid online, no card is taken, and you pay in euros on the day. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure. On the flagship jeep safari, pickup is in the morning after breakfast time, the meeting point is the main entrance gate of your hotel, and guiding is available in English, German and Russian alongside Turkish.
Of the three nine-hour tours, the nine-hour combo from Kumköy is the fullest river day we sell — the only one with the 14-kilometre Grade II-III run — while the Evrenseki version leans hardest on the jeep half with its riverbed crossings and the Ancient Roman Bridge.
- Free reservation, no prepayment, payment in euros on the day of the tour
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
- Guests never drive the jeeps — professional drivers only
- Exact hotel pickup time is confirmed after booking, because it varies from hotel to hotel
So which one should you book?
If one line here sounds like your group, the decision is already made.
- The whole family, toddlers included: the full-day jeep safari — children 4-12 at EUR 10, infants 0-3 free, lunch included
- The river is the point: a rafting combo — the biggest run is Kumköy's 14 km of Grade II-III rapids
- Both in one day, from Side: the seven-hour combo at EUR 28 per adult and EUR 17 per child
- The longest day, or a hotel in Evrenseki, Kumköy or Manavgat: the nine-hour combos at EUR 40 per adult and EUR 24 per child
- You would rather choose when you get wet: the jeep day — the swim stop and the EUR 5 Green Lake boat hour are both optional, and winter departures use covered jeeps with no water games