When the beach empties and the heat finally lifts, the Side countryside comes alive. Climb into an open jeep with a professional driver at the wheel and roll out in convoy through villages and farmland as the sun sinks behind the hills — music playing, entertainment on the move and a few playful water fights along the way. Cool off with a swim in the clear water of Green Lake, then step aboard a catamaran where dinner is served on board and the deck turns into an open-air party under the evening sky. A stop at the Manavgat Waterfall in the cool night breeze rounds off the adventure before we drop you back at your hotel. Around five hours door to door, hotel pickup included. Reserve free of charge and pay on the tour day, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
Most safari tours end when the sun gets low. This one is only just beginning. In the late afternoon, once you have had the whole day for the beach and the pool, we collect you from your hotel in the Side area and hand you over to the convoy: a line of open 4x4 jeeps, each with an experienced professional driver, so nobody in your group has to stay sober-minded behind a wheel — your only job is to enjoy the ride.
The convoy rolls through countryside lanes and villages while the daylight softens into sunset. There is music, on-board entertainment and — fair warning — water fights between the jeeps that nobody stays entirely dry through. It is loud, silly and great fun, which is exactly the point.
The first big stop is Green Lake, a reservoir of remarkably clear, cool water in the hills behind Manavgat. Swimmers can jump in and wash off the dust; everyone else can simply enjoy the view as the light fades. From there you trade wheels for water: a catamaran is waiting, dinner is served on board, and once the plates are cleared the deck becomes a party — music, dancing and the night sky overhead. Drinks are available on board at your own expense, so bring some cash.
Before heading home there is one more scene-stealer: the Manavgat Waterfall, wide and thundering, even more atmospheric in the cool of the evening than in the midday crowds. Then the jeeps bring you back to your hotel, tired, probably a little damp, and with a very full camera roll.
Good to know: the tour runs from early June to mid-November and lasts around five hours in total. It is designed for guests aged 12 and over, and it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Dinner, the catamaran cruise, the jeep safari with driver, guiding and hotel transfer from the Side-area resorts (Kumköy, Çolaklı, Evrenseki, Gündoğdu, Sorgun, Titreyengöl, Kızılağaç, Kızılot and Side itself) are all included in one price. Booking with Atalay Tours is free — you pay on the tour day, and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start.
We collect from hotels in Side, Manavgat, Evrenseki, Kumköy. Travelling from somewhere else along the coast? Message us and we will tell you honestly whether we can reach you.
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Most booked If you want to leave the ordinary behind and embark on an unforgettable journey into the heart of nature, the Side rafting and jeep safari combo tour is…
This is the version of the Taurus day built around the zoo stop: a stop up in the mountains where guests can have contact with a lion cub for photographs, with entry paid on site rather than included in the tour. Around it runs a full eight hours off-road — the Roman bridge where the asphalt ends, orchards and aqueducts, Green Lake from above, a swim and Turkish pancakes at Oymapınar, and lunch over Green Canyon. EUR 20 an adult, EUR 10 for children aged 4 to 12, hotel pickup and lunch included.
Swap the beach for the high Taurus: an open-top 4x4 convoy winds out of Side past orange groves, a Roman bridge and ancient aqueducts to the emerald water of Green Canyon. Swim at Oymapınar, taste village-made pancakes, laugh through the summer water fights, then sit down to a lakeside lunch with canyon views. Full-day tour with hotel pickup across the Side area — professional drivers do the driving, you just hold on and enjoy. Reserve for free and pay on the day of the tour.