Four directions, two booking-free days, one simple way to choose
Stand on the beach in Side and the day-trip question is really a compass question. Inland rise the Taurus mountains, carrying the villages, orchards and viewpoints of the classic jeep safari day on their first slopes. Further west, on a separate river, Köprülü Canyon holds the white-water rafting. Directly behind the coast the Manavgat river hides Green Canyon and the Oymapınar dam, invisible from the shore. And east along the coast lies Alanya, a resort region with its own river valley, the Dim.
Below, each direction gets an honest description — and, where one of our departures goes there, exactly what that day costs and includes. Two of the best days need no vehicle at all and close the list. A separate page then covers how to arrange a whole week in Side once you have picked your days.
The Taurus mountain day — the classic day trip from Side
If you take one organised trip, the strongest all-round choice is the full-day jeep safari into the Taurus mountains. It runs for eight hours in 4x4s seating eight to ten guests, each with a professional driver — guests never drive themselves — and hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The tracks leave the asphalt at an old Roman bridge and cross dry riverbeds on the climb, passing orange, lemon and pomegranate orchards, cotton and sesame fields and Roman aqueducts, with a swim stop and freshly made Turkish pancakes at Oymapınar village.
The price is EUR 20 per adult and EUR 10 per child aged 4-12, with infants 0-3 free, and lunch at a lakeside restaurant by Green Canyon is included. In summer the jeeps run open-top and the convoy trades water battles between vehicles; in winter the jeeps are covered and the water games rest.
Köprülü Canyon — the white-water day
Köprülü is not Green Canyon under another name: it is a separate canyon on a separate river further inland to the west, a running gorge rather than a flooded one, and the rafting operates from the village of Beşkonak. Because the drive in is part of the appeal, we sell the day as a combination of off-road jeep and river.
From Side itself, the combined rafting and jeep day from Side lasts seven hours and costs EUR 28 per adult and EUR 17 per child, with roughly 12 km of river, all safety equipment and lunch included. Guests staying in Evrenseki, Kumköy or Manavgat have their own nine-hour version departing from each resort at EUR 40 per adult and EUR 24 per child, pairing the off-road jeep drive with the rafting run, with all safety equipment and lunch included.
Green Canyon and Oymapınar — the lake hidden behind the coast
Green Canyon is not a separate excursion to hunt for: it is the flooded gorge behind the Oymapınar dam, filled by the reservoir known as Green Lake, and none of it is visible from the coast. The Taurus jeep day already works its rim — a panoramic viewpoint over Green Lake, a photo stop at the dam and a viewpoint above the canyon, with the included lunch eaten at a lakeside restaurant.
If you would rather be on the water than above it, an optional one-hour boat trip on Green Lake runs after lunch at EUR 5 per person, paid on the day, which brings the jeep day to EUR 25 per adult all-in. A separate page describes, stop by stop, how the Green Canyon day actually works.
Manavgat — the river town behind the resorts
Manavgat is the working town on the river of the same name, inland of the shore in the middle of the resort belt, and it is known for its markets. It makes an unforced, unticketed day out: the town, the stalls and the river itself, which crosses the town and reaches the sea just east of Side.
One honesty note about its waterfall: the Manavgat Waterfall sits on the same river, and our jeep safari may stop there on the return — but the stop is programme-dependent, never guaranteed, and where it happens the entrance is paid on site. If seeing the waterfall matters to you, treat it as a possibility on the jeep day or as part of your own Manavgat visit, not as a promise.
The Alanya direction — and the Dim River day
East along the coast, Alanya is a resort region in its own right, gathered around a castle-topped headland, with the Dim River valley behind it. From Side, Alanya is a place to explore rather than one of our departures, and none of the days above requires it.
For travellers actually based on that stretch of coast, we run our jeep day on the Dim River for guests staying around Alanya: eight hours, with pickup across the whole Alanya area from Kestel to Okurcalar, at EUR 30 per adult and EUR 17 per child, in season from April to November. The route takes an open 4x4 convoy through the Taurus foothills to waterfall and Dim Dam photo stops, a village house and mosque visit, and a swim stop with lunch on a riverside platform — with the same summer water fights between jeeps.
Two day trips that need no booking at all
The first of them is the town you may already be sleeping inside: ancient Side, the Roman town on the peninsula, with its theatre and the temple columns standing by the harbour. Wandering the streets needs no booking and no organisation whatsoever; the enclosed sites keep their own entrance fees, paid on the spot.
The second is the beach itself, running in long sandy stretches either side of the peninsula. Neither is a product — they are simply the reason a rest day between excursions never feels wasted.
Booking the organised days: what it costs you today — nothing
Every departure of ours on this page works the same way: reservation is free, nothing is paid online and no card is taken; you pay in euros on the day of the tour, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and the exact time is confirmed after booking because it varies from hotel to hotel; on the Taurus jeep safari the meeting point is the main entrance gate of your hotel.
Guiding on the flagship day is available in English, German and Russian as well as Turkish, and the mountain tracks are bumpy in places, so mention back or neck problems before boarding. The small print behind every figure above is collected in our complete jeep safari guide.