Skip to content

The Best Time for a Jeep Safari in Side, Season by Season

There is no closed season for the Side Jeep Safari: it runs all year, eight hours, 20 EUR per adult and 10 EUR per child aged 4 to 12, lunch included. What the calendar changes is the character of the day. In summer the convoy runs open-top and the jeeps have water fights with each other; in winter we use covered jeeps and there are no water games, while the driving, the stops and the lunch stay as they are. Two tours do have a fixed season: the night safari runs early June to mid-November, the Alanya day at the Dim River April to November.

The short answer, before the detail

The route does not change with the month: the Roman bridge where the asphalt ends, the orchards and aqueducts, the viewpoint over Green Lake, Oymapınar village with its swim stop and Turkish pancakes, the dam, the Green Canyon viewpoint and lunch by the lake.

The season decides how you travel that route and what you do at the stops.

  • Summer: open-top jeeps, sun, wind and dust on the tracks, plus water fights between the vehicles in the convoy.
  • Winter: covered jeeps and no water games. Same route, same eight hours, same lunch.
  • Night Jeep Safari with dinner and catamaran cruise: early June to mid-November only, 35 EUR, ages 12 and over.
  • Alanya Jeep Safari to the Dim River: April to November only, 30 EUR per adult and 17 EUR per child.
  • Unchanged all year: eight hours, 20 EUR adult, 10 EUR child aged 4 to 12, infants 0 to 3 free, lunch included, hotel pickup.

Summer: open sky, dust, and a convoy that gets you wet

In the warm months the jeeps run open-top. That is the point of the vehicle and also the thing to plan for: open sky for most of the driving, constant wind once the convoy moves, and dust off the mountain tracks. A hat that will not blow off, sunglasses and a scarf for your neck earn their place in July.

The other summer feature is the water fights. The jeeps in the convoy soak each other, so treat everything you carry as something that may finish the day wet and pack a dry change for the drive home. If that sounds like your kind of day, summer is your season.

Summer is also when the swim stop at Oymapınar is most tempting and when the optional one-hour Green Lake boat trip, 5 EUR per person paid on the day, makes the most sense, taking the day to 25 EUR per adult.

Winter: covered jeeps and the same mountains

Winter departures use covered jeeps and drop the water games. Nothing else is removed: the full eight hours, the off-road driving, the Roman bridge, the Green Lake viewpoint, Oymapınar village, the dam, the Green Canyon viewpoint and the included lakeside lunch all stay.

For some guests this is the better version of the tour rather than the consolation version: no eight hours under a beating sun, no dust in your face and nobody throwing water at your children. Dress for a day in the mountains, not for a day on the beach.

Spring and autumn: the months in between

We do not publish a fixed date on which the jeeps switch from open-top to covered, because it is a decision about the day rather than the month. If your date sits in the shoulder season, ask us when you book and we will tell you how the convoy is running that week.

Everything else is identical to a high-summer booking: same price, same eight hours, same lunch, same pickup from Side and the surrounding resorts. What differs is how you use the stops.

What the season never changes

Some things people expect to be seasonal are not.

  • The price: 20 EUR per adult, 10 EUR per child aged 4 to 12, infants 0 to 3 free, in every month.
  • Lunch at the lakeside restaurant, included in that price.
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off from Side and the surrounding resort areas, meeting at your hotel main entrance gate.
  • Free reservation, no prepayment, no card taken online, payment in euros on the day, free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
  • Guiding in English, German and Russian, plus Turkish.
  • The optional extras, such as the 5 EUR Green Lake boat trip and the Manavgat Waterfall entrance, are paid on the spot. That waterfall stop is programme-dependent in any season, so we never promise it in advance.

The two tours that do have a season

The Night Jeep Safari runs early June to mid-November: five hours, 35 EUR, ages 12 and over, with a late-afternoon pickup, dinner on board, a catamaran cruise with music, the Manavgat Waterfall in the evening and a swim at Green Lake. Outside that window it is not on sale.

The Alanya Jeep Safari to the Dim River runs daily in season, April to November: eight hours, 30 EUR per adult and 17 EUR per child aged 4 to 12, pickup from Kestel to Okurcalar, waterfall and Dim Dam photo stops, a village house and mosque visit, a swim stop, riverside lunch and the same summer water fights.

The rafting and jeep combinations are a separate decision rather than a seasonal one: seven hours from Side at 28 EUR per adult and 17 EUR per child, nine hours from Evrenseki, Kumköy and Manavgat at 40 EUR and 24 EUR. Send us your dates and we will confirm.

If the weather turns on your day

The coast and the mountains behind it do not always get the same weather, so a grey morning at your hotel does not automatically mean a washed-out day on the tracks. We look at the conditions on the route.

Two things can happen. The programme can change, with a stop swapped or dropped if conditions call for it, which is one more reason we never promise the Manavgat Waterfall in advance. Or, if a departure cannot be run safely, we move it to another day that suits you or cancel it free of charge.

With no prepayment and no card taken online, a weather cancellation costs you nothing, and you can cancel free yourself up to 24 hours before departure.

So which date should you choose?

Match the season to the day you actually want.

  • The classic day with open jeeps, water everywhere and swimming: high summer.
  • Small children who would not enjoy being soaked: the cooler months, or summer with a dry change packed.
  • Long hours of heat and sun are not for you: shoulder months and winter, when the jeeps are covered.
  • You want the night safari with dinner and the catamaran: your date must fall between early June and mid-November.
  • You are staying in Alanya rather than Side: April to November for the Dim River day.
  • You are here in deep winter: the full-day Side safari still runs, covered, same price, same lunch.

Questions

Frequently asked

What is the best month for a jeep safari in Side?
There is no single best month, because the tour runs all year and the route does not change. High summer gives you the full open-top experience: water fights between the jeeps, and the swim stop and the optional Green Lake boat trip at their most inviting. If heat and dust are not your idea of a holiday, the cooler months give you the same eight hours, the same viewpoints and the same included lunch in covered jeeps.
Does the jeep safari run in winter?
Yes. Winter departures use covered jeeps and there are no water games between the vehicles. Everything else stays: the eight-hour programme, the off-road driving, the Roman bridge, the orchards and aqueducts, the Green Lake viewpoint, Oymapınar village, the dam, the Green Canyon viewpoint and lunch at the lakeside restaurant, at 20 EUR per adult and 10 EUR per child aged 4 to 12.
Does rain cancel the jeep safari?
Not automatically. Rain on the coast does not always mean rain in the mountains, and the tour is built for tracks rather than for perfect conditions. What can happen is that the programme changes, with a stop swapped or dropped, or that a departure we cannot run safely is moved to another day or cancelled free of charge. You pay nothing in advance, so a weather cancellation costs you nothing.
Are there water fights on every jeep safari?
No. The water fights between jeeps belong to the summer, open-top departures. Winter runs use covered jeeps and skip the water games entirely. If you are travelling in the shoulder months and this matters to you either way, ask us when you book and we will tell you how the convoy is running.
Can we still swim on the tour outside high summer?
The swim stop at Oymapınar village stays on the itinerary all year, along with the freshly made Turkish pancakes and a drink. Whether you get in the water is entirely your decision and nobody pushes you either way. We do not publish water temperatures, so if that is your deciding factor, check the sea and lake conditions for your dates locally.
When can I book the night jeep safari?
The Night Jeep Safari runs from early June to mid-November. It is five hours at 35 EUR for guests aged 12 and over, with a late-afternoon hotel pickup, dinner on board, a catamaran cruise, the Manavgat Waterfall in the evening and a swim at Green Lake. Outside that window it is not available, and the full-day safari is the alternative.
Is the Alanya Dim River jeep safari available all year?
No. That one runs daily in season, April to November. It is eight hours at 30 EUR per adult and 17 EUR per child aged 4 to 12, with pickup across the Alanya area from Kestel to Okurcalar. If your Alanya holiday falls outside those months, the Side full-day safari is the year-round option.
Is the tour more expensive in the high season?
No. The price is the same in every month: 20 EUR per adult, 10 EUR per child aged 4 to 12 and free for infants aged 0 to 3, with lunch included. The only extras are optional and paid on the day, such as the one-hour Green Lake boat trip at 5 EUR per person, which brings the day to 25 EUR per adult.