Five departures, one shape of day
The coast has five resort belts and each has its own convoy. Side and Alanya are the longer days at approximately 8 hours; Belek, the Antalya city belt and Kemer run approximately 7 hours. What separates them is the country behind the hotels: Side climbs into lake country with a canyon viewpoint and an optional boat hour, Alanya follows the Dim River with a swim, and the three western belts are stream-crossing days with a village stop or a mountain-stream stop before lunch.
Pickup belts do not overlap, so the first decision is made by your hotel address rather than by the route. If you are unsure which of the five departures collects from your hotel, the decision page lists the belts side by side.
- Side — Roman bridge, orchards, Green Lake and Green Canyon viewpoints, lakeside lunch, approximately 8 hours
- Alanya — Taurus foothills, Dim River crossings, waterfall and dam photo stops, riverside swim and lunch, approximately 8 hours
- Belek — citrus groves, red-dirt tracks, shallow river crossings, village stop, riverside lunch, approximately 7 hours
- Antalya city belt — pine forest and citrus, dusty tracks, river stops, viewpoints, village stop, riverside lunch, approximately 7 hours
- Kemer — pine forest, rocky trails and muddy crossings, coast viewpoints, mountain-stream stop, lunch among the pines, approximately 7 hours
Morning: the jeep at your hotel gate
The day starts in the morning at the main entrance gate of your hotel. The exact time is confirmed after booking and depends on where your hotel sits along the belt, because the jeeps collect several hotels in turn before the convoy forms and turns inland. There is no afternoon or evening departure on any of the five routes; the programme needs the whole day.
From pickup to drop-off the length differs by belt, and how long each departure lasts is explained on its own page. On the day itself you only need to be at the gate in the morning with your things packed.
The climb: where the asphalt ends
Each convoy leaves its coast road and heads for the foothills. On the Side route the tarmac ends at an old Roman bridge and the tracks run between orchards of orange, lemon and pomegranate trees, then past fields of cotton and sesame. Above Alanya the climb passes orange groves and banana plantations. From the Belek golf coast the jeeps cross citrus groves, greenhouses and streams; from the Antalya city belt the road enters pine forest and citrus orchards; above Kemer the pines close in around small mountain villages and terraced gardens.
This is the part of the day where the jeeps stop being transport and become the point. The drivers know the tracks, the guests hold on, and the dust starts.
Tracks, crossings and the water fight
Off the asphalt the tracks are dirt: dry riverbeds and stream crossings on the Side route, river crossings on the Dim River above Alanya, red-dirt tracks and shallow river crossings behind Belek, dusty mountain tracks and shallow crossings behind the city belt, rocky trails and muddy water crossings above Kemer. Guests ride as passengers in open-top 4x4s; a professional driver is at the wheel of each jeep and nobody in the party takes it.
In summer the water fight between the jeeps is part of the programme, and it continues at the river stops. You get wet, so the packing list matters; what to wear and bring for the day is a short page of its own. In winter the fleet switches to covered jeeps and the water games stop.
What you see: mountains, villages, forest and river
The Alanya day on the Dim River is the one with a real river running through it: crossings in the water, photo stops at a waterfall and at the turquoise Dim Dam, a village stop with farmers' produce and spring water, a coastline photo, a village house and mosque visit, and a swim before lunch. Dim Cave is an optional visit with a small entrance fee paid on the spot.
The Side departure into the lake country has the longest list of named stops: ancient Roman aqueducts, a viewpoint over Green Lake, a swim stop and Turkish pancakes in Oymapınar village, the Oymapınar Dam photo stop, a viewpoint above Green Canyon and a village mosque visit. There is a chance of passing Yörük nomad families on the way, though this depends on the day and is not part of the programme.
On the three western routes the records name no stops, so we describe the day rather than the map. The Belek day pauses at a mountain village for gözleme and village tea and at a riverbank for a water-pistol fight. The Antalya city day has viewpoints over green valleys and a mountain village with traditional crafts. The Kemer day has viewpoints over the valleys and the Mediterranean and a stop at a clear mountain stream to wade, cool off and fight with water.
If you want the longer version, we have written up what actually happens at a mountain village stop.
Lunch beside the water
Lunch is included on all five departures and is taken at a riverside or lakeside restaurant. Above Alanya it is a platform restaurant over the Dim River, above Side a lakeside table, behind Belek a riverside meal with time to paddle in the stream, behind the city belt a restaurant beside running water and above Kemer a rustic mountain restaurant among the pines.
Drinks are ordered and paid for at the table. The photos and videos taken by the tour team, personal expenses and any optional stop with an entrance fee are also paid on site.
Optional extras that come up during the day
Two optional extras exist and both are on the eastern routes. On the Side day there is an optional boat hour on Green Lake, paid on the day, and a programme-dependent Manavgat Waterfall stop with the entrance paid on site. On the Alanya day the Dim Cave visit is optional with a small fee. None of the three western routes carries a named optional stop.
Because the day is settled in cash on the spot, bring enough for the tour price, drinks and any extra you might choose.
The descent, and reserving the day
After lunch the convoy comes down the way it went up, with a last stretch of dust or splash, and drops you at your hotel gate. Reserving is free and takes no card: choose the date and your pickup area, enter adults and children, and hand over the fare in cash once the day arrives. If your hotel is in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı or the city centre, reserve the Antalya city departure; dropping the booking costs nothing right up to 24 hours before departure.
For a Belek hotel, the Belek day leaves from Belek, Kadriye, Boğazkent and the smaller resorts around them, and its page has the pickup list. For a Kemer, Side or Alanya hotel, the region pages carry the same detail for their belts.